In July, I read a news article that said the U.S. Food and Administration (FDA) issued a Class 1 recall on the infusion pump manufactured by the Baxter Healthcare Corporation, a medical supply company that headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois. Apparently, their infusion pump–known was the Colleague Triple Channel Infusion Pump–had a technical error related to its inability to continue providing necessary fluids to the patient. Although they only occurred in specific situations,  it has caused 16 known injuries and 3 reported deaths.

All the affected medical supplies displayed an error code, sounded an alarm and then ceased all three channels of the infusion. Obviously, when something like this happens, it can be life-threatening or at least lead to serious injury. Apparently, after Baxter Healthcare Corp. made the worldwide recall of all of its models of the infusion pump, they learned that the problem was due to the matter of falsification of  service and repair documentation. When they would send a damaged or malfunctioning infusion pump medical supply to be fixed, they were returned without service being performed on them at all. This deception of course can cause over infusion, under infusion or just a complete termination of infusion.

If you have this faulty medical supply from Baxter, stop using it immediately. Have a professional in medical equipment repair replace the defective pieces.  You can also contact a lawyer because you may be entitled to compensation.

After I graduated from university with a degree in Biology, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. There always seems to be an invisible track leading you to your potential destination that can only light up if you realize that it’s there. But what if you aren’t sure between two tracks? For me, I’ve loved Biology for almost all of my life but what I also really love is business with its high paced lifestyle. I’m not one to wear a lab coat and sit behind a microscope. I want to be out there be among and talking with the people. This is about when I learned about the Medical Sales field.

I knew that medication needed to be sold somehow but I didn’t know that the sale of pharmaceuticals was such a booming business. This job seemed to be perfect for me since it blended the technical knowledge of Biology with the allure of being able to sell products. Luckily, I am good at both of these things so it didn’t take much for me to become attracted to this position in Medical Sales. Breaking into the business was the difficult part.

Because competition is pretty fierce since this career is a relatively recession-proof one, I had trouble getting my foot through the door at first. I tried to interview at every pharmaceutical company and marketed my skills online with various job postings. No one called me back. It was rather disappointing but I didn’t give up. Eventually, I tried it on my own as an independent contractor. I was essentially my own boss for a few years. After some time, people heard about me and began to recognize my name.  Somewhere along the line, a Medical Sales professional offered me a job and I was able to find a permanent salaried gig selling home medical equipment. I’ve been here for a good five years now and it’s the best job I’ve ever had. If you ever find yourself in the same situation as me, just be persistent. It’ll pay off in the end.

I work at a non-profit that donates medical supplies and equipment to needy children around the world. Typically from third-world (and sometimes war-torn) countries, the health of these young people are being neglected because they don’t have the proper resources and medical care that they really deserve. The initial reason I started here was because I saw on the news a segment on the children who are affected by the war between Israel and Palestine along the Gaza Strip. There they were, innocent but so very despondent. Many of them were hurt or ailing but because they were stuck in this dangerous war zone, they couldn’t get the attention that was necessary. I knew that it was imperative that I try to help and get medical supplies over there.

With my group, we were able to collect almost 100,000 pounds of medical supplies to fly over to hospitals in countries like Ghana and Jerusalem. In any given package, there can be anything from syringes and hygienic products to hi-tech equipment like cardiac surgery equipment and medical imaging equipment. These kinds of medical supply donations are remarkable gifts for these people who can barely afford to pay the transportation fare to get to the hospital in the first place.

Although they are donated, the medical supplies that we ship are by no means sub-par in quality. The goal of our organization is to help these unfortunate people by sending them only our best and most valuable equipment. Sending junk to a country that already has junk is counterintuitive. I just am really excited to see the fruits of what our organization has done and the reaction on the children’s faces when they know that they have the possibility to be healthy again.

I have been a medical equipment repairer for over 10 years now. I suppose the technical term for us is "biomedical equipment technicians" but the job description is exactly the same: we fix and refurbish medical equipment. After graduating from college, I knew that I wanted to get into this field. I was always fascinated by the mechanical nature of machines and I didn’t really want to be an engineer so I found a happy medium with this job. I took the proper courses, got an AA degree and then went through some training courses that officially certified me for medical equipment repair.

Don’t be fooled by the way we look; repairing medical equipment requires a high level of skill and attention to detail. We have our own arsenal of tools that are typically smaller than your pinky finger. These precision instruments help us get around those tiniest gears that are manufactured within the milimeter of design specifications. The rest of the time, we are fiddling with the sophisticated electronic controls that are revealed only after opening the medical equipment.

