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Medical gas alarm systems

For more than a century, medical gases have been used in the healthcare sector for many forms of modern diagnosis and treatment, becoming crucial elements in the well-being of the patient and the operation of any hospital facility. Their uses are very diverse: from respiratory support to anaesthetic agents, to diagnose and treat various pathologies, to calibrate medical equipment, etc. These gases, being classified as medicines, must meet the highest standards of safety, quality and efficiency.

In this respect, one of the most important points is their management and control. For this, we have alarm systems for medical gases, capable of alerting of possible failures, indicating what it is and solving problems that could be very serious. Let’s get to know what they are, starting with a little more about medical gases.

Use of blockchain technology in the healthcare system

La red blockchain en el ámbito de la salud tiene numerosas aplicaciones y su uso está generando un gran impacto, incrementado el nivel de confiabilidad y seguridad de la información.

The great advantage of blockchain is that it makes it possible to record a transaction, contract or any other type of action on the internet in a verifiable, unforgeable and transparent way, without the need for a third party to verify its validity.

The blockchain network in the healthcare sector has multiple applications and its use is already having a huge impact.

The most important technology trends in the healthcare sector

Although it is true that the healthcare sector began its digital transformation years ago, since the end of the pandemic and in 2022 the implementation of new and innovative healthcare technologies is making the sector one of the most advanced in the world.

In ETKHO’s new post, we take a look at the main technological trends in healthcare, not just today, but for the short and medium term future.

We can anticipate that sustainability, telemedicine, IoMT, robotics or drones are some of the protagonists. But there is much more.

How to ensure safety in high-risk laboratories

High-security and/or high-risk laboratories are highly trained facilities equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, which makes them dangerous and high-risk places. It is therefore vital to be aware of safety standards.

In this sense, the implementation of criteria to ensure quality, whether it be obtaining accreditation such as GLP (Good Laboratory Practices), NE 45001 or ISO 9000 certification, clearly demonstrates the correct application of a safety policy.

Implementing a high level of safety and following the recommendations to guarantee safety in high-risk laboratories is non-negotiable.

Therefore, at ETKHO we have prepared a basic guide with the main rules that must be followed in high-risk laboratories, how to act in case of emergency and accident and the levels of biosafety.

All the keys to the correct design of an operating theatre

The correct design of the operating theatre is what will allow hospitals to have the most efficient operating theatres that are adaptable to the unstoppable innovation in health.

Hospitals, as a result of the social, economic and healthcare context we are going through, must optimise their resources more than ever. Efficiency, performance and innovation must go hand in hand in order to reduce healthcare spending without jeopardising increasingly patient-centred care.

Within the improvement of hospital facilities, surgical intervention areas are one of the areas where most elements have to be taken into account, and where at the same time more casuistry and problems can occur. Thus, one of the main tools for improving operating theatres is innovation in their design and conversion into modern units.

To address this issue from all angles, at ETKHO we have dissected the main keys that must be taken into account for the correct design of an operating theatre.

BMS systems for hospitals and their integration with the electrical installation for IT systems in critical hospital areas

Among the amalgam of modern and innovative technological solutions for intelligent buildings, one of the most prominent is the BMS system.

This solution for energy saving and efficient control of safety and comfort in hospitals is one of the best tools available to health centres to avoid energy waste, problems in the electrical installation and serious situations such as those that can occur in critical hospital areas.

Building Management Systems (BMS) are increasingly used in all types of public and private buildings. In our case, especially in hospitals.

Equipment and facilities for haemodynamics operating theatre

Over the last two decades, the development of cath-lab rooms in hospitals has gone hand in hand with the profound transformation and innovation in hospital equipment, safety conditions and process improvement.

A profound transformation in which interventional procedures have become major players.

As new diagnostic and therapeutic modalities have appeared in this type of hospital, the level of training of medical staff, as well as the human, technical and equipment requirements, have been modified.

Find out from ETKHO what haemodynamics operating theatres consist of and what systems and elements they should contain as a basic foundation for their optimal functioning.

The hybrid operating room: design, equipment and benefits

The hybrid operating room is a great advance in the field of surgery, since, in general terms, it allows multidisciplinary work by specialists from different areas and helps to perform complex surgeries faster, easier, safer and less invasively. But what exactly is a hybrid operating room?

It is a surgical room that is equipped with advanced medical imaging/radiodiagnosis devices, allowing different diagnostic and therapeutic procedures to be carried out simultaneously.

A hybrid operating room allows the insertion of catheters or endoscopes through small holes with which to view smaller anatomical regions, greatly facilitating the surgery process.

Electrical safety in the ICU and resuscitation areas

Hospital units, especially ICUs, are contexts with high risks of electrical failures if they do not have an adequate electrical safety system.

Today, most medical devices are electronic, so they are powered by power supplies and the electrical grid. If an electrical safety failure occurs, the risk of patient injury is high. Especially, in areas such as the ICU or other critical areas in health centers.

The ICU is the intensive care unit of a hospital, that is, the area of a hospital center where the most seriously ill patients who require continuous and specific surveillance and attention are admitted.

By critical areas we understand those areas of the hospitals where health care is produced in which the risk is high. In addition to the ICU, for example, we find operating rooms, emergencies, clean rooms, isolation rooms, ICU…

To maintain hospital electrical safety in these areas, there are various elements that protect and guarantee the electrical supply. We are talking about, for example, IT power systems, uninterruptible power supplies or ground connections, among others.

Telemedicine: Paradigm shift after the pandemic

Telemedicine, after the coronavirus, has positioned itself as an essential element in the health industry.

One of the main consequences of Covid-19 is the great advance that telemedicine has experienced globally. Whether they are more advanced countries accustomed to the use of new health technologies, or those that had not opted for telemedicine, remote health care has increased during the pandemic and lockdowns.

Although it is true that more telephone medicine has been done than telemedicine itself, many barriers planned for the coming years have been broken in just a few months. In addition, much of the fear of the dehumanization of health technology has been eliminated.

Thus, the different health administrations are beginning to generalize teleconsultations and other resources of the digitalization of health.

The effectiveness of home health care, regardless of the face-to-face hospital infrastructure, in case of having telematic means to be able to monitor the patient, has become the present and the future of health.