Delivering medical gases to patients.

QI Medical Gas Services.

Linde: Living healthcare

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What is QI?

QI, pronounced “key” describes a portfolio of services from Linde Healthcare; designed to ensure safe and reliable delivery of medical gases to patients in hospitals.

This requires many high quality operations to be carried out simultane-ously. As illustrated, these range from managing a piped distribution system to producing medical air to analysis to training.

All of these must be correctly performed at all times if patient safety is to be assured.

This fact is recognised in numerous International and National Stan-dards for Medical Gas Pipeline Systems (MGPS) that have been produ-ced. These include ISO7396 and some National Standards like NFPA 99 from the USA and HTM02 from the UK that have been used in several countries

1. The physical provision of equipment

Designing, building, sup-plying and installing the plant and hardware to supply and distribute the medical gases to all points of use.

→ Bulk supply plant → QI Engineering → QI Design → QI Medair/QI Medvac → QI Device services

2. Maintaining operational standards

Providing management services to ensure the Medical Gas operations are in compliance with required standards.

→ QI Risk → QI Infrastructure → QI Training → QI Maintenance → QI Pointanalysis

3. Monitoring and Control

Services to ensure the status of the operation is monitored and correct operation maintained.

→ QI Tracking → QI Monitoring → QI Securesupply → QI Environmental

4. Facilities Management

On site management of Medical Gas supply to patients and on site support and management of Cryostorage services.

→ QI Cryostorage → QI Operations → QI Facilities

QI Medical Gas Services can ensure you meet all the above goals and comply with the Standards. With our guiding principles of Quality and Security, and a global infrastructure of supply and professional sup-port, using QI Medical Gas Services means “the right gas at the right quality is always available when and where it is needed:

“QI” Medical Gas Services means the four basic tenets, as detailed in the International and National Standards, are achieved:

Security

1. AdequacyThat there is always an adequate supply of the medical gas wherever needed. This means demand has been accurately assessed, the pipe-line system correctly designed and supplies maintained to ensure there is always reserve stock.

2. ContinuityThat the medical gas is always available when needed. This means dual supplies and components, emergency reserves, and an effective alarm system to give early warning and ensure actions are taken.

QI for Quality and Security.

Quality

3. IdentityThat the correct medical gas is delivered to each terminal unit. This means detailed design and installation with formal commissioning and testing after any work on the system.

4. ConformityThat each medical gas is always in compliance with the pharmaceutical Standard. This means accurate tracking of all supplies and regular ana-lysis of any gases generated on site, plus periodic checks at terminal units to ensure the quality of gas as delivered.

Achieving these four goals entails a wide range of activities, from con-trolling supply of quality gases, to maintaining pipework, to handling and moving cylinders, to monitoring, to analysis, to training of staff. These activities are typically spread across several departments of the hospital; pharmacy, portering, engineering, procurement, nursing. Managing this in an efficient and cost effective manner can be very challenging.

Linde Healthcare has many years and world wide experience in mana-ging all these activities. We are acknowledged experts in the field, indeed some of the Standards now in use find their origins in Linde Group company procedures.

The portfolio of QI Services.

With the range of Qi Medical Gas Services we offer everything you need to deliver medical gases to patients. We can provide individual or groups of services to support your existing operations for example

providing and monitoring quality gas supplies, carrying out a risk audit, training of staff, through to a full on site facility management service.

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Bulk supply plant

Linked with but not part of the QI SERVICES portfolio. A full range of sizes both single and dual systems is available, ask your local Linde contact for details.

QI Engineering

Provision of all aspects of the supply, installation, testing and commissioning of a Medical Gas Pipeline System. Services include:

→ On site management of the medical gas supply chain and contractors

→ Testing and commissioning of MGPS and associated plant → Installation records as defined in ISO 7396 for the “Operational

Management Document”

QI Design

Design of medical gas pipelines is a precise and skilled operation. Linde Healthcare are global experts and offer a wide range of services including:

→ Full design and drawings from an outline brief → Consultancy and advice on internal proposals and designs → Review and formal assessment of contractor submissions

QI Medair/ QI Medvac

Specification, design supply and installation of suitable medical air and vacuum plant. We have partnerships with world leading manufac-turers of these systems and can offer numerous packages to suit your

individual needs. For example: packaged/containerised systems to answer the common problem of limited space. We offer especially an on site supply service; for a fixed volume used related fee we provide certified quality gas 24/7 so you do not have to worry about managing capital plant.

QI Device Services

Ensure the devices/components in your MGPS are up to date and provi-ding the best service possible. We offer numerous packages from renting to a management service where for a fixed fee we ensure all devices are maintained to safely and securely deliver gases are required.

