ENSURE SAFETY OF BIOMEDICAL EQUIPMENTS BY TIMELY CALIBRATION

Health Industry is perhaps the most crucial sector wherein the accuracy & safety of the monitoring instruments is of extreme importance. The science of measurement in Medical Diagnostics whether in Routine Health Checkups or during procedures requiring the use of High End Instruments for surgery or ward is to ensure that the risks associated with the use of these devices is minimized.

With the growing concerns regarding patient’s safety & data accuracy & precision, periodic testing & calibration of Medical Devices as per the Department of Health and MHRA has become necessary for all those associated with Healthcare Industry.
To enhance the patient’s quality of life almost all quality conscious hospitals & medical equipment manufacturers have already made periodic testing and calibration of equipments, a permanent feature in their quality control regimen that they strictly adhere to.

Medical Equipments which require periodic calibration includes Audiometers, Blood Glucose Monitors, BP Monitors, Cauteries, Centrifuges,Defibrillator, CO Meters, ECG Machine, Syringes, Hearing Aids, Medical Scales, Nebulizer, Pulse Oximeter, Spirometer, Suction Pumps, Thermometer, Ultrasonic Cleaners, Ultrasound/Doppler, Body fat monitor, couch, Oxygen regulator / flowmeter

The complexity involved in medical equipment calibration makes the need of highly skilled & expert team to meet the stringent specifications of medical calibration. Any error, however small it may be, can lead to misdiagnosis, faulty interpretations & an increased question of Patient safety & well being which no one can afford to make.

Biomedical calibration measurement, as rightly summarized, is the measurement of the accuracy of the medical device or the medical system by using the standard measurement system whose accuracy is known, and is the determination and the record of the deviations.

The difference between biomedical calibration & other industrial calibration mainly arises due to the fact that it requires more of On Site Testing in comparison to other calibration such as Thermal Calibration, Mechanical Calibration, and Electro technical Calibration etc. Moreover the necessity of reliable medical calibration arises due to the direct contact of instrument with patient which can have huge affect on patient's health or treatment in case of faulty medical devices. The different type of calibration includes:-

• Mechanical calibration involves calibration of Balances, Hardness Testers, Gauges, Load Cells, Calipers, Micrometers etc…
• Dimensional Calibration involves calibration of Bevel Gages, Levels, Protractors, Ring & Plug Gages.
• Thermal calibration deals in calibration of Thermometers, Thermocouples, Water Baths, Furnaces…
• Pressure calibration involves the calibration of Pressure Gauges, Switches, Strain Gauges, Pressure Regulators etc…
• Electrical calibration involves calibration & testing of Electrical & Electronic Devices

• Flow calibration mainly deals in the calibration of Tanks and Vessels , Gas & Liquid Flow Meters, Control Valves, Orifice Plates