Calendar of Events

August 14 CBET Exams in Philadelphia area. (Also will be given November 20) August 20 PAMIA Newsletter Deadline August 21 PAMIA Picnic

Message from the President

Our tenth newsletter is busting at the seems with articles and announcements. It gives an informative view of the state of PAMIA as we enter our summer hiatus for monthly meetings. Don't overlook the BMET Review Course and our Annual Picnic, both of which are announced elsewhere in this newsletter. The PAMIA Executive Board wishes you and your families a safe and enjoyable summer!!!

Lou Schonder PAMIA President

PAMIA Meeting Summaries

May

Marge de Marteleire, of ECRI, presented a very informative talk that went over the issues related to user reporting and medical device tracking requirements of the Safe Medical Devices Amendments. Marge discussed what type of devices and information needs to be tracked, and who needs to receive the information. She stressed the need to have a single person coordinate the reports and gathering of information. There is also a need for hospitals to develop procedures for dealing with a manufacturer or FDA visit. The list of trackable devices will be updated periodically by the FDA. Marge also noted that the FDA is already conducting audits of hospital compliance with SMDA's user reporting requirements in Massachusettes, Texas, and Colorado. Is your hospital keeping up on the requirements of SMDA? If you missed the meeting, but would like more information, please feel free to contact Marge at 215-825-6000.

June

The June meeting at HP began with a discussion of the BMET review course (which has been cancelled), CCP's Light and Optics Course, and some announcements of service schools. The technical presentation was provided by Marc Filerman, a Design Engineer for Hewlett Packard. Marc discussed the history, principles of operation, and clinical use of transesophogeal echocardiography (TEE). He went over the basics of how different ultrasound transducers operate, how phased array transducer elements are sequenced to achieve different image characteristics, and discussed the importance of impedance matching. The desired resolution of HP's TEE machine is 1mm or better. Marc showed slides of early to present TEE probe designs, and he also showed a video tape of a TEE probe inside a patient that was filmed with a video endoscope. He also reminded us to always practice "safe TEE" (If you weren't there, you missed it!)

The Exit Poll

What did you think of the last two meetings? Send your comments to Alan Barbell at ECRI, 5200 Butler Pike, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462. Fax me at (215) 834-1275, or send me E-mail on ECRINet.

The PAMIA Lounge

Don't forget about PAMIA's very own computer bulletin board, set aside on ECRINet, ECRI's bulletin board. The PAMIA section can be found by selecting Conferences <C>, and then section <6> for the PAMIA Lounge. Access to the board is simple. First, get a PC, a modem, and appropriate terminal software. Set your software for N-8-1 (no parity, 8 bit word length, and 1 stop bit). ECRINet can handle any baud rate up to 14.4K baud. To logon, dial (215) 825-9284 with your modem. If you haven't logged on before, the system will prompt you through the logon process, and you will be asked to select a password. That's all there is to it. You can then have direct contact with other biomeds and clinical engineers across the US and Canada. If you haven't logged on yet, do it! It's fun and informative!

BMET Evaluation and Review CANCELLED!

The Department of Biomedical Instrumentation at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia PA, was planning a 2 day BMET Review Course on July 29 30, 1993. Due to lack of responses, the course has been cancelled. An attempt to hold the course will be made in the fall to prepare BMET's for the November 14th exam. If you are interested, please call Bunny Gavaghan at (215) 955 2988 as soon as possible!

PAMIA PHEEDBACK!!!

Last Issue's Topic: Board level vs. component level repair. Which way do you lean, and why? Topic submitted by Lou Schonder, CITECH Replies: Whenever possible, Abington BioMed will go for the component level repair. It is our belief that to truly respond to a clinical problem with medical support equipment, you are required to fully understand the operation of that equipment; as such, it is a small leap to proceed from comprehension to component repair, given the technical skills acquired both in school and gained with experience. Of course, there are those manufacturers who do not release component information or comprehensive schematics; in such cases, and when cost of troubleshooting to component level will exceed the cost of a board swap, we go for the exchange! In addition, there are companies who make it fiscally feasible to simply perform board swaps such as Marquette, who offers a very cost effective board exchange program at just a few dollars per machine per month. Simply stated then, the answer is it depends. Hank Hamarman, Director Abington Memorial Hospital PAMIA Pheedback, due to lack of response, will no longer be published in the PAMIA Newsletter. Instead, it will become a feature of the "PAMIA Lounge" on ECRINet, starting soon!

