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Pneumatic Tube Systems For Hospitals

 are highly complex systems which perform a great variety of tasks. All of these are urgent since the health of people is at stake. The means of transport which combines speed and reliability is the hospital pneumatic tube system.

THE ADVANTAGES

While doctors and nursing staff dedicate themselves to the patients, the pneumatic tube system transports a multitude of small and medium-sized items. This system saves not only time, but also space: laboratories can be centralized and stocks in the decentralized medicine storage depots can be reduced. Furthermore, the pneumatic tube system helps increase efficiency since the staff is no longer busy running errands, allowing the wards to stay occupied all the time.

THE AREA OF APPLICATION

Pneumatic tube systems donīt necessarily have to be installed at the outset of construction. Even in an already operating hospital, a pneumatic tube system can be easily integrated. Depending on the various structural conditions, the system can be layed inside or outside the walls. Other factors, for instance system capacity, load size or weight, are taken into consideration as well.

THE TRANSPORT LOAD

The hospital pneumatic tube system transports practically everything that fits into a carrier: medicine, laboratory samples, emergency samples, units of stored blood, x-rays, documents and so on. By doing so, the pneumatic tube system creates a direct connection between all hospital wards, such as blood banks, out-patient departments, nursing wards, reception or administration offices.

THE SYSTEM

THE LABORATORY STATION

A hospital's laboratory is a busy place. This is why every station in the laboratory is provided with at least three dispatch magazines; large laboratory stations even require six, nine or more of them. Since laboratory samples are often delicate, a special mechanism guarantees gentle delivery. Plus, conveyor belts are installed to receive numerous carriers. The empty carriers are returned automatically without manual destination selection.
 

THE AUTOMATIC STATION

This station's features are especially user-friendly, such as its dispatch magazine, destination selection keypad, name index and plaintext display. When a carrier arrives at the station, an air cushion slows it down to protect fragile transport loads such as laboratory samples and a signal automatically announces its arrival. After the transport load is removed, an automatic destination selection system returns the empty carrier.

PHARMACY AND BLOOD BANK STATIONS

are designed with the same user-friendly features as the automatic station. Additionally, they can be equipped with multiple dispatch magazines according to their size and the specific requirements.

SPECIFIC DEMANDS OF A HOSPITAL

Since a hospital is not a typical working place, its pneumatic tube system has to fulfill a series of high demands:

• In order to guarantee a safe transport of laboratory samples, the carrier speed may be modified. Low-speed transport is selected manually or automatically by choosing a certain dispatch or receiving station.

• The carriers can be adapted to hold different types of insert pockets or test tube holders.

• Arriving carriers are braked carefully upon arrival and sent directly into the tube without a jolt.

• The system functions silently and is patient-friendly.

• Transport loads with restricted access can be secured by means of a code

• Thermochemical sterilization of the carriers to be carried out manually or automatically.

• The system is hermetically sealed.

• The computerized control system permits statistical evaluations of the traffic data, e.g. the number of transports, for itemized cost analysis and billing.

THE PLAINTEXT DISPLAY

can boast of a number of user-friendly features:

• easy-to-read, illuminated display

• indication of destination name and number

• search key and address list

• individually programmable destination numbers and addresses

• indication of system status and operating sequence