Each year most facilities have some type of annual retesting of their medical gas and vacuum systems performed, but what is being tested and what is being done after the testing as corrective action?
NFPA 99 sets guidelines for the initial verification of medical gas and vacuum system, but only offers explanatory notes in the Annex C to chapters 1 through 20, which are not part of NFPA 99 requirements.
Although NFPA 99 does not have requirements for Annual Retesting, the Department of Health and The Joint Commission frequently check to ensure that facilities are being proactive and having preventative maintenance and annual retesting of medical gas and vacuum systems performed.
In order to be certain that everything is being done to maintain these systems to the best of your ability, the following should be done:
1. Follow the manufacturer’s specifications for the frequency of maintenance on medical vacuum and medical air systems. Usually it is safe to say that maintenance on these systems should be completed on a quarterly basis. Many medical gas companies perform these services; however, facilities may perform them too. If the latter is chosen, records of the maintenance should be kept and manufacturer guidelines should be followed.
2. Manifolds should be checked annually. Changeover from one bank to another occurs during normal operation but the reserve bank rarely is used. Therefore it is extremely important to check the reserve in use function of liquid or cryogenic manifolds.
3. Warning systems, otherwise known as medical gas master alarms, are an important part of every medical gas and vacuum system and should be checked at least annually. The retesting of these systems should only be done without changing the piping system line pressure.
4. It is recommended that valves and station outlets and inlets are tested periodically, but it is typical to check them at least annually since over time, leaks occur due to the wear and tear of everyday use.
5. At the conclusion of every Annual Test or Annual Retesting of medical gas and vacuum systems, a deficiency list is usually provided to the facility. It is up to the facility to take corrective action in response to the list provided.
Most likely, a facility will never have a perfect annual test, but taking the proper action to correct major deficiencies each year usually prevents complete system failure due to improper maintenance.
Is your facility doing everything it can to keep these systems operating properly? Is your testing company testing your facility’s systems properly? Ask questions! If they don’t know the answers to them, they are probably not.