We are trained to work on all of the medical machines out there. For instance, if you ask any medical equipment repairer, he or she will probably tell you that they know all about defibrillators, EKG machines, medical imaging equipment and electric wheelchairs. An important factor to consider is the environment in which we are working in. Alot of us are independent contractors who are employed for specific tasks and when a hospital calls on us, we will have to go directly to the room in which the medical equipment is. Ofteintimes, it is still being used when we are fixing it. This is why it is important that we have to take great care in not disturbing the patients.

Luckily for anyone looking to go into the medical equipment repair field, the job market for this career is projected to increase 22 percent between 2006 and 2016. This increase is much faster than the average fo all of the occupations because medical services are rather inelastic when concerned with the economy. Directly connected to the sale of medical equipment, medical equipment repair is invaluable to healthcare. Where there are people who need to be healthy, there will be medical equipment repairers.

Ever since my mother had her knee surgery a few years ago, she was never truly able to get back into her usual shape. Unfortunately, because of the considerable amount of weight she has gained, it’s become an embarassing issue that she hates to talk about. She is trying to overcome this as to her, it is only an obstacle to beaten. However, in doing so, she has to take several measures and use all the resources she has.

Besides a strict diet, she also needs sophisticated bariatric medical equipment to help her stay mobile and make getting in and around certain rooms more easily. One thing that I knew she absolutely requires is a bariatric extra wide walker. For general use, it encourages her to get up and walk around. The aluminum model that I bought can support up to 700 pounds and has dual-release buttons and plastic glide tips that attach to the rear tips to provide for smooth movement. Another important area for bariatric medical equipment is the bathroom. It is in here that most elderly with fragile bodies have the tendency to slip and fall. I bought my mother the bariatric bath bench and we found that it is ideal for facilitating getting in and out of the bath tub. It provides a deep contoured seat, backrest, arm rail support and adjustable legs. She situates it right next to the bathtub so that she can easily just slip into the bath without having to get up. If you have a large shower, you can also fit this 28 inch high chair within so that you can take a shower while sitting down.

My mother takes alot of pride in being independent and having the right home medical equipment helps her greatly realize this independence.

If you have an extra supply of EKG machines that needs to be sold, there may be a couple of pointers you should know ahead of time. Before you go  and put your used EKG machines up for sale, make sure that it is still in good condition. If it needs batteries, then buy new batteries. Clean it if it needs to be cleaned. It is of great importance that you don’t cheat and instead, provide your buyers with good quality equipment so that you can have return business and gain a positive repuatation.

There are a wide variety of ways to actually sell your pre-owned unit. EKG machines are always in demand so you can bet on used EKG machines to be desirable too. The only issue is where to go to get the best price. Since online vendors are growing in numbers, you will see that your used EKG machine can be sold to online used medical equipment dealers who specialize in these kind of machines. They have a great inventory of all used and refurbished medical equipment and they can always take on more. You simply have to contact them through their web site or by phone and arrange an exchange. Sometimes, they may not pay according to your standards because they already have to sell the items for a lower price and will in turn pay you even lower. If you mind, you can put up your used EKG machine for sale by auction. Whether you use an official liquidiation web site or you post it yourself on eBay, auctions encourage competition and a higher selling price. Because it is up to the bidder to determine how much they want to pay, it can also end up in their favor but as long as you establish a minimum price, these kinds of sales may be a more profitable option.

For whatever reason, if you end up not being able to sell your used EKG machine, you may just want to donate it to a needy hospital or clinic.  These institutions are always on the market for good quality used hospital medical equipment. Although you will not get any monetary rewards, you will certainly feel the positive effects of being able to give to a deserving cause.

Yesterday, I was able to catch a glimpse of what my life would be like in five years time. When that mark approaches, I will be taking my daughter to her first day of
kindergarten. She will be in a white dress with red shoes and she will have red ribbons in her wavy hair. As I brush a stray strand to the side, I will kiss her on the forehead and assure her that it’s not as bad as she thinks it will be. I feel her tight grasp on my arm release a little bit and her lower lip protrudes slightly less stubbornly. Before she enters the classroom, she turns around and runs back to hug me. She will have mustered up the courage to greet her teacher but wants me to know that she didn’t forget me.

The details of this future was not written so clearly but after I saw my daughter in the ultrasound images, I knew it would feel like that. The ultrasound is a form of medical imaging equipment that does many things for medical science but perhaps the reason it’s most often used is for sonographies where the fetus inside of your growing womb is able to be fully visualized. Especially now with all the sophisticated technological advances made towards creating 3D ultrasounds, you can see all of the tiniest lines and traits of your baby. The moment I saw my daughter’s small hands and feet, I was overjoyed and cried so hard, my ultrasound technician thought I was in pain.

I cannot even begin to describe my appreciation for the technology that brings us such great medical products, like the medical imaging equipment that lets me see my daughter before she is even here in the world. Although it may not predict any kind of destiny or what it entails, it does give you a good idea of what it may look like.

