Power supply for hospitals in accordance with IEC 60364-7-710

The IEC 60364-7-710 standard applies to all areas used for medical purposes in hospitals, clinics, medical care centres, doctors' centres, nursing homes, etc.

IEC 60364-7-710 specifies how the power supply in hospitals and other medical facilities must be set up. A distinction is made between different room groups. In group 2 rooms, the power supply must not fail in the event of a first fault. That is why it must be implemented as an medical IT system in these rooms/areas.

The standard also describes the exact requirements for medical IT systems.

Medical IT systems are unearthed power systems that are designed for the special requirements in medical facilities or areas (group 2 rooms). They must be constructed in accordance with IEC 60364-7-710. The basis for this is galvanic separation of the power supply from the earthed power grid. Yet, each medical IT system must be supplied by two independent power sources (general power supply or safety power supply).

A medical IT system in accordance with IEC 60364-7-710 includes an automatic switching device, an isolating transformer (for galvanic separation), an insulation monitoring device, fuse elements, an automatic insulation fault location system (optional) and an acoustic and visual alarm system (remote alarm indicator and operator panels or control panels). In addition, protective equipotential bonding must be installed in every medical locations of group 1 and group 2 rooms and connected to a protective equipotential bonding bar in order to equalise potential differences.

An automatic switching device is part of every medical IT system. It is designed to ensure an uninterrupted power supply in rooms used for medical purposes and to switch to the backup power supply within a specified time in the event of a failure of the main power supply.

In the event of a power failure, an automatic switching device ensures an automatic power supply from a redundant power source. It thus enables an uninterrupted power supply in particularly critical areas (e.g. intensive care unit, operating theatre, emergency room) where an interruption of the power supply could endanger the well-being of patients.

Complete isolated power panels are ideal wherever procurement needs to be simplified and installation costs minimised.

The main purpose of remote alarm indicator and operator panels is to indicate first faults in the power supply visually/optically and acoustically. This is important because a second fault would inevitably lead to a failure of the power supply (interruption of the power supply by the fuse element). Remote alarm indicator and operator panels are therefore an elementary component of every medical IT system.

Remote alarm indicator and operator panels or control panels are available in different sizes and with a different range of functions. Small remote alarm indicator and operator panels such as the CP305 or CP907 are more suitable for intensive care units, recovery rooms or control cabinets. The larger versions, such as the CP910 or CP924, are particularly suitable for operating theatres, recovery rooms or nurses’ stations where a wider range of functions (e.g. operating theatre light or air conditioning control) is required.