There are over 36 million hospital admissions every year in the US.
Nevertheless, for most of us, the inner workings of hospitals remain a complete mystery! And one particular area of ignorance is the equipment used by doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals to treat sick patients.
To shed light on the topic, we thought we’d go through 5 of the most common types of medical equipment and what they’re used for! Sound good? Keep reading!
- Defibrillators
Defibrillators are some of the most essential items in any hospital or other healthcare environment. They’re also something you may encounter in everyday life, whether you need special home medical equipment or you’re the first-aider at work.
Used in life-threatening situations (such as cardiac arrests), they’re designed to restore a normal heartbeat by delivering an electric pulse to their heart. If a patient’s heart stops beating, defibrillators can also restore the heartbeat and revive the patient in the process.
- Stretchers
Another all-important piece of medical equipment, it’s hard to imagine life in a hospital without specially-designed stretchers. They’re used to transport patients from A to B (both inside a medical facility and to and from it) in a safe and expedient manner. They usually have rails for safety, straps to keep the patient secure, and wheels for ease of transportation.
Many modern-day hospital stretchers also come with other life-giving medical equipment attached to them. Examples include oxygen tanks, patient monitors, intravenous poles, and so on.
- Anesthesia Machines
Long gone are the days (thankfully!) when sick patients were forced to undergo surgery with no anesthetic.
Today, anesthesia machines provide patients with a steady flow of medical gases that keep them still, unconscious, and pain-free throughout their procedure. Complex pieces of equipment, these items require specialist anesthesia machine maintenance to ensure they work as they should.
- Sterilizers
Because germs can cause sickness and exacerbate current health problems, hospitals and the equipment they use must be kept as sterile as possible at all times.
That’s where sterilizers come into play! These essential bits of kit use high-pressure saturated steam to eradicate any microbial life that may have formed on things like surgical tools and related medical items.
- ECG/EKG Machines
For doctors, seeing the rhythm and electrical signals in a patient’s heart can help them determine their heart health and whether or not any heart problems are in evidence. Enter the role of the ECG.
Short for electrocardiograms, these machines hook a number of electrodes to the patient’s chest. Once connected, the ECG machine will display their heart rhythm and electrical activity (either on paper or electronically).
Don’t Forget These Types of Medical Equipment
Hospitals all over the world rely on all sorts of medical equipment to save lives and support patients. For everyday people, though, this essential kit remains a complete unknown! With any luck, the insights in this article will have demystified matters and revealed a few of the most common examples of the medical gear used today.
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