The best battery systems for a hospital cart really depends on the user’s needs. Various factors like capacity, power requirement, ease of use, weight, and cooling come into play when choosing a battery pack for your medical workstation on wheels.
Capacity
You need different tools for different jobs. The same idea applies for the capacity of the battery system. For example, a mobile computer workstation requires much less wattage than say, an AFC cart. Everyone likes the idea of a bigger battery; however, bigger battery means more weight, which means less mobility and longer charge time.
Power requirement
Will there be just a laptop using the battery? Or will there be many pieces of equipment requiring battery power? That’s why it’s important to know how much power is needed.
Ease of use
So easy a caveman could do it! Medical staff already have plenty of stress on a daily basis. Knowing how to change a battery shouldn’t require a degree. When it comes to looking up the patient’s files or keeping that life-saving machine going, the last thing you should think about is: “how do I change this battery?”
Weight
Medication, laptops and medical supplies all make up your hospital cart. Every little bit of extra weight does add up. But if it’s wattage you need, you won’t have a say in how much the battery weighs.
Cooling
When we heat up, we sweat to cool ourselves down. Unfortunately, the battery doesn’t have that ability, so, we have to give it a helping hand with that process. Failing to provide adequate cooling will cause issues. It can be as simple as premature equipment failing or as serious as an explosion. That’s why cooling is such an essential part of your battery system. There is an agreement that fan-less cooling systems are overall quieter and safer but, that comes at a price. They need a high-tech heat dissipation system that will add to their overall price
Ideally, you want a battery system that has hours of dependable power, is easy to install, has an efficient cooling system and a visual aid to inform you when the power is getting low.
What are the different kinds of battery systems available?
FMCPT
Times are changing. The older battery designs cause regular problems. This is where the flexible mobile cart power technology comes in. Nurses have a hard time with their daily rounds as it is, and with the medical system demanding more from its staff with every passing day, a non-operational medical cart is just unacceptable. Issues such as the battery not lasting the whole shift, constantly having to monitor the battery level or other technical issues can take a toll on the operator. The FMCPT battery pack solved many of those issues. The good folks over at Scott-Clark Medical designed a battery pack that can last anywhere between 6-10 hours, provide a visual and audible warning when it gets down to the last 20 minutes of power and, when the battery is finally empty, the battery removal method is so easy, anyone can do it.
UBS
What if I told you that 25% to 50% of all mobile medical carts are out of service every single day. The uninterruptible battery system can make that a thing of the past. It’s made from lithium-iron-phosphate, and it has a life cycle of up to 24 hours, based on the configuration. It has a 250Wh capacity per battery and can stack up to 3 batteries per medical computer cart. The 2 to 3-hour recharge time sounds very appealing as well. You can have them configured to pretty much any set up as well.
Hot-swappable battery types
You can forget about having to shut down the system when the battery needs to be changed. Hot-swappable batteries are the way of the future. Critical systems can now remain live while you change the battery for a fresh one
On-board battery charging
Batteries for medical equipment carts need to be reliable, safe and most of all, not die when giving life-saving medical treatment to a patient. That’s what on-board battery charging is so important. It allows for the medical cart to be connected to a direct and stable power source giving the user extended range and allowing for more flexibility. This feature, however, upsets some systems. That’s why it is important to check with the manufacturer first.
So, choosing the best battery system for a workstation on wheels really depends on the application and what is demanded from it. A nurse’s general work station and an ultrasound cart will require different packs. There are a lot of choices available so, do your research and choose smartly.
