Shutdowns Support

Of all health facility piping systems, medical gas systems present the largest number of possibilities for instantaneous negative patient outcomes.  One health care facility procedure that provides a prime illustration on avoiding major multi-patient accidents related to medical gas is the planned, temporary medical gas shutdown.

Temporary shutdowns are usually required by renovation projects, which have accelerated in California hospitals over the past several years and are a potential source of patient accidents.  This is because alterations almost always require the “breaching” of a portion of the distribution piping that supplies gases to patients.

The complexity of each shutdown is determined by the type and location of the distribution piping to be breached – branch, riser or main.  During the breach, piping is cut open, separated, branches are added or eliminated and the piping is reconnected and brazed.  The normal primary patient-life-supporting gas sources become unavailable to the facility’s affected areas.  During this period, the lives of the most acutely critical patients literally depend on the professionalism of the team of personnel performing the shutdown.

For example, to remain alive, many patients in intensive care, surgery or on medical/surgical floors require the use of a continuous source of piped anesthesia/medical gases.  Likewise, a continuous and reliable supply of oxygen is mandatory for ventilators in intensive care units.  Depending on the patient, sudden and unplanned termination of oxygen could result in permanent injury or even death within five minutes.

During these critical medical gas shutdowns, FSMT provides outsource services to have direct hands-on responsibility for temporarily supplying life-supporting medical gases directly to patients.  Additionally, our senior technicians may also be called upon to supervise work performed on the system’s piping.  After the work is complete, and before turning the permanent sources back on, FSMT ensures the integrity of the new piping and verifies the system per NFPA 99 and ASSE 6000 standards.

Using the ASSE 6000 series procedures, FSMT addresses potentially life-threatening practices – no matter how deceptively insignificant they may appear.  Technicians seek to render small incidents harmless before they have the opportunity to begin a chain of events that could lead to a fatal medical gas accident or a practice error by the hospital’s medical staff.

FSMT sequences the shutdown procedure into three phases: “before shutdown date”, “during shutdown and system back feeding”, and “after shutdown and back feed”.  The events are then subdivided into the responsibilities of healthcare facilities, responsibilities of the shutdown coordinator, responsibilities of the installer and responsibilities of the verifier.

Detail planning and preparation of the project’s technical activities will be guided through to the actual execution of the shutdown.  Back feed materials will be provided by FSMT including regulators, hoses, fittings and personnel to monitor backfeed locations.

Commissioning and verification of the project will be completed per NFPA 99 (1999 edition for OSHPD approved projects) standards.  Complete field documentation will be provided for immediate use with a final report submitted to interested parties.  Laboratory samples are taken, when required, for additional risk reduction.