EBME Forums Forums Maintenance Technical Assistance Transport Incubator Batteries - Standard test

The Standard for transport incubators (BS EN60601-2-20) seems to be a bit confused/confusing?

According to clause 107.2 the TRANSPORTABLE ELECTRICAL POWER SOURCE (i.e. the battery) is tested by attaching the (warmed) incubator to a TRANSPORTABLE EXTERNAL ELECTRICAL POWER SOURCE, which should last for at least 90mins.

Is this a typo, i.e. should the word 'external' be ignored? (This particular phrase is not defined at the beginning of the Standard.)
Or is the battery only supposed to be able to support an external dc source rather than power the incubator by itself?

Any experts on this out there?

I ask because I have details for a transport incubator that claims the battery lasts for 15mins and then declines. This would appear to be in breach of the Standard if the word 'external' is a typo.

Thanks

Sue

Well Sue, 15 minutes on a transport incubator gives no time at all.
My interpretation is that the transportable external power source, usually a 12v heavy duty battery, should run the incubator for at least 90 minutes. The 15 minute battery you mention may be only for running the incubator after the external power source has been exhausted.
I seem to remember the very old Vickers 77 Transport incubator had this sort of arrangement.
Wake Justin or Roger up, they'll remember
Graham

Sue
Don't know about standards so we can only speak for the Air Shields TI 1500.
For that the test parameters from full charge (10hrs for one battery and 20hrs for two) are as follows:
Set Point 36C - 11C Ambient
Operating time (Full heater, all heater lights on) 90mins for 1 battery and 3hrs for two.
Batteries are 12V 24Ah.
Hope this helps.

Sue,
Which model of transport incubator claims that the battery lasts for 15 mins then declines? If anything, I would sugget this was a typo rather anything else. If it is not a typo, I would suggest this renders the unit about as useful as a chocolate teapot.

Most transport incubator I have worked on have two 12 V 24Ah batteries which are used to power the incubator only for at least a couple of hours at full on 100% power.

I dont fully understand the wording of your second paragraph but it might be worthwhile pointing out that some incubators such as the Air shields TI 100 and TI 500 transport incubators come with an external DC cable with spade terminals that attach to the ambulances power supply to save the incubators battery power when in transit between hospitals.

The TI500 (Drager, Hill Rom, Air Shields, who ever owns it now) manuel we have says to check the battery by making sure it has charged for 20 hours, open all the hatches, turn on the light, up the heat and let her cook for 1.25 hours without the LOW DC alarm activating. I did this test yesterday and I think only one batt status LED went off after the 75min. This must be a typo in your manual.

Also, does anyone know where I could get a chocolate Teapot? Christmas you know.

Chocolate teapots are probably discontinued now Paul, last time I saw one it was placed between the chocolate fireguard and the motorcycle ashtray.
It's probably been replaced on the shelf by "What we know about running hospitals" a book by the NHS managers group.

I checked the bit at the back of the Standard (General guidance and rationale) and discussed it with Justin. The bit at the back seems to indicate that TRANSPORTABLE EXTERNAL ELECTRICAL POWER SOURCE is not a typo, it's just not defined anywhere. It most probably applies to the dc supply from an ambulance/helicopter or from any battery supply that can be attached to the incubator.

The specific device in question (which I'm not going to name at this point until I've brought it up with the manufacturer) does have additional battery packs available to last up to 2hrs, and it has been passed by a Notified Body (and a very nice certificate it is too). The 15mins is definitely not a typo in the manual as it's repeated elsewhere. (Personally I can think of many things that I would do with a chocolate teapot - and most of them don't inclue tea! OK, maybe only one thing.) The Standard seems to imply that the integral battery supply only has to support the external source for 90min, not run it alone.

However, we've agreed that it's not clear and I'm going to bring it up with BSI.

Sue