Ceiling pendant: choosing one for the operating room and ICU
A ceiling pendant carries above the patient what would otherwise clutter the floor: medical gas outlets, power sockets, shelves and devices. It frees access to the patient, shortens cables and hoses, and makes the room easier to clean. But it is fixed to the ceiling and connected to the medical gas supply: it is chosen together with the room, on the floor plan, not from a catalogue. Here are the criteria that matter, illustrated by the Mindray HyPort range.
Mechanical, motorised or vertical-lift arm
The first choice concerns how the equipment is moved. A mechanical arm is positioned by hand: on the HyPort 3000, the operator rotates the arm horizontally through 340°. A motorised arm also adjusts the height: the HyPort 6000 sets the distribution unit between 500 and 700 mm, which makes it possible to raise an anaesthesia machine or a minimally invasive surgery cart, for a maximum load of 220 kg. The HyPort 9000 combines mechanical arms with a motorised vertical suspension that raises the equipment by up to 400 mm, with a support load capacity of 300 kg.
The right choice depends on what the arm will carry and how often it will need repositioning. A heavy device moved at every procedure justifies motorised adjustment; a shelf that rarely moves can stay on a mechanical arm.
Reach: the arm length is decided on the room plan
Reach determines how far the arm brings the equipment around the table. On the HyPort range, arms come in 500, 750, 1 000 and 1 250 mm, in single or double configuration, for a reach between 500 and 2 500 mm. The ceiling fixing point, the position of the table, of the surgeon and of the anaesthetist set the useful length: it is a matter of planning, not preference.
Load capacity: it decreases as the arm gets longer
The longer the arm, the less it carries. The HyPort brochure says so clearly: load capacity varies with the length and version of the arm, light, medium or heavy. Add up the weight of the devices, shelves and accessories to be mounted, then check that the chosen configuration carries them with a margin. The brochure also states a suspension safety factor equal to 4 times the indicated load.
Distribution head or column
Outlets and shelves are mounted on a distribution head or column. The head version brings gas and power outlets closer to the equipment while saving space; the column version comes in several distribution lengths. Count the medical gas outlets and power sockets each station needs, then choose the distribution unit that accommodates them.
Anaesthesia arm and surgical arm
An operating room often has two. The anaesthesia arm carries the ventilator, the monitor and the anaesthetist's gases at the patient's head. The surgical arm carries the surgical team's devices, for example the minimally invasive surgery tower. They do not take the same equipment or the same gases: define them separately, with each group of users.
In intensive care: arm or ceiling rail
At an ICU bedside, the ceiling rail is an alternative to the arm. The HyPort 8000 is a ceiling rail for medical distribution: its length reaches 3 500 mm at most, and it carries two carriages, one for the dry zone and one for the wet zone. The dry zone supports 130 kg, the wet zone 60 kg and the shelf 80 kg. The rail leaves free access all around the patient, which makes care easier.
Control and braking
Check how staff will move and lock the arm. HyPort arms rotate through 340° with a stop system at each joint, mechanical or optionally electropneumatic, to prevent drift. Depending on the configuration, the suspension is operated by a wired manual control, a button on the distribution panel or a button on the handle.
Preparing the project
A ceiling pendant is installed with the room, not in a room in service: it requires a ceiling load study, drilling and connection to the medical gas supply. Before consulting suppliers, gather the room plan with the table position, the list of devices to be carried with their weight, and the number of outlets per station. Coordination with the company in charge of medical gases should be planned from the start.
The whole ceiling pendant range is presented on the site, with the datasheet of each model. For a costed study, send the plan and the list of your equipment through the quote request.