Isolation transformers are commonly used to transfer electrical power. The device has a 1:1 ratio of primary and secondary windings that are used to transfer AC electrical power from a source to a piece of electrical equipment.
Isolation transformers isolate the equipment’s electrical power from the source’s electrical power, which allows the electrical equipment to be used safely and effectively without the risk of electric shock. This is why marine isolation transformers are used to reduce the risk of shock during boating. However, isolation transformers are also used in medical devices and equipment.
What do medical grade isolation transformers do?
As of 2017, there are 6,210 hospitals throughout the U.S. that rely on the medical grade isolation transformers in their medical equipment. Medical grade isolation transformers are connected to medical electrical equipment and nonmedical electrical equipment to provide safety both to patients and to the person operating the equipment. The equipment being used is typically an instrument necessary for diagnosing, analyzing, or monitoring the patient’s condition.
Medical electrical equipment needs these transformers in the event of a large current leak such as a power surge. This surge could not only damage the equipment but could be potentially fatal to the patient and the medical personnel operating the equipment. Isolation transformers ensure medical equipment always has a safe power supply.
What are the benefits of these devices?
The number one advantage of an isolation transformer is that it helps to protect medical personnel from electric shock, which can be fatal with proper safety precautions. However, these transformers are useful not only because they protect medical personnel from electrical shock but also because they reduce harmonic distortion and reduce the electrical noise in the instruments being used.
Isolation transformers are necessary for sensitive medical instruments that are used for measuring and monitoring a patient’s condition. Looking for medical grade isolation transformers for your medical devices? Contact Bridgeport Magnetics today for more information about our products.