Isolated Power is Not the Solution to Electrical Hazard Problem

Abstract

Although direct contact with hazardous electrical systems is designed to be improbable, certain instances exist where human beings are intentionally and puposefully bound and attached to electronic and other systems which, in turn, are intimately connected to vast, distributed electrical systems.

In modern hospitals, the frequency of such instances is increasing and the hazards are being compounded. To prevent a corresponding increase in the rate of mortality and morbidity due to this clause, we

(1) define the electrical hazard with regard to

a - shocks

b - burns

c - fibrillation

d - arrest

(2) criticize the thoughtless extension to such areas as post-operative recovery rooms and intensive care units of electrical practices intended for application in areas where explosive materials are used or stored, and

(3) recommend an economically realistic approach which provides true protection against the flow of small currents instead of only warning of a non-existent possibility of explosion.

This approach is embodied in isolating, not the electrical system from ground, but in isolating the patient from ground and the electrical system.