by Sean Silvey
Product Specialist, Fluke Corporation
Healthcare settings are critical environments. In the wake of a worldwide pandemic, they are even more vital. COVID-19 is an airborne disease, as are many infectious diseases, placing a heavy burden on healthcare facility managers to carefully monitor air quality, airflow and utilize effective filtration systems. Along with air climate, facilities heavily rely on electrical power to keep their complex machinery and medical devices operating at top performance.
At Fluke Corporation, we developed two meters to impact and monitor healthcare facilities and spaces: the Fluke 1664FC meter and the Fluke 922 micromanometer. These devices’ capabilities are examined in four hospital settings: an operating room, an intensive care unit, a patient room, and administrative areas. Learn how these devices validate that electrical power is sufficient and airflow meets the needs of the setting.
Fluke 922 micromanometer
The Fluke 1664 FC is the only installation tester that protects connected appliances from damage during insulation tests and allows testers to share the test results wirelessly by smartphone with coworkers or customers. Fluke’s insulation pre-test stops users from performing tests with appliances connected to the system during the test eliminating accidental damage.
The Fluke 922 airflow meter and micromanometer kit make airflow measurement easy by combining three tools: differential pressure, airflow, and velocity into a single, rugged meter. In healthcare settings, facilities technicians want a simple solution for diagnosing ventilation issues. Differential pressure measurements only tell part of the story. In addition to differential, technicians need to measure air velocity and airflow without expensive, difficult to use, specialist tools.
The Operating Room
Operating rooms commonly have barometric pressure indicators or manometer dials already working. A technician or engineer would validate that those tools are still working correctly using the Fluke 922. They would be able to sense and measure flows and ensure that the installed barometric pressure instrumentation appropriately performs its function.
The Fluke 1664FC, a high-performing multifunction installation tester, may be used by facilities technicians to check the electrical health in an operating room. The machinery is evaluated, and it is confirmed that the outlets work correctly. Often critical machinery is plugged into 120 volts or even 240 volts outlets. Using the 1664FC allows users to validate that the plugin, the wiring, and the electrical components are correct from the facility power source perspective. If a machine keeps tripping, it is easy to determine if it is a mechanical issue or a facility issue.
The Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
In an ICU room environment, it is crucial to keep bacterial, germs, and viruses out of the room by keeping positive pressure in and negative pressure on the outside of its walls. When looking at positive and negative pressure, continual validation that it is holding steady is critical.
Air pressure in an ICU room is similar to what that of your refrigerator. Technically, when you open your refrigerator, the pressure in that refrigerator is less than the pressure outside the refrigerator, and it sucks air in. There is a vacuum keeping that door closed. When you open the door, you break that pressure, and air rushes into it.
ICU rooms have similar pressure. Negative pressure should be on the outside. Positive pressure is on the inside. When the door opens, it pushes air out of that room into the hallways and other areas. The pressure ensures that contaminated air never flows back into the ICU room. A Fluke 922 meter ensures that such conditions are met.
In an intensive care unit, the Fluke 1664FC would have a similar role as in an operating room. Critical machinery could be working on heart monitoring, a ventilator or other essential tools. Any tool hooked up into a machine that is running electricity needs a reliable electrical connection. If the electrical connection is not correct, the 1644FC quickly helps narrow down any equipment operational problems, especially since troubleshooting with speed is so important in surgery and ICU environments.
A Patient’s Hospital Room
In a patient’s room, the Fluke 922 performs similar pressure checks as in the operating room and ICU while also validating temperature. A temperature setting is designated for a patient’s room. The actual room temperature can be confirmed against that of the thermostat using the Fluke 922, as well as determining if outside pressure should be going into the room. With COVID or other contagious environments, ensuring there’s negative pressure outside the room in the hallway is essential, and the 922 confirms it.
The Fluke 1664 FC would again be used to test outlets and electrical supply in a patient’s room, just as used in other critical spaces throughout the facility. If there are variable electrical requirements within a room with different machines, monitors, and other equipment, it could validate, check, ensure, and monitor all of this. It may also be used to validate ground-fault circuit interrupters or GFCIs.
Administrative Spaces
Administrative and other common spaces are subject to the same conditions as any building and working environment regarding such areas’ air climate and industrial hygiene. In some cases, there can be more austere and specific conditions for a healthcare facility common space.
The Fluke 922 measures the flow of air and temperature in spaces to ensure all HVAC equipment is performing adequately. It assists the healthcare facility staff in assessing any adverse conditions when they occur and helps maintain random checks to ensure supply and return air is sufficient at any periodic maintenance interval.
This may help detect any imminent conditions of a fan that is slowly degrading or other HVAC equipment that is beginning to fail and not delivering air or temperature within acceptable limits.
The Fluke 1664 FC is useful as a tool for technicians when something goes wrong: lights are not working, breakers keep tripping in one area, or a critical outlet with multiple office machines hooked up to it does not work.
One of the first things the technician will do is use the 1664FC to begin testing for grounds, current, and delivered voltage. Then, using the instrument, the technician may begin to further troubleshoot by eliminating problem causes and identifying red flag readings to pinpoint the problem.
The 1664FC may also be used for routine maintenance to check insulation breakdown and any unusual current spikes or anomalies as part of a robust preventive electrical maintenance program throughout such spaces.
In any room in a healthcare setting, the Fluke 922 and the 1664FC are valuable tools to help facility managers achieve the spectrum of different climate conditions required, while also providing the capability to gather necessary electrical data to ensure that the electrical system is delivering the needed electrical power for the specified demand.
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