The Benefits of Hired Air Con at Critical Purpose Medical Rooms

Critical purpose medical rooms in UK hospitals, in addition to other health, diagnostic and treatment centres can house highly sensitive apparatus. Equipment such as CT, MRI and PET scanners need to be kept at specific temperatures.

Conditions must be precisely controlled to enable technology to operate reliably and to maximise 'up time' (i.e. to treat as many patients as possible). In such environments, time really is of the essence; hospitals today are beholden to their waiting lists, so any delay to diagnoses and treatments is to be avoided as far as possible.

Any Fixed Air Con System Can Suddenly Fail

The extra heat load the aforementioned equipment creates can be considerable, particularly as most medical rooms are not open environments and so would not have windows or traditional ventilation. At the vast majority of hospitals the fixed air con system is specifically designed to deal with the extra heat emitted by equipment. That said, any built-in air con system can develop a fault or completely breakdown. This is where the option to quickly hire air con units is essential.

More About the Scanners

CT Scanners

Computer tomography machines are used to generate CT scans (also known as CAT scans and computerised tomography scans). The machines are large and ring-shaped, with a hole in the middle to accommodate the patient. Within each scanner there is an X-ray machine that rotates as the patient passes through, whilst they are lying horizontal on a bed. The scanner generates images that are sent to a computer for analysis.

Medical professionals use CT scanners daily to help with the diagnosis and treatment of a range of different ailments and conditions.

MRI Scanners

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a type of scan that is often used to diagnose health conditions that affect organs, tissue and bone. MRI scans use strong magnetic fields and radio waves to produce a detailed image of the inside of the body.

The device that carries out MRI scans is known as an MRI scanner. The scanner consists of a large tube that contains a series of powerful magnets. The patient lies inside the tube during the scan.

PET Scanners

A positive emission tomography (PET) scan is used to produce a detailed, three-dimensional picture of the inside of the body. The images clearly show the part of the body that is being investigated and can also highlight how effectively certain functions of the body are working.

PET scans are most commonly used to help diagnose a range of different cancers, as well as heart and neurological conditions.

Patients will need to lie on a flat bed that will move them through the large circular PET scanner, which highlights any areas of the body affected by disease.

The magnets and X-ray tubes/capsules can heat up very quickly. If they are not cooled, this can interfere with their performance (and the diagnostic results they produce), and also cause damage to the units themselves. Unfortunately, scanners are often manufactured abroad, meaning that diagnosing the problem and then having necessary replacement parts shipped to the UK can be a protracted process (sometimes taking months).

The key to avoiding overheating, breakdowns and damage is to strictly control and maintain required temperatures within critical purpose medical rooms. This can be achieved by contacting an established air conditioning hire specialist who will be experienced in supplying equipment to this environment and understand the need to fit around hospital schedules.

Typically an air conditioning hire company will specify a split type portable air conditioner that can be connected via a flexible hose (which reaches up to 30m). This means that there are two parts to the system, the room unit and the external condenser unit, allowing for versatility of location and access to more remote sites within a hospital setting.

No in built air conditioning system is completely fail-safe, no matter how regularly it is serviced and maintained. Having a robust contingency plan in place with an air conditioning hire company will ensure that both down time and waiting times are minimised.

Article submitted by Steve Reeve, Sales Director at Andrews Sykes. With over 25 years experience, Andrews Sykes provides portable air conditioning unit hire for hospitals and the healthcare industry, using machinery sourced from the world's top manufacturers.

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