Cables in medical facilities and patient care and treatment rooms are absolutely necessary. They allow equipment to communicate between systems, to transmit data from the patient to the equipment and to allow easy configuration of the technology required for an individual patient.
With the number and variety of different medical cables in use, the need for medical cable assemblies is critical. This not only keeps cables together for easier connection and disconnection from equipment, but it also provides greater safety as cables can be easier to manage and kept up and off floors or away from the patient.
Options to Consider
There are two different types of medical cable assemblies that should be considered. One is the cable assemblies that are used with disposable or single-use cables. These are typically cables for electronic sensors or surgical equipment that are prepackaged, sterilized and designed for easy use by treatment staff.
The other requirement is for medical cables used for specific types of equipment. These cables will be expected to have long life cycles and need to be made out of specific types of materials that meet all FDA requirements for cabling and assemblies.
Specific Concerns
All continual use types of medical cable assemblies have to be designed to stand up to sterilization and cleaning process that are required and vary between different areas of the hospital or medical facility.
These cables need to be able to bend and flex without damage and to also have an exterior sheath that is resistant to exposure to moisture, gasses, chemicals and even to bodily fluids. They also have to ensure that they protect against EMI or electromagnetic interference that could impact other equipment and devices in use.
All medical cables have to produce under approved methods that can be validated. Additionally, all materials used in the development of the individual cables and assemblies have to be fully traceable.
