Using a Battery Analyzer to Ensure Quality Patient Care

Hospital equipment must be ready to perform at a moment’s notice. It is impossible to predict what might walk through emergency room doors next, and hospital staff must be able to respond to any situation with little warning. Batteries present an interesting challenge for hospitals since important equipment often relies on battery power. It is important that batteries are charged and ready, but it is also possible that they will sit unused long periods of time. How can staff be sure that are in good condition?

A hospital equipment battery analyzer is a form of digital battery tester that can measure the capacity a battery has to hold a charge. This measurement is generally a unit of time. A hospital equipment battery analyzer first charges a battery fully and then measures the time it takes to discharge all of a battery’s stored energy. As the discharge time on a digital battery tester decreases, so too does a battery’s capacity to hold a charge. Once the capacity of a battery is deemed unacceptable, a hospital equipment battery analyzer will alert staff of the need to retire a battery.

As any digital battery tester will indicate, batteries naturally lose their ability to hold a charge over time. However, there are several ways to improve a battery’s lifespan, the most important of these is charging. Over charging a battery can be damaging, so leaving a battery in its charger until needed is not a reliable option. As well, when unplugged, A battery will naturally self-discharge and slowly lose its charge the longer it sits unused. In a hospital, where batteries must always be ready, neither of these options is acceptable. The solution is a battery maintainer. A battery maintainer delivers a small amount of current to a battery to counteract the natural discharge. A battery maintainer will not fully charge a battery, but instead provide just enough current to keep it fully charged, without damaging its capacity long term.

Hospitals present unique operating conditions for batteries. Loss of power and unreliability can have drastic consequences. It is important for hospital staff to understand proper battery care and implement a system to ensure aging batteries are retired at the appropriate time.