Medical Construction & Design

SEP-OCT 2015

Medical Construction & Design (MCD) is the industry's leading source for news and information and reaches all disciplines involved in the healthcare construction and design process.

Issue link: https://mcdmag.epubxp.com/i/578722

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 35 of 86

set just a little bit higher. If we notice an odor, we're probably going to question the quality of the treatment or equipment being used. Whether or not odor plays a role in the safety of the gas being supplied is beside the point; it is the perception that matters. Healthcare facilities have taken great care to ensure the safety of the systems delivering medical gases. However, they are now beginning to target some of the harder-to-quantify issues, such as odor. From NFPA 99–15: Section 5.1.12.3.6.4* No pronounced or objectionable odor shall be discernible from any positive pressure outlet. More information of an explanatory nature is given in Annex A: A.5.1.12.3.6.4 Odor is checked by snif ng a moderate fl ow of gas from the outlet being tested. Specifi c measure of odor in gas is impractical. Gas might have a slight odor, but the presence of a pro- nounced odor should render the piping unsatisfactory. In North America, the model codes for healthcare facility construction include the NFPA 99, Health Care Facilities Code in the U.S. and CSA Z 7396.1 Medical Gas Pipeline Systems in Canada. Chapter 5 — Gas and Vacuum Systems of NFPA 99 (the CSA document contains similar provisions) — covers the requirements for the materials, methods and designs for the piping systems that deliver medical gases. It also contains provisions for the tube to be specially cleaned, dried and capped to ensure the tube is of the highest quality and safe for delivering medical gases. If placing the tube to your nose, you could prob- ably detect a metallic odor. Nearly every physical product has an odor. The issue is if the product can impart that odor to other materials it comes into contact with. In this regard, copper is an excellent choice for medical gas systems. When used with clean, dry gases, copper's inner surface does not react with these gases and will not impart an odor to the gas being conveyed, unless installed incorrectly. Copper tube in medi- cal gas systems is joined to fi ttings and components by brazing, a process that requires heating the copper components being joined to temperatures in excess of 840 F (usually in the range of 1,200-1,500 F) and adding a brazing fi ller metal to the joint. To ensure the tube and components remain clean and free of oxides during and after brazing, a "purge" gas is inserted into the un-joined tube and fi tting system. During this installation and brazing process, a high potential exists to render the specially cleaned copper tube no longer suitable for service. Several factors can contrib- ute to the contamination: » failure to purge, or purge correctly » loss of purge gas during brazing » failure to continue to purge until the system is cool » failure to protect open ends and un-brazed joints in the system until the system is completed MCDM AG.COM | SEPTEMBER /OCTOBER 2015 | Medical Construction & Design 31 Let Carstens create DESIGN FOR CLINICAL EFFICIENCY Proudly made in the USA. carstens.com Integrate WALLAroo ® with ISONAS ™ to enhance security, improve workfow and reduce costs throughout your facility. Call (800) 782-1524 for a demonstration of these versatile workstations, today. TAILOR CABINET CONFIGURATIONS to meet specifc needs and space STREAMLINE PROCESSES while reducing risk of errors or theft MANAGE ACCESS to meds, supplies and equipment via cards or keypad Come see us at Booth #1321 at the Healthcare Design Conference in November.

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Medical Construction & Design - SEP-OCT 2015