Re-usable Blades Q&A
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Shucman 2™
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Question: |
Posted 25-October-07
We have used FOCS (USA Trademark) blades for many years in our hospital. We love them since they appear to last for ever. Recently, we purchased a new batch and were disappointed to see that the design has changed and nobody at Rusch had bothered to inform us. Can you please tell us why you did this ? John. San Diego |
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Answer: |
Posted 26-October-07
You are right. The FOCS blades are excellent fibre-optic blades for any hard working Anesthesia Hospital Group. Unfortunately, we found that the FOC I blades did not withstand repeated autoclaving techniques as well as we would have liked and more and more Hospitals were introducing sterilizing techniques that are really very destructive on medical devices, especially on fibre-optic light guides. We also discovered that most of the minor problems that hospitals were experiencing had resulted from improper replacement of the bulb screws. They were just never screwed back into place securely enough. Solutions then entered the bulb cavity causing rusting and electrical contact problems. FOCS II gives you all the best characteristics of FOCS I such as :
However, in FOCS II , you will also get :
All you have to do is to remove the old clip and replace it with a new one. You will have to do this every 18 plus months when you notice that the illumination is beginning to fade. No screws to let solutions enter into the chamber. Easy anybody in the unit can do this. You just purchase a pack of two replacement clips and your FOCS II blades go on for ever. By the way, you do not need to take out the fibre-clip before sending the blade to sterilization. Leave it in its place. Nothing will happen to it. Igor Kobets
Truphatek Engineering Group
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Equip™
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Question: |
Posted 15-March-07
How do I choose a good standard laryngoscope blade. There are so many different blades around . many look really poor quality but are very inexpensive Head of Supplies Procurement , Delhi Teaching Hospital, |
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Answer: |
Posted 16-March-07
You are right . Unfortunately there are many brands of standard blades available and most of them have sacrificed quality to lower their costs. First of all you should know that there are very strict International Specifications governing the designs of laryngoscopes. See attached link to current ISO 7376 Standards that have just been released These International standards ensure that quality aspects are maintained. We suggest that you insist that all suppliers to your unit give you a declaration that their blades strictly conform to this International specification. This will provide you with some protection.
Our Equip ™ range give you the “gold standard” quality. Firstly, you will see our Company name and our Trade-mark clearly indicated since we are proud of our products. Then, you will appreciate that we have used the highest quality of medical grade stainless steel and our blades are not simply coated brass metal that will show every tooth mark and scratch. All the electrical points are coated against rust and the illumination is provided by a krypton gas filled bulb and not a poor quality incandescent variety.
Remember that you usually get what you paid for. Many standard blades last just as long as good metal disposable blades. Take a look at our disposable ranges. They could provide you with a better answer for all those locations ( Crash carts / E.R rooms / Ambulances) where blades are placed for emergency occasional use.
Igor Kobets
Truphatek Engineering Group
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GreenSpec 2™
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Question: |
Posted 12-February-07
What is the relevance of green on laryngoscope blades ? Why do companies describe blades as “green series” ? Head of Supplies Procurement , Teaching Hospital, Wales |
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Answer: |
Posted 12-February-07
There are really two main series of blades and they are defined by the location of the light source.
The first group locate the bulb, usually at the tip of the blade but sometimes in the base of the blade (See Shucman™ II fibre-optic blade range). If the bulb is located at the tip of the blade then this is described as a warm bulb blade system. The handle only contains a battery power source and links to the blade via an electrical contact.
The second group locate the bulb in the handle and then have to use a fibre-optic or acrylic plastic light guide to convey this light from the handle to the tip of the blade. Removing the bulb from the blade tip allows use of much stronger bulbs but on the other hand a lot of the illumination is lost in the transfer from the handle to the fibre-optic bundle and along its length. This is particularly noticeable if much less expensive acrylic or some other plastic fibre material is used for the light guide.
When these types of blades first hit the market, there was tremendous concern that hospitals would be confused and accidents would occur when warm bulb blades were engaged onto to the wrong type of handles and vice versa. An International Advisory Group was set up and since then have issued several versions of an International Standard ISO 7376 that defines all aspects concerning labeling of laryngoscope blades and handles and defines their quality requirements. This Committee insisted that all handles that have bulbs in them be labeled with a Green mark and all blades that fitted them should bear the same green marking.
See attached link to current ISO 7376 Standards that have just been released.
We suggest that you insist that all suppliers to your unit give you a declaration that their blades strictly conform to this International specification. This will provide you with some protection.
Igor Kobets
Truphatek Engineering Group
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