Sterilisation and disinfection departments in hospitals are increasingly being equipped with stations capable of successfully maintaining hospital beds. These are large installations for disinfecting hospital equipment, both so-called solid products (e.g. hospital beds) and porous products (e.g. mattresses or clothing). It is a solution that requires logistical preparation and suitable beds, but overall it is usually the more economical solution. Whatever the cost, it is certainly a guarantee of cleanliness and protection against hospital-acquired infections.
Not all hospital beds can be sterilised in BDS chambers.
Disinfection systems can provide a range of effectiveness up to the ABC level.
A: vegetative cells of bacteria, mycobacteria, and fungi. Spores of pathogenic fungi are also destroyed,
B: destruction of viruses (includes destruction of bacteria, i.e. range A),
C: destruction of anthrax spores (includes range A and B)[1].
At this point it is worth mentioning that not all hospital beds will be suitable for sterilisation in BDS chambers. Chemical-laden water shot towards the product at high pressure from various sides is a challenging opponent for medical equipment. On top of all this, we must also add the high temperatures occurring in the chamber during sterilisation and drying. Knowing that the hospital beds used in our facility will be sterilised in this way, we should configure them according to the suitable standards already at the purchase stage. Few solutions will withstand the conditions in BDS chambers.
Steel
Hospital beds are normally made of so-called black steel, which is prone to corrosion. And although it is, of course, protected by paint, once physically damaged, the surface will corrode sooner or later. This is significant even when using the bed in a standard way. The thickness of the paint layer, its structure and the way it is applied and baked significantly affect the service life of the purchased product. Products that are washed in automatic disinfection chambers may also corrode on the inside, as they do not have any protective layer there.
Hospital beds and their design vs automatic washers
The hospital bed has many process openings for tie rods, cables, controls or inspection windows for service staff. During normal operation, these openings are not a problem – any moisture is drained away by gravity and does not enter the openings. However, the multi-directional pressure nozzles in automatic washers cause water to penetrate the metal profiles. Water with cleaning agents collects inside the structure and can corrode bare metal even after several weeks of use. Hospital beds for BDS are designed to have a drying position to assist in the gravitational removal of fluid. All profiles with openings must have well thought-out channels for draining water. Sometimes, however, despite the measures planned at the product design stage, the problem of corrosion inside the main structure remains unsolved.
The Famed NEXO bed can be configured in such a way that it can be sterilised in BDS chambers.
Double coating
One solution to protect the outer metal parts of the bed from corrosion is to apply a double coat of paint. Although it is much more complicated to heat treat metal frames correctly, it actually increases protection against mechanical impacts and wear. According to Europe’s leading medical equipment manufacturer Famed Żywiec, this type of solution is also desirable in hospitals operating in countries with high humidity and where the risk of mechanical damage to the paint coating is expected.
Hospital beds made of stainless steel
Stainless steel is rarely used in the manufacture of hospital beds. This is due to the fact that there are few companies in the world that have other products in their portfolio besides hospital beds as well as the technological background and know-how needed to use stainless steel or semi-precious metals. However, few does not mean none. Poland has one of the world’s only remaining plants manufacturing both hospital beds and operating tables in stainless steel. Famed Żywiec, as this is the company we are referring to here, has its own galvanising plant and a steel-washing hall enabling the appropriate treatment of stainless steel. Therefore, we can still find Polish hospital beds made of this material on the market. Is this enough to secure the bed? Structurally – yes! However, the question of price and other components remains.
Electronics and actuators in hospital beds designed for automatic washers
During washing sessions, the temperature reaches up to 85° C and the pressure up to 2.5 bar. The same happens during drying, where the temperature inside the chamber again reaches up to 85° C. This causes corrosion and the ingress of moisture into electronic components. Controllers, front panel controls (“stickers” with buttons for example in the handrails), batteries or actuators and control boxes are then most susceptible to damage. Hospitals most often require products to have protection against environmental influences at the IPX4 level, which is not sufficient for cleaning beds in washing chambers. Even the IPX6 or IP66 ingress protection standards only mention protection against the effects of cold water. However, there are no provisions for protection against hot water or hot air drying.
Hospital beds with CDC finish
Full protection against corrosion is provided by cathodic dip painting technology, i.e. cataphoresis. The CDC method (cathodic dip coating) is currently one of the best methods of protecting both external and internal metal profiles. After machining, the metal bed structure is protected by immersing it in a colloidal paint solution. Protecting the bed after mechanical treatment is important as it guarantees high durability of welds, joints, or openings intended for the drainage of cleaning fluids. The layer of coating formed has a uniform structure, which has a very positive effect on the resistance of metal surfaces. When combined with a powder coat, it guarantees excellent quality and resistance to the conditions in disinfection washers. The CDC method is one of the most effective modern anti-corrosion practices used in metallurgy[2]. Hospital beds made using this technology are becoming increasingly popular.
Profile of the Famed NEXO bed cut after many weeks of intensive testing in an automatic washer. There is a noticeable lack of corrosion and full paint protection as a result of CDC technology.
Summary
Below, you will find a summary of the most important aspects that you should also take into account if you want to implement an automatic washer in your hospital.
Logistics facilities for transporting beds.
Space for storage of beds after the washing and drying cycle.
Technical staff to carry out cyclical lubrication and inspection of the equipment.
Clear manufacturer’s indications backed by clinical tests on the parameters of the washing and drying cycles.
State-of-the-art bed structure with actuators with a rating higher than IPX6, fully protected against corrosion, with process openings for drainage of cleaning fluids.
Beds that fit easily into door frames and lifts for easier transport.
