EBME Forums Forums Maintenance Spare Parts X-Ray Tubes

What Mike says is all well and good, perhaps ... in places like the UK, that is.

But, what about in "other parts" of the world, where healthcare providers may not be funded by the tax-payer (or, even if they are, not as well-funded as in the UK)?

"Out there", different rules apply, and folk cannot be too fussy. In my experience, too, x-ray engineers in those parts do know about the need to re-calibrate after installing a new tube!

X-ray engineers or board swappers, most of the 'engineers' now rely on their laptop and then order the boards accordingly until the fault has gone (notice that I did not mention rectified). Calibrating and fault diagnosis are a thing of the past to the guys. The resident engineers/technicians cannot get involved if the equipment is on contract, although I tend to buck the trend especially if they want to order a new generator when I know the part that has failed will only cost SR20 at the most.

Repairs to x-ray systems has always been a "game", Neil, has it not? You know, board swapping (circuit board salesmen) and all the rest.

I have fond (?) memories of striving to answer the essential question:- "is it the tube"? That is, is the tube faulty - with all the financial implications that result from that. And all that was with next to none of the nice test equipment which has (happily) become the norm these days. I have even had to resort to swapping tubes over to "prove" the fault on a number of occasions (well into the Past now, I'm pleased to say).

To my mind, x-ray systems (and the tubes in particular) have not really advanced as other large, sophisticated systems (eg, lab analyzers) have. At the end of the day, it's still all down to the "magic rays", but the ways of producing them, controlling them (and protecting the patient) have become too complicated. Unnecessarily so, in my opinion. You know, why just use a couple of common relays when you can use three boards with VLSI chips on them instead?

Geoff, I have just started debating the actual value for money that the PM's offered by these companies are they actually worth it, (every 4 months) if the calibrations are drifting to warrant these PM's, then there must be something wrong with the equipment.

How come you're not doing them yourself?

Or perhaps a better bet is to follow the model I adopted at Onaiza:- namely, "we" did first line (responding to calls, minor repairs and establishing whether faults were real or imagined), then called in Philips (at negotiated - preferential - rates) if and when there was a real need.

If I remember rightly, the contract we got them to agree to was one PM-type visit per year and up to three call-outs per major system per year. Something like that. But either way, we made sure that we remained in the driver's seat, as it were.

By the way, the only bloke I have ever come across who did what I would call "proper" PM on x-ray systems (that is, a full check, plus adjustments ... and lubrication, cleaning and all the rest) ... taking a couple of days per unit if need be, was (yes, I know you've guessed it already, Neil) Yours Truly!

Otherwise (digging even deeper into the Memory Banks), if heavy-duty fault-finding was needed, we always used to get good results from Hans at Badr Trading. I wonder whether they're still around? Somehow (knowing some of the personalities involved) I doubt it. Then ... even farther back there was my old Mate Ramadan Yanuz of Al-Watad. But I should imagine that Ramadan (the Master) packed it in many moons ago.

Is there any New Kid on the Block out there now? A good third-party x-ray engineering service, that is?

Have tried, Siemens offer what is called 'shared services' but trying to get anything of the ground is painstakingly slow here. Once it becomes somebody else's idea then there is a chance of it taking shape. 5 year plans and all that. Forward thinking not allowed, build and then go oops, never thought of that.

But in all honesty 'what is the true value of a PPM' not just x-ray but all equipment, 20 years ago when there was a lot more moving parts, equipment connected to the mains supply and not through power supplies, now smaller and more delicate components is there more harm than good being done using outdated techniques ?? just a thought!

Oh dear ... not that one again.

As I may have said a few times before:- if nothing else, at least the PM schedule ensures that someone with half a brain comes into contact with each item of equipment on a more or less regular basis.

What do you want to do, Neil ... go back to the days of "don't call us, we'll call you"? If we waited until the users got around to reporting faults, half the kit would be junk before you even knew about it!

And ... what about electrical safety ... the biomed's raison d'être?

Adopt the ECRI terminology if it makes you feel better. That is:- "Inspection/Preventive Maintenance" (years ago we used to call them "Quarterly Inspections" anyway ... yes, quarterly). Even if it means simply wandering around the hospital (screwdriver at the ready) and "having a look"!

Annual inspection/calibration yes. Defibs, ESU's quarterly yes, ventilators/phototherapy units on the clock etc. The main thing that I really meant to say was how much of the equipment requires safety testing as quite a lot is now encased in plastic and/or uses a power supply rather than direct mains.

Phew! So we carry on with the PM after all, then!

Meanwhile, back on topic (well, more or less) ... with x-ray and other imaging kit ... think "Quality Assurance"!