Cardiac Surgery Equipment - Operation Principles and Maintenance Procedures

Cardiac surgery equipment assists healthcare professionals in the surgical treatment of pathologies of the heart and blood vessels. This equipment is considered critical as the patient's life depends on it. Therefore, it is crucial that the equipment manager ensures it is always in the best operating conditions and in compliance with the applicable regulatory requirements (e.g., electrical safety requirements). Three of the most used cardiac surgery devices are the intra-aortic balloon pump, the extracorporeal circulation machine and the heat exchanger. This paper presents a compilation of relevant information about this equipment, including maintenance procedures and enumeration of the most common malfunctions, based on the analysis of maintenance reports covering the lifecycle of these devices.