How a Medical Gas Alarm System Protects Patients

What is a medical gas alarm?

A medical gas alarm is a monitoring device with sensors, indicators and a buzzer that warns when the pressure of a gas in the pipeline moves out of its normal range, or when a source fails. Because patients on ventilators and in surgery depend on these gases, a loss of supply must be noticed within seconds.

The alarms are usually independent of the plant control system, so that a fault in one does not silence the other. Signals should be clear, with a distinction between normal, warning and fault conditions, and with an acoustic alarm that can be silenced while a visual alert remains until the cause is cleared.

Master, area and local alarm panels

Three levels are normally used. A medical gas master alarm panel, also called a plant alarm, reports the state of the sources and the main line, such as cylinder reserve in use, plant failure or main line pressure faults; it is installed where engineers and a continuously staffed location can see it. Area alarm panels sit near the clinical area, such as an ICU or theatre, and show pressure in the branch serving it. Local indicators or displays at the bedside or in the room show clinicians the status of the gas they use.

The medical gas area alarm panel is the one nurses are most likely to hear, so it must be positioned where staff are always present. It is often integrated with an area valve service unit so that a fault in the zone and the shutting of a valve are visible in the same place.

• Master (plant) alarm: sources, plant and main line
• Area alarm: pressure to a department or zone
• Local alarm or display: bedside or room
• Signals to building management where required

The MZU II monitoring unit

The MZU II is a touchscreen monitoring device for clinical and operational warning of medical gases in the pipeline and at the source. It alerts staff with light and acoustic alarms when gas pressure, flow or supply is abnormal, and can send status information to external devices.

The MZU II.01 displays pressure and flow and measures both current flow and total consumption of the monitored gas. It shows 1 to 12 gases, can be built in or wall-mounted, connects to an external display or an area valve service unit and has parameters set from the touchscreen on site.

Choosing and placing an alarm panel

Decide how many gases each panel must show, whether flow and consumption are needed, and whether built-in or wall-mounted units suit the wall construction. Consider labelling, language, the ability to connect to a display, an AVSU or a BMS, and power backup. Standards such as ISO 7396-1, HTM 02-01 and NFPA 99 define alarm requirements, so follow the one named in the project.

Medical gas alarm panel price depends on the number of gases, the type of display, built-in functions and communication options, so give suppliers an itemised list. Test alarms at commissioning and regularly during operation.

Operation, response and maintenance

Staff must know what each alarm means and who to call. Post a simple response procedure near the panel and include alarm drills in training. An alarm that is silenced and forgotten is more dangerous than no alarm.

Ask your supplier for test procedures, calibration intervals and spare parts. Beckfinity supplies MZ Liberec alarm units in the UAE; for help with your project, contact our specialists.