EBME Forums Forums Maintenance Technical Assistance Lifepak 20

I have experienced a problem with a Lifepak 20 whereby although It passed its own self-check, the calibration, when checked using a QED 6, was a long way off. e.g. when set for 100 Joules the unit delivered 141 Joules and at 200 Joures it delivered 497 Joules.
The unit has now gone back to Medtronic and the MDA have been informed but everyone seems very laid back about it. If Medtronic have not already done it, as they have done with all the remainder of ours, then I suggest you check them.

Hi Rick,

Our Trust has just bought 49 of these little blighters, I'll follow your thread with interest.

Paul.

Rick,
I'm not familiar with these particular defibs, but could it be the they are biphasic (as opposed to the older monophasic waveforms), and if so, is the QED6 able to test these new defib waveforms accurately?

The manual for the Lifepak 20 actually specifies the QED 6 (above a certain software version which escapes me) as the preferred test instrument.

So far as I know all energy meters should be able to cope with bi-phasic; I don't think thet would even notice. Perhaps someone from Metron or Ultramedic would like to confirm that.

If you look in the CD-ROM service manual for the L20, under the chapter called Instrument Calibration, there is details on how to calibrate the energy output. It tells you how to get into the service mode, then select DEFIB CAL, then follow the instructions on the defib to complete the calibration. I haven't done this on the L20 yet, but had to do it in a few of our L12 defibs in the past. Hope this helps.

I went through the calibration procedure in an effort to rectify the problem; the procedure worked up to the point I asked for a 360 Joule discharge. The response was a continuous charging tone accompanied by the sound of frying eggs and straining capacitors.
Medtronics have now replaced our defib under warranty whilst the original unit has gone to the states, probably to be lost in the transatlantic mists.