Customizing Cable For Medical Equipment

It’s a fact that medical equipment is highly complex. No wonder, since it needs to be. The level of technology upon these devices is highly complex, and not only does it need to work efficiently, it also cannot accidentally power down considering it might be responsible for keeping a human being alive. Due to the complexity of these components, they require custom cables. When constructed, these specialty cables need to be fully functional, withstand the process of sterilization repeatedly, and also be biocompatible.

So does that mean that your average hospital or medical center needs customized cable for all of its electronics? Well, not necessarily, since it all depends on what’s being used. For applications that don’t come into contact with patients or are sterilized, standard cables are just fine. The same is true for equipment power cords and for internal wiring.

With customized cable for medical equipment, there are certain qualities that are absolutely necessary. First, this cable needs to be highly flexible, since equipment may be moved around, and medical professionals may need to move it very quickly. Next, the cable needs to be biocompatible. Simply put, this means that the cable will be guaranteed to be non-toxic to patients. Considering that the cables attached to this equipment might be in contact or within close proximity to people with a weakened immune system, you can see why that’s somewhat important. Finally, the cable needs to handle being sterilized. Remember that there are different sterilization levels and methods.

Having said all that, let’s say you’re employed by a hospital, and you’ve contacted us to create customized cable. A few pieces of information we’ll need from you are:

• Do you need cables that are reusable or disposable? In many cases, disposable cables don’t need to be sterilized, and they can be manufactured from less expensive materials like PE or PVC. But if you’re in need of cables that can be reused and sterilized over an over, we’ll construct the cables from much more durable materials.
• Speaking of sterilization, if you decide to go for a reusable cable, you’ll need one that can withstand sterilization from a few of the most widely used methods like chemicals, autoclave, and e-beam. In cases like that, materials that can handle it are silicone, Teflon, or TPE.
• If biocompatibility is an issue, let us know, and let us know what degree you need. Cables can be designed for minimal patient contact all the way up to implantable. We can also provide you with the correct FDA grade materials.
• What about requirements for flexibility, the need for a high degree of protection, or any other special circumstances? Will the cable be in prolonged contact with high heat, abrasions, or chemicals?
• We’ll also need basic information such as the number of conductors, as well as the diameter of the cable.

When you’re ordering specialty cable, we know you need something that can potentially be highly durable, flexible, and still be able to perform under potentially adverse conditions. If you can provide us with as much information as possible, we can craft cable that will be ideal for your needs.