Download G:\respcare\gen_care

RSPT 1429: Fundamentals
Unit 1: Part II: General Patient Care
Lecture by Elizabeth Kelley Buzbee RRT-NPS RCP
Prepared by EKB August 6, 2007



General patient care
Fire safety
Electrical safety

Electrical safety
Define these terms:
1.
Electricity is the flow of electrons, which are charged particles.
Charged particles move from negative charge to positive. For an
electrical current there must be a source of power [generator or
battery] this creates the electrons that now need a pathway or
conduction to flow along. Current is the flow of electricity down a
conductor. This current creates heat.
2.
Voltage is an expression of electrical potential in units of volts
i.e.” 9 volt battery”
3.
Resistance is a function of conductors. Different substances have
various degrees of resistance to the conduction of electricity.
4.
A poor conductor has high resistance. Substances with poor
resistance are used as insulation. Electrical resistance is
measured in ohms.
List and discuss the 3 factors that determine the effect of an electrical
shock on the body. Identify the most important one.
a. Current is the most important factor
b. Voltage is the amount of current applied to the body
c. Resistance to current of the body, particularly the skin
List the 3 factors that determine the severity of the electrical damage
done by current through the body.
d. The amount of current flowing
e. The duration of the current
f. The path of the current
Discuss the effect of water on the skin’s electrical resistance.
g. Wet skin conducts electrical current into the body better than dry
skin because the electrical resistance drops
Discuss the effect of invasive lines such as IV catheters and pacer wires on
the skin’s electrical resistance.
h. When the patient has a catheter inside his vein, that catheter
becomes the conductor. It bypasses the skin’s resistance. Also the
vein or the artery is a salt-water channel that takes the current
directly to the heart.
i. The level of current that reaches the heart
j. The fluid inside the IV is usually saline which is salt water [a great
conductor]
k. A pacemaker is an electrical device that carries a controlled current
to the heart at the right moment, but this wire can also conduct
RSPT 1438 unit 1
6/25/17 3:40 PM
1
uncontrolled current at the wrong time if the wire is touching
another electrical device.
Define the following terms:
l. Complete electrical circuit: electrical circuit must be a complete
circle for current to flow. To complete the circuit you must have a
ground. There must be an inflow and an outflow for the electricity to
flow.
m. Ground: a low resistance pathway for the current to go back to the
earth [zero current]
n. Current leakage: inadequate insulation such as stripped wires can
result in current leakage. Every time there is an extension cord
where lines are attached there is a potential for current leakage.
This leakage should flow down to the ground but if the patient is
attached, he becomes the ground so that the current moves though
him.
o. Ampere: units of current
p. “Macroshock”: a high current applied to the skin such as happens
when one touches a bare wire
q. “Microshock”: in a situation created by low voltage current moving
into the body via low resistance conductors, a relatively low current
can be fatal. You could touch the person’s IV line and an electrical
device, conduct electricity into them and not feel the current. The
patient could die from the current.
List and discuss 4 methods one could use to prevent shock hazards.
r. Don’t ground the patient
 Don’t use damaged electrical equipment
 Don’t touch the patient at the same time you are touching an
electrical device
 IV lines or catheters should not touch electrical wires
s. Ground electrical equipment near the patient
 Use 3 pronged electrical plugs
 All electric devices in the hospital will be tested and labeled on a
regular bases
 Never let anyone bring electrical devices into the hospital without
calling BIOMED department for a check of the equipment for voltage
leak.
 Most equipment in the hospital is designed to electrically isolate the
patient from the ground
 Remember that voltage leakage can happen without manifested
equipment failure
 Avoid contact with transcutaneous conductors. Don’t touch exposed
pacer wires while touching IV
 Connect all electrical equipment to a common ground. Most
equipment is connect to the same panel
Fire safety
RSPT 1438 unit 1
6/25/17 3:40 PM
2
1.
2.
3.
List the three conditions a fire needs:
a. Flammable material : cotton sheets, chemicals
b. Oxygen to support the fire: room air is 21% Fi02
c. Heat ignition point of each substance is different
If 02 is not flammable, why do we concern ourselves with 02 and
fire?
a. 02 supports a fire, it accelerates the rate of combustion
b. it increases the speed of burning happens when there is an
increase in the concentration or the pressure of 02.
List examples of flammable substances that should be removed
from the vicinity of 02.
a. Excessive material such as cotton wool or paper.
b. Petroleum jelly should never be used on the face with 02 in use
[actually it should never be used near the airway because of lippneumonia]
c. Faulty electrical systems, smoking, candles, keeping all plugged
equipment out of 02 enclosures
d. Remember even when 02 is turned off, the molecules will soak
into the sheets
e. Static electricity can be minimized by keep the relative humidity of
the room at 60%
RSPT 1438 unit 1
6/25/17 3:40 PM
3