LUCAS 2 is an automated, battery-powered device that is designed to give consistent, uninterrupted compressions to victims in cardiac arrest. As you are probably aware, performing manual chest compressions in compliance with the American Heart Association guidelines is difficult and physically demanding and that is why assistance from LUCAS 2 will prove invaluable.
 
In addition to receiving 510(k) clearance, LUCAS 2 received a CE Mark in Europe and marketing approval from Health Canada. The device is due to be shipped in the U.S. in the fall.

LUCAS 2 In Action After watching this, I couldn’t help think that this is one device I don’t ever want to repair or maintain…. know what I mean?

LUCAS 2 press release

 What do you think?

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Fluke Biomedical the maker of Biomedical Test and Calibration equipment has launched a new and improved website which takes advantage of web 2.0 technology. Take a look and let us know what you think.

The New

and The Old

Fluke Biomedical

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Position Details:

Department:Clinical Engineering

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I just finished reading a great journal article in the Quality and Safety in Health Care Journal that proposes using Market-based Control Mechanisms similar to those found in Kyoto Protocols which sets a limit on Emissions and Carbon Markets utilizing Cap and Trade of Emission Credits. The authors theorize that setting a so called Patient Safety Price and allowing the market find ways to reduce and limit patient related adverse events. Here is the abstract:

ABSTRACT

A new model is proposed for enhancing patient safety using market-based control (MBC), inspired by successful approaches to environmental governance. Emissions trading , enshrined in the Kyoto protocol, set a carbon price and created a carbon market—is it possible to set a patient safety price and let the marketplace find ways of reducing clinically adverse events? To ‘‘cap and trade,’’ a regulator would need to establish system-wide and organisation-specific targets , based on the cost of adverse events, create a safety market for trading safety credits and then police the market. Organisations are given a clear policy signal to reduce adverse event rates, are told by how much, but are free to find mechanisms best suited to their local needs. The market would inevitably generate novel ways of creating safety credits, and accountability becomes hard to evade when adverse events are explicitly measured and accounted for in an organisation’s bottom line.

Something like this would really help reduce Adverse Events and of course lead to greater importance and visibility of BMETS and Biomed departments. As a matter of fact, this will help move us as a profession away from being viewed as just equipment repairs and will allow us to be viewed more as the “Patient Safety Specialists” we really are!

Not to mention that a Cap and Trade model will turn Biomed from a Money Saving (or as some administrators view it as a money wasting) operation to a Money making one by helping reduce adverse affects thereby allowing their facility to trade unused Patient Safety Credits.

What do you think?

 Full Journal Article: Market-based Control Mechanisms for Patient Safety

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What do you do with old equipment? Those of you who have storerooms full of unused,bunneeded, outdated and/or obsolete Medical Equipment, Uni-Med, Inc. has solutions for you..

Uni-Med, established in 1992, helps facilities across the country get rid of surplus equipment at top-dollar.  Not only will a Uni-Med representative (most likely Larry Lazar, the president of the company) personally come in to see you and your equipment and makes offers on most types of equipment.

Uni-Med does not bind you to a contract that obligates you to a contract to work only with them (as if that is really in your best interest!).  Best of all, Uni-Med actually pays you before the equipment leaves the facility.

I have worked with Larry Lazar, President of  Uni-Med, Inc. for more than five years.  In that time, he has been honest and dependable.  Many facilities across the country utilize Uni-Med for the sale of their surplus medical equipment. 

To find out more about Uni-Med, Inc., contact Uni-Med at 888-773-4504 (phone), 718-871-6857 (fax) or unimed@unimedbh.com (e-mail).

Uni-Med, Inc. Giving Surplus Medical Equipment New Life while Saving Lives!

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Bio Med Tech - Healthcare System position available performing calibration, repair and performance on medical and non-medical instrumentation. Excellent salary (about $24/hour, actual depends on experience) & benefits (dental, vision, medical, 401K, life insurance, long-term disability).  Tech should  have five or more years of experience and be comfortable working independently.  Tech should have two year vocational training.  Military training is also acceptable.  Significant travel is required.  Send resume to Tim Cox at Northland Healthcare Alliance, 3811 Lockport Street, Suite 3, Bismarck, ND 58503 or tcox@northlandhealth.com.

Help a fellow Biomed! If you have or know of an open position please send an email to admin@thebiomed.com  with the position details and we will post it for all to see.

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Disability KaR a global not-for-profit whose goal is to promote good health in developing countries has released a series of six (6) management guides geared towards Healthcare Technology Management or as its called in our neck of the woods Biomed/Clinical Engineering Management.

The guides are meant to help improve the effectiveness of Healthcare Technology Management tasks on a daily operational level. Although these guides have been written with developing countries in mind, I found them to be very informative, helpful, and plenty relevant for us here in the US.

The Guide titled as follows (click on the individual titles to download the guide):

1. How to organise a system of healthcare technology management (172 pages).
2. How to plain and budget for you healthcare technology (302 pages).
3. How to procure and commission your healthcare technology (370 pages).
4. How to operate your healthcare technology efficiently and safetly (245 pages).
5. How to organise the maintenance of your healthcare technology (244 pages).
6. How to manage the finances of your healthcare technology management team (137 pages).

For more information about the guides visit: Disability KaR Healthcare Management Guides

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Stryker Medical has been issued a subpoena by the Attorney General on New Jersey for the release of several documents relating to “financial interests and arrangements of physicians participating in certain clinical trials for or on behalf of the company.”

Seems like a bunch of companies are getting into trouble for paying off physicians to write supporting reports for equipment and drugs that are going through trials. Combining this with the FDA issue of approving devices that never should have been approved, and it makes me wonder what medical equipment out there is actually good…

Your thoughts?

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As reported on Dotmed News, 300 Ultrasound Probes were recently stolen out of a warehouse in Koblenz, Germany in March of this year.

The probes include Esaote (MyLab-Series), Kontron (Imagic Agile), Philips, Aloka, Siemens, Medison, and Mindray. Click here for a full list of the probes stolen including serial number.   

If any one contacts you offering to sell you any of the probes on the list, please contact your local authorities and Dotmed.

Dotmed News: Stolen Ultrasound Probes

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Yes, its finally here!!!! The one week a year were we Biomeds are special (ofcourse we’re special every other week of the year too, but this week is ours). What special events are you and your respective departments/employers planning for this week? In past years some departments have had Biomed Week BBQs, have given special lectures about what we do, have gotten a free lunch, etc.

As always AAMI has stepped up with their own Biomed Week related information and freebies. You can find all the AAMI Biomed week stuff on their website. Here are the specific AAMI and other Biomed Week Sites:

•  AAMI 2009 Biomed Week Proclamation
• AAMI News Bioimed Week Site 
• AAMI Promoting Biomed Week Site
• AAMI State Specific Biomed Week Site
• BMET Wiki Biomed Week Page
• CMBES Biomed Week Site (Canada)

If you know any other Biomed week related sites, be sure to share them in the comments section below.

How are you spending and celebrating Biomed Week? Let us know!

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