Service Continuity in Hospitals: Overload Risks in Operating Theaters

The paper presents features and protections that the system shall to have in operating theaters and intensive care units (group 2 medical locations) to avoid power outage for fault due to ground faults, overcurrents and overvoltages and interference problems to medical electrical (ME) equipment due to electromagnetic compatibility. The overload, in contrast to the faults, can be predicted; it is due to an improper use of equipment, showing a lack of planning. An analysis of surgery operation types by monitoring their electrical load diagrams is important to identify eventual overloads risks, which involve the automatic disconnection. The implementation, by simulation programs, of different set of ME equipment is possible after a recording campaign of every ME equipment load diagrams, present in the operating rooms ORs. The authors suggest defining an electrical classification of surgery operation types in relation to the overload risk, independent and complementary to the medical classification.