EBME Forums Forums Maintenance Spare Parts Patient Leads

Maybe of some use

http://www.patientcable.com/

Regards

Eddie

This is interesting, i recently had a conversation with a rep who claimed that these companies are not "validated" when used with specific equipment (icu monitors).
Didnt get what she meant and couldnt be bothered to question because i was busy.
I have recently sourced some patient leads at a fraction of the cost, this rep was very disaproving....

Can you enlighten me please, is it selling bull****, or did she make an important point?

aha, think that the legal disclaimer explains this...
"No liability for equipment malfunction,patient injury death or misdiagnosis caused by items purchased....


BUT do the companies supplying the genuine leads for the genuine monitors accept liability for this?

No, she (the rep) was just trying to make sure that you continued to buy from her at prices that justify her bonuses and commissions!

Assuming that you are talking about common-or-garden ECG cables ... what's the problem? Buy twenty of each and bin them once they've been broken! The expensive ones will break just as quickly (especially when they've been caught up in the bed mechanism etc., etc.).

In my experience, the great majority of ECG "problems" are due to poor (poorly placed, no preparation etc.) connections at the patient "tabs" (electrodes). Who are we going to blame for that ... the tab manufacturer?

Just as a matter of interest whats the worst a faulty ECG lead can do anyway??? If you ask me the liabilty thing in this case is a pure scam!

Eddie

I suppose it could be argued that an intermittent lead could result in a misdiagnosis of an arrhythmia, or something like that. But I would have thought that in such cases, reliance would not be placed upon a single electrocardiogram.

How much "medical equipment" is sold on the basis of "emotional blackmail" at best, and blatant scaremongering at worst? 50% ... more than that?

Most staff I know can determine artifact from a true signal! As you say Geoff leads fail eventually anyway! So just to recap... Batteries, Leads, O2 sensors, etc. all have to be sourced from the manufacturer? Yeah right! And on that matter why do some “Manufacturer supplied batteries” have built in circuitry. Do they really think we are that stupid? They can argue that’s its part of some system self test or discharge counter? We know different!

Eddie

Most manufacturers of medical equipment or rather the distributors are charging exorbitant price. I guess all of us have a choice to decide where we want to buy from if stuff like rechargeable batteries can deliver what the manufacturer supposedly delivers. Generally this stuff costs a fraction of what the manufacturer charges.

funny that you are saying about patient leads. $9.75 in the states or £125 in this country. If I could get away with it I would be importing and selling on here.
Seems like a good exchange rate to me.

And as per usual you just get the inability to buy from the states and use here. Wheres the 'great' gone in britian should be changed to 'Screwed'.

Had the same with cars when I was in Canada what we pay in pounds they pay in Dollars so they are getting them half price, and to add insult to injury they are made in the UK.

Billy

You forgot to mention the most important point there, Billy ... the price of "gas" (petrol)!

PS: fancy having a go at importing patient leads, then? ... I'm ready!