PAMIA Promotion Committee

Voting will be taken at the September meeting to possibly create a committee devoted to promoting PAMIA in the Philadelphia area. The intent is to target institutions, manufacturers and relevant educational facilities who are presently not PAMIA members, then focus on evaluating why a substantial portion of our membership is not presently participating. Alan Stankus of JFK Memorial Hospital, who has served previously on the PAMIA Executive Board, will chair the committee (if it is voted active by the membership). Robert Warner and Kevin Carpenter, both of GHS Technology Management, have volunteered to serve on the committee. The committee would report to the PAMIA Executive Committee. Do you have any ideas and/or feedback on this potential committee? If so, we'd like to hear from you!

SBET Chapter Membership?

PAMIA has the opportunity to become a local chapter of SBET, the Society of Biomedical Equipment Technicians. PAMIA members can realize the benefits of SBET Membership for $35 per person per year, as opposed to the $55 dues for non chapter membership. PAMIA's cost would be $100 per year.

SBET Membership includes: free subscriptions to Biomedical Instrumentation and Technology, AAMI's bimonthly journal and AAMI's monthly newsletter, AAMI News; free AAMI/SBET directory; free employment service; discounts on AAMI products and services; and more! A vote will be taken at the September PAMIA Meeting to determine whether PAMIA will become an SBET local chapter starting in 1994.

PAMIA PICNIC!!!

The 1991 PAMIA Picnic was in 100 Degree heat, yet we all had a GREAT time! Let's do it again! Here's your chance to get your family out to meet co-workers and fellow PAMIA members. Be SURE to bring your kids, sprinklers, a wading pool and water balloon fights are some of the activities. If you'd like to play softball, please let us know when you RSVP. Covered dishes will be appreciated, and eaten. Refreshments will be available. Mark your calendar, and RSVP TODAY! Last year's picnic was cancelled due to lack of RSVP's! Call Alan Barbell or Lou Schonder at (215) 825-6000.

Jobs Open Looking for People

Looking for CBET's with prior hospital experience for new biomedical department. Saint Joseph's Hospital, Parkersburg, West Virginia. Contact John Kimple, Director, Clinical Engineering, (304) 424 4111.

People Open Looking for Jobs

Looking for an Engineering/Technician position in the Biomedical field. Have over 20 years experience as a Biomedical Engineer. Call Vladimir Luchansky, (609) 667 0478. Recent graduate of Biomedical Electronics Technology program at CCP. Served internship at Cooper Medical Center. Nominated for Dean's List, Phi Theta Kappa. Call Hong Ho, (215) 329 4459. Recent graduate of Pennco Tech. Presently serving internship at Lower Bucks Hospital Biomed Dept. Call John Howard, (215) 788 5098.

ELEC 301 Light and Optics in Biomedical Devices at Community College of Philadelphia

Focusing on the properties of light and how these properties are utilized in applications, ELEC 301 advances the experienced biomed tech beyond traditional electromagnetic principles. Lasers, fiber optics, spectrophotometers and pulse oximeters are some devices which will be covered. Emphasis is on practical and useful information; operating principles, common failures, troubleshooting and commonly utilized test equipment. This course is for individuals in the field or who have attained an Associate Degree in Biomedical Engineering Technology. Course begins September 9, 1993, and will be held Thursdays, 5:30 8:30 For further information, contact Randy Libros at CCP, (215) 751 8318.

Coming Soon! (Maybe.)

