Repair of Blocked Surgical Vacuum Inlet: In-House vs. Outsource [Infographic]

Posted by Jason Di Marco on February 14, 2019
Jason Di Marco

repair-surgical-vacuum

Healthcare providers are responsible for ensuring medical gas and vacuum systems provide a safe and effective setup with a sufficient flow of gas or vacuum. The medical-surgical vacuum system is comprised of the vacuum central supply source system, the pipeline distribution network, and station inlets. 

Medical-Surgical Vacuum is available from wall inlets located throughout your healthcare facility. It is critical for patient care and safety. Because of its importance, routine inspection and maintenance are a must to manage its operation effectively.

deferred-maintenance-cover 

Bonus Content: 11 (Costly) Dangers of Deferred Maintenance in Facilities. 

Get the PDF version that you can save to your desktop and read it when it's convenient for you.

(No email or sign-up required):

Yes! Give me my PDF

NFPA 99, 2012 5.1.14.4.7 (3) states that a facility shall establish procedures for a “Maintenance program for both the medical-surgical vacuum piping system and the secondary equipment attached to medical-surgical vacuum station inlets to ensure the continued good performance of the entire medical-surgical vacuum system.” This section of NFPA 99 applies to both new and existing healthcare construction.
If not addressed appropriately, the in-house repair of a blocked or leaking vacuum inlet can become time intensive and inefficient.
Let's look at a step-by-step process of an in-house repair of a faulty vacuum inlet versus outsourcing.  

cht-vacuum-repair-infographic


10 Steps to In-House Repair of Blocked Vacuum Inlet

  1. Facility staff, qualified under the requirements of NFPA 99 5.1.14.2.2.5, shall identify and document the faulty condition.

  2. Label inlet as faulty and remove from service if determined to compromise patient or staff safety.

  3. Review the emergency action plan and or perform a risk assessment to determine an alternate vacuum supply.

  4. Determine Make/Model and type of parts required. This may require disassembly of the primary valve if the inlet has been previously retrofitted from an older model.

  5. Obtain a purchase order and wait for part(s) delivery.

  6. Coordinate repair schedule with maintenance, clinical staff, respiratory therapy, environmental services or any additional applicable staff. Care should be taken if a shutdown is required, to ensure no negative consequences within the zone.
  7. A qualified individual makes the repair.

  8. Station inlet is inspected and tested per NFPA 99, 2012 5.1.14.4.9. Test equipment shall be properly calibrated and appropriate for the gas content.

  9. Repair and test results are documented.

  10. Inlet/zone is returned to normal service.

3 Steps to Outsource Repair of Blocked Vacuum Inlet

  1. Call CHT 24/7/365 by phone or click on the service alert button on the website.

  2. Approve the job and agree on a time for repair.

  3. Keep the rest of the hospital running smoothly while CHT coordinates and completes the repair. All required documentation is recorded electronically within the Vitaleyez Program.

Author
Jason Di Marco

Jason Di Marco

President and CEO at Compliant Healthcare Technologies, LLC
Jason Di Marco has been intimately involved with helping hospitals protect and improve their medical piped gas systems from CHT's beginnings. He is certified by ASSE, NITC, and NFPA as an inspector and installer and has worked with major institutions from construction to risk assessment planning.