EBME Forums Forums Maintenance Technical Assistance Replacement batteries (Medgraphics)

Has anyone out in EBMEland got any useful info on a third party battery supplier called Medgraphics?
As our trust is always in search of a "pound to save" they have been looking at buying replacement batteries from Medgraphics.
The particular batteries are used on the Agilent Heartstream XL defibs. Medgraphics are claiming to be able to supply a battery to the same spec as Agilent for £19.95!
Has anyone actually bought any of these?
If so, what has been the outcome?

Thanks guys!

Hi Steve,

With "High Risk" equipment I would always suggest using OEM supplied batteries to be certain that the device is operating to manufacturers spec. You dont want batteries not working to manf spec in equipment like this.
These batteries have a little recess in the end which sits over a microswitch. If you use the non-OEM batteries you will prob find there is NO recess in the end. This microswitch if depressed charges the capacitor up slower to reduce current drain on the battery to avoid tripping the thermal cutout.
To be safe I would use OEM ONLY on high risk equipment, OEM batteries are normally better quality than 3rd party suppliers, you get what you pay for.
I think that there are some debates on this issue on this site if you do a search on this site under "XL batteries" or something like that.

Get it in writting that the batteries meet or exceed the specification of the original oem.
You will find a lot of oem buy their batteries just like us anyway.
Weve actually had batteries delivered from a well known oem, still in the packing from a very well known battery supplier.
The oem still had the cheek to tell us their batteries where SPECIAL.
You may even find the ones from a 3rd party are the exact same make / model without the labels removed.

Hi Steve - We have used Medgraphics almost exclusively for our medical batteries for a couple of years now and yes we do use the batteries you mention along with many other types. So far we have had no issues with the quality of the batteries supplied and we certainly like the price. In my long and cynical life as an EBME tech I have found that any accessory HP, Agilent and/or Philips sell will be about three times the price it should be!

Steve you might want to check the situation out with Philips, here we sometimes use Euroenergy or Medgraphics for other items but for the XL defibs it's a definately no. Some companies are ok with the use of third party battieries where as others treat it similar to a third party modification.

Isn't that Heartstream XL battery a "bog standard" panasonic?? (not touched one of those defibrillators for a while). Im sure there can be no issues with using the same or equivelent type/model bought from a 3rd party.
We have used both Euro Energy and Medgraphic batteries without any problems.

I beleive it is, can't see any problems myself, but when asked why we order from the manufacture for philips defibs I was informed it was due to Philips blaming third party batteries for a problem in the past.

The MHRA has produced guidance on the management of batteries in medical devices. The use of batteries that aren't recommended by the manufacturer is definitely discouraged for what I'd have thought are obvious reasons.

Euro Energy for one seem to be aware of the battery requirements with Philips Heartstart XL defibs and have had to react to previous problems if Chris G's last post here is anything to go by.

It may be obvious to you, Richard! But surely not all batteries are mission critical, as it were? Can't the Master Technicians out there be left alone to make decisions about whether a (high-price) OEM battery is called for, as against a (cheaper) third-party equivalent?

What's pretty obvious to me is that "certain" manufacturers are simply scare-mongering people into buying over-priced batteries from their own catalogues (as Chris suggests). At the end of the day, a battery of such-and-such a rating, capacity etc., is just that.

MHRA guidelines? What use are they, without compulsion?