My 75-year old father is suffering from accute pneumonia and has had bad respiratory problems since June of this year. He was in the hospital for about a week and that was enough for him. You see–my dad is very connected to us, his family, and every additional moment he spent in the health institution, was a moment he could not rest. I decided that the best arrangement, then, would be to bring him home with us and purchase home medical equipment to care for him ourselves. After the doctors allowed me to do so, I took my dad back to his beloved house where we began the journey of home medical care.

At first, it was a bit tough because both my husband and I work but eventually, I just took an extended leave of absence so that I could care for my ailing father. I figured that the more valuable hours I spent with him, the happier he would be–the happier we would both be. The first step I took was to find the right home medical equipment supplier and work with them to find what we needed. Being around the doctors and nurses in the hospital, I was able to gain an understanding of the machines used in treating his pneumonia. I then went online to purchase the right home medical equipment he needed and with the help of some respiratory care practitioner, I was able to get them up and running.

One particular medical tool that is indispensable for pneumonia patients is a breathing tank. Buying my dad this important home medical equipment allowed him to be mobile while being able to breath more easily. When he has to resign to the bed, there is also a respiratory ventilator that works with both high and low pressure oxygen sources. It’s only the size of a laptop and weighs about 12 pounds. Finally, I also bought a humidifier for my dad to set set the optimal temperature and humidity levels according to how much he needs it.

Once you have all of the components of your home medical equipment, it’s crucial to be able to keep them clean and control infection. Before and after I use the machines, I will always wash my hands with an anti-bacterial soap. I will also wash the bottle in the humidifier and respiratory ventilator quite regularly. I want to keep the home medical equipment and the home as sanitized as it is ideally kept in the hospital. 

As a nurse at a small children’s hospital dedicated to treating spinal cord injury, it breaks my heart to see a child without the resources they need to be healthy and happy. Of all the illnesses affecting children today, spinal cord injury is one of the most debilitating but because spinal injuries in the pediatric population is relatively rare, there isn’t enough research done to learn more about it and even less technological strides towards facilitating mobility.

What I believe we desperately need is long-lasting, durable medical equipment so that these children can function easily in their environment among their able-bodied peers. I want them–we all want them–to be able to participate in the activities that they’ve always wanted to without feeling different. I feel that this can only be done with the help of the right medical equipment. While I understand that for many of the children, they will never be fully cured, I think having durable medical equipment lessens the impact of their disabilities to a rather significant extent. When engineered with comfort and dependability in mind, wheelchairs, strollers and crutches can help a child independently move around. Especially with the technology for some newer models of wheelchairs, switches and joysticks make it easy for younger children to learn.

Having durable medical equipment is only half of the battle. The best way to teach a toddler to drive a power wheelchair is to practice with him/her and there are many toys out there that even do the job of preparing them for the complexities of the equipment. The general principles of seating and mobility can all be learned and you’d be surprised at how fast these children are able to take them up! Ultimately, I believe in their abilities in the face of their disabilities and having the durable medical products is what helps them believe that too.

Ok, so you’ve made it to the medical school of your dreams. All those years spent preparing by studying and memorizing only to study and memorize some more. Ah, such is the life of a perpetual student. Still, medical school is ultimately incredibly rewarding once you graduate and enter the real world of doctors and patients. No more teddy bears and plastic stethoscopes for you. Now you’re ready for the major leagues, and using real medical school equipment. The only issue is paying for it all.

It’s no mystery that medical school will cost you an arm, a leg and possibly your first born child.  Over the course of their medical school career, most students will need help in paying for medical school. The costs, which include tuition, various campus fees, books, equipment, transportation and general living expenses can amount to $42,200 a year for in-state students and $59,964 a year for in-state students at private schools. The steep price tag can’t be deterred but you can do something about it.

Although you can’t just tell the school that you refuse to pay, you can give the them a mental middle finger and/or you can put it off for a little bit. This can be done with financial aid and loans. Although these options vary from school to school, it is always nice to have that extra cushion so that you can bear the burden later on instead of now when you are busy worrying about doing well on your exams and performing correct procedures with the EKG machines.  As long as you spend wisely, you can keep abreath of any arising debts.

Of course, another option is to apply for grants and scholarships. Grants are essentially "free money" that doesn’t need to be re-paid and is provided on a needs-basis. Scholarships are typically awarded on various critera including need and merit. In 2005, more than $2 billion of aid was available for medical students in the form of grants and scholarships. If you think that you have no chance of receiving these kinds of financial aid, you’d be surprised. Think of them as life-saving floats that help you get through the storm. You may know how to swim but sometimes, you just need some help in harsh waters, such as navigating finances while learning difficult procedures and new medical equipment.