EBME Forums Forums Free discussion Free discussion Philips Lumify

Is anyone familiar with the Philips Lumify and should this device require maintenace?

Perhaps the question should be:- is this a maintainable item?

It's a good question, as no doubt we can expect to see more of these "hand-held devices"; so biomeds need to consider how to support them.

Anything in your domain (equipment dependency) worthy of inclusion in your database should be considered a "maintainable item".

If you are employed by a hospital (for example), then management policies should indicate which items should be included (from sphygmomanometers ... to x-ray systems).

If you are a contractor, then you probably should be keen to get as many items on your database as possible!

What should the PM procedure be for such devices as the Lumify? Just a quick check, most likely. Plus confirmation from the user that all is well. Most failures are likely to be due to cable faults.

Also, who is responsible for software updates? The user, presumably.

Yes, i totally agree, even spoke with the Philips service tech when he was in the hospital - Philips has a NO PM. we should enter the system in our database for Alerts, service updates etc but should we really be doing a user check of the ultrasound probe - Putting it on a Phantom once a year is that really necessary when the users are using it several times a week I would expect. it should be "LOW" priority and we can't keep up with high and medium PM's seems a waste of precious time to try and find the device.

Only wish our wonderful Engineer would agree.

As with many things, Risk-based PM is "the answer".

In my experience, PM on low priority (low risk) equipment rarely (if ever) gets completed* according to schedule (due to lack of time, man-power or other resources).

The trouble here though is that the probe obviously has "patient contact", so you might have to look again (and probably juggle) your risk criteria in order for it to be awarded a Low priority status.

What matters most with ultrasound scanning is "image quality". But "quality" of the image is subjective, and so (in my opinion) if the user is satisfied with the results being obtained, that should suffice in this case. To be honest, I can't see an absolute need for testing this device on a phantom.

If the probe is in doubt, then testing it with a tester of the FirstCall type will probably prove or disprove the probe (if you are lucky enough to have test kit like that).

* If PM on Low priority items gets missed (slips) time after time, then a decent database system will (should) upgrade the priority (increase the "risk") to ensure it gets looked at during the next schedule cycle. Once PM'd, it can revert to Low priority.

Geoff, I am in total agreement only wish our Engineer could agree.

What is your Engineer saying, then?

Our Engineer if of the opinion even if there is no PM schedule by the company - it is usually put on an Annual PM occasionally we are successful and get away with a 24 M frequency.

It is a waste of manpower as what the Engineer is to ensure the device is still in the hospital as if we haven't got enough high and medium equipment to PM!

How many of these things do you have? How long does a "quick check" take?

Maybe the Engineer is right ... a small item like that could easily go "missing".

When I was "the Engineer", I used to aim for at least a quick check (minimal PM) every six months on everything (three-monthly on some items) mainly for that reason! My philosophy was (and still is):- PM everything!

But like you, the question would then be:- what should the PM consist of? My answer is (and was):- the realistic minimum.

Only later on (once computer databases became the norm), did I begin to adopt "modern ideas" like Risk-based PM.

As I have said many times before, to my mind the real value of PM in the hospital is that it brings the technician(s) into contact with the equipment on a regular basis. Nothing gets missed (or "lost" to the system).

In short, I liked to keep my database (often just a list, or log book back in the Old Days; sometimes a card system) accurate and up to date; to always be aware of the location, and the condition, of each item.

But one way of dealing with your problem(s) would be to have Property Control take care of the "inventory checks". Maybe the Engineer could arrange this! Either way, it sounds like you need more manpower.

Lastly, how big is your hospital? How much equipment; how many techs? What is the scale of the problems you are facing?