Accucore
Tour of North American Drager
EIL Instruments
Health Care Reform Roundtable

PAMIA Continuing Education Awards

To recognize those in the field who are working to further their education, and motivate others to do the same, PAMIA will be giving $100 awards to five members who meet the following criteria: #1 PAMIA Members only. This includes all those who are part of a PAMIA affiliated institution. #2 Must be enrolled during 1993. Courses eliglble are at the discretion of the PAMIA Executive Board. To enter this awards pool, mail a copy of a tuition receipt or transcript from 1993, along with your name & institution to: Lou Schonder, PAMIA President, CITECH, 5200 Butler Pike, Plymouth Meeting PA 19462 or FAX to: PAMIA Lou Schonder, CITECH (215) 834 1275 Five entries will be drawn, from all of the entries received, at the 1993 PAMIA Annual Dinner. Checks will be written on the spot for the five lucky winners, amidst cheering fellow PAMIA members. All entrants will be recognized in the PAMIA Newsletter. Entries must be received by Friday, October 29, 1993.

OOPS!!!

The last newsletter's (May/June 1993, #9) blue mailing cover contained a copy of the 1993 PAMIA Invoice/Application. The purpose of enclosing it was to give members a blank copy in case of membership inquiries. However, there was no explaination in the newsletter to this effect. So, some members started mailing payments to PAMIA, even though they had paid already for 1993! Our Treasurer, Shrikant Chaudhary, will help those who have sent the duplicate 1993 dues. We are very sorry for the inconvenience!

ZIP+4

Look at your mailing label. Do you see a five or nine digit zipcode? This, is conjunction with your street address, creates a full eleven digit "mailbag barcode", which can be seen at the top of your label. A full code helps the US Postal Service speed your PAMIA mailings to you! If you only see the old five digit code, help us help you! Contact Lou Schonder or Alan Barbell (by US mail, ECRINet E Mail or phone) to inform us of your Zip+4 code so it can be implemented!

Satisfaction Guaranteed!

We couldn't get this newsletter out in time to announce the BMET Review Course at TJUH this month (see announcement elsewhere in this issue explaining the cancellation of the course), so a mass FAX was made on July 2, 1993 to do so. The transmissions were made between 9:50 AM and 3:15 PM. Of 44 machines called, 33 transmissions were successful. Three had several busy signals, and did not respond. One was busy, and later did not answer. Seven did not answer at all. This is a 75% transmission rate!!! It appears that mass FAXing, as a BACKUP means of communication to the PAMIA Membership, can be very helpful. Did YOU receive a FAX from PAMIA on Friday, June 2nd? If not, contact Kevin Carpenter, PAMIA Member At Large, at (215) 893 2658.

CESP Newsletter

It's making a comeback! The Newsletter of the Clinical Engineering Society of Pennsylvania is once again rolling off the presses! Articles of interest, announcements, etc., may be submitted by August 14, 1993, in any of the following formats: Enclosed E Mail ASCII file to Scott Segalewitz on ECRINet, ASCII or any common word processing file on 3.5" disk in either MacIntosh or DOS format (mailed to address below), FAXed document (412) 339 5434 Scott Segalewitz, Program Chairman Biomedical Equipment Technology Penn State New Kensington Campus 3550 Seventh Street Road New Kensington PA 15068 (412) 339 5097

1994 PAMIA Executive Board

Nominations will be taken at the September PAMIA Meeting for candidates to run for the various positions in the PAMIA Executive Board elections for 1994. Have you served before, and would like to again? Have you not served yet, and maybe considering it? The board welcomes your questions! Not only is service on the board rewarding, it also looks good on your resume! Contact a board member soon if you are considering pursuing a board seat.

How to Submit Articles to the PAMIA Newsletter

Submissions of whole articles or just ideas can be sent to Alan Barbell or Lou Schonder at 5200 Butler Pike, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462. Fax: 215-834-1275. Or, you can send E-mail on ECRINet. Do you have any original ideas for the newsletter? Don't be bashful! Call!

PAMIA 1993 Executive Board

President .............................................. Lou Schonder CITECH (215) 825 6700

Vice President ......................................... Randy Libros Community College of Philadelphia (215) 751 8318

Secretary .............................................. Alan Barbell ECRI (215) 825 6000

Treasurer ........................................... Shree Chaudhary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (215) 662 2330

Member at Large ..................................... