Medical Gas Compliance Blog

Keeping your medical gas systems operating properly isn't the only threat to patient safety. It is about time that these formerly Hospital Acquired Infection or Hospital Associated Infections were seriously attacked. 

In recent years, these infections have killed 100,000 people who were patients mostly of hospitals; but with the changes in healthcare delivery, also infected rehab and even surgery centers. 1.7 million infections have been identified in a year. Nosocomial infections kill more Americans each year than AIDS and breast cancer combined. So the counter attack was begun to save lives and patient distress.

The term "nosocomial" (nōzōˈkōmēəl) comes from two Greek words: "nosus" = "disease" + "komeion" = "to take care of." So, it is a disease or infection from being taken care of (or hospitalized).

The terms “Hospital Acquired Infection” or “Hospital Associated Infections” or “HAI” or “Nosocomial Infection” will be used interchangeably through this article.

Never before has the importance of hospital environmental services been more respected and promoted.   

While hospitals perpetually strive to provide a clean safe environment for their patients, staff and visitors, the fight against aggressive pathogens has become more challenging.

Environmental Services are the first line of defense against these assaults.

CHT is proud to introduce their latest in a series of ground breaking software programs designed to automate medical gas compliance while making critical, decision making data instantly available.

The new, patented CHx program is a state-of-the-art, online system designed specifically to make healthcare systems manage their medical gas programs more efficiently. All of your facility’s medical gas system information is accessible real-time, through a user friendly interface allowing you to access data, complete risk assessments and make decisions in very little time; saving you time and money.  

NFPA and other certifying agencies have narrowed their philosophy for the inspection and certification of hospitals from an occupancy-based code to a Risk Based philosophy. This requires the hospital to identify potential dangers and faults in all their systems and have on hand a written policy to handle equipment maintenance and failures.

This plan is Risk Assessment.

At every step along the way from the source to the patient there are alarms to warn of lack of supply and changes in the quality of the medical gases being delivered.

The one place these alarms show up that is not staffed by trained personnel is at the master alarm.

Every smooth running operation has a time when they have to shutdown some part of their medical gas system for maintenance.

The effect of this down time though is to take many departments in the building out of their comfort zone. Here are some ways to make the process easier from psychological and practical perspectives.

Surgical fires occur in, on or around a patient who is undergoing a medical or surgical procedure. An estimated 550 to 650 surgical fires occur in the United States per year. (2)

Oxygen related fires can occur anywhere along the supply lines but most often are in the OR where the oxygen concentration is the highest and the equipment is constantly being turned on and off wearing components and varying line pressures.

As operations managers and facility directors our work is judged not only by keeping the lights on and the fans running, but by the judgment of an accrediting agency making surprise or planned inspections on a regular basis.

Every day we come into the office and move papers and look at emails until the phone starts ringing. Then all the needs and crises start driving our activity. This flood of requests and demands challenge anyone to “Keeping the main thing, the main thing.”

The Joint Commission created the concept of Sentinel Events some years ago to alert the hospital and others in healthcare of problems or actions that cause death or injury to patients.