1. Physical provision of equipment.

A “Medical Gas Pipeline System“ is an integrated entity from supply plant (bulk, cylinders or compressors) to the terminal units at each patient. Linde Healthcare can design, supply and install all components of the system.

2. Maintaining Operational Standards.

In all the major Standards for MGPS it is “operational management” that is noted as the major area to address to ensure safety and security. No physical system is effective if it not properly operated and maintained, and if staff do not know the correct actions to follow. Linde Healthcare can advise and provide support in all these areas.

QI Risk

→ On site in depth inspection and assessment of the medical gas systems

→ Carried out by experienced audit engineers → Full report on compliance with all relevant national and global

standards → Detailed risk assessment of matters noted with classification by risk

into an action programme → Advice and guidance on establishing an effective “Operational

Policy”

QI Infrastructure

An essential requirement of MGPS Standards is the maintenance of accurate drawings. This service ensures you have accurate drawings of the current install and compliance requirements for “as fitted drawings” are met. Correct knowledge of the actual pipeline capacities and layouts is critical v/v changes and new gas uses.

QI Training

A trained workforce is essential to ensure both safety and code com-pliance. We offer a wide range of training programmes; Basics in safe handling and use of medical gases. Obligatory for nurses, doctors, porters and all who handle medical gases. These courses are also available a web based packages with management supervision so legal compliance can be assured. We also offer high level Certified Training Courses as required by Inter-national Standards for both Authorised Person (AP) and Competent Person (CP).

QI Maintenance

→ According to the MGPS Standards a defined programme must be followed to ensure the correct maintenance schedule is implemen-ted for every item of the complex set of equipment that comprises the MGPS

→ We have teams of highly skilled maintenance engineers available both for routine PPP and for emergency response

→ Management of maintenance records → Reduce risk exposure of component failure

QI Pointanalysis

Full Pharmacopea gas analysis services; On site sampling1. At point of use i.e. terminal units to ensure quality of gas delivered

to patients2. At on site manufacturing plant (Medical Air and PSA oxygen

enriched air) to ensure GMP compliance

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QI Tracking

An individual full cylinder tracking and traceability service. Full phar-maceutical in date checking and recall support if needed. Cylinders are individually labelled enabling them to be tracked from receipt, to user department to return. Web based interrogation enables current status and historical records to be seen at a moments notice.

QI Monitoring

Using the latest secure electronic transmissions 24/7 monitoring at a Linde Control Centre of on site manufacturing plant (Medair), bulk supply systems and pipeline alarms. Response procedures to any war-nings depending on contract; alerting designated Linde staff or by active text, paging, and emails to designated hospital response staff

QI Securesupply

Continuous remote monitoring of on site stock levels with ability to initiate re-order procedures and alert gas delivery schedules.

QI Environmental

Specialist technicians available to carry out on site measurements for gas levels to ensure work place environment compliance, for example nitrous oxide in operating theatres, acids and organics in laboratories.

3. Monitoring and Control.

Effective management requires good information! Taking full advantage of the latest technology Linde Healthcare can offer a full range of monitoring packages so that staff can check status of the systems at any time and be alerted in the case of any errors.

4. Facilities Management.

All the QI services combined in a full on site management service. Instead of managing medical gases across several departments with its inherent risks and higher costs put in place a single dedicated operation run by experts. Provides the most cost effective and efficient way to ensure this vital service is always available. In addition a range of services that provide equipment and facilities support for Cryostorage.

QI Cryostorage

A full suite of services from supply and internal distribution of liquid nitrogen, provision of vessels, design and install of SIVL lines, sample movement logisitics, monitoring, to full management of both on site and off site Cryobanks.

QI Operations

Linde Healthcare technicians stationed on site at the hospital to manage all aspects of operations. For example: stock keeping, internal transport and cylinder tracking, manifold management, bulk system management, monitoring, maintenance, emergency response, gas sampling, permits to work, training.

QI Facilities

A total medical gas supply service for a fixed budget outlay. From supply of gases to all on site services to deliver these at all times to the point of use and to maintain the system in accordance with Standards and Regulations.

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engAGA Gas AB

Linde Healthcare, 181 81 Lidingö Tel: 08 731 10 00, Fax: 08 762 52 87, www.linde-healthcare.se

Getting ahead through innovation.

Linde Healthcare is committed to working with healthcare providers and regulatory authorities to continuously promote safe use of medical products and improve patients care. We provide medical gas products, therapies, technical solutions and services to hospitals, clinics, nursing facilities, emergency management services and homecare providers around the world. With our long experience and understanding of healthcare realities, you can depend on solutions that are delivered and serviced to the highest possible standards of quality, safety and efficacy.

Linde: Living healthcare.

For more detailed information please refer to the brochures for each QI Service. Please contact your local Linde Healthcare office or visit ur QI Services global website www.linde-healthcare-qiservices.com

Contact us.