EBME Forums Forums Management Medical Equipment Management Medical Gas Hoses Date Coding

This topic relates to the recent issuing of MDA Alert/2003/007 Medical Gas Hoses for Oxygen.

I contacted Doug McIvor at the MDA to enquire if he was aware of the date coding structures used by the majority of companies. To my suprise he wasn't and was dissappointed that this was not pointed out to him by the manufacturers prior to issuing the notice.

The question is just why do hose manufacturers insist on date coding why not just date the hose at time of manufacture so at least we have a rough idea of the age of a hose. I say rough as hose life is dependant on the time it was put into use, how its used or abused and the seemingly varied replacement period recommended my suppliers.

Next question: has anybody an uptodate list of all the date coding structures used by suppliers.

The one used for years by BOC was:
BRIT OXYGEN
1234 567890
Thus BG NT NN is 18 April 2000

The next interesting one (if your interested in codes that is) is that many companies have also used date coding in their serial numbers thus you have an idea of age on an item. Any one have some examples for sharing?

Bob, I have been able to get some further info over the past 2 years. So far I have 4 different date code systems, 3 on hoses and 1 on ferrules (at either end of a hose assy).

Here goes

Therapy Key

A B C D E F G H I J

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

Format AAF/JI where first letter is year (ie A-2001)

Datex Ohmeda Key

B R I T O X Y G E N

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

Format NY NI NN where last two letters is year (ie NN-2000)

Oxylitre

OX (x inside the o) marked on ferrule with 2 digit number corresponding to year

MIE/Intersurgical Key

As Therapy code


MEC Key

S V H Y F L O M E D

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Format YSS/FSV where last letter corresponds to year (ie v-2001)

Hope this is of use, and I must apologize if there are any errors.

Is it not possible to build into your medical equipment management package a service code eg.
hoserep and add a fequency of say 3 yrs.
When the hoses are replaced the service is automatically clocked off and in 3 yrs time tells you to replace the hoses again.
If you replace them prior to 3 yrs you carry out the same service.
Of cause this would only work if the hoses are either attached to a traceable host item or are given an individual inventory located code.

There are a few extras which can be considered, such as any equipment covered by service contracts which may have a different replacement frequency from your own. Also, you could use your asset database to flag up the quarterly inspections of hose assemblies recommended by some suppliers.

Another code for you from Penlon, perhaps the companies themselves would like to contibute:

to de-code a Penlon hose code usually found on label taped to NIST end: add up the digits of the year to get code number and reverse to de-code thus:

in month year and batch format:

November 1999 batch 139 is 11 28 139 the 2 middle digits 28 are the sum of 1999. in reverse 0205126 will be February 2003 batch 126

As you probably know Datex like many others have their date codes as part of their serial number or at least did have as coloured date discs on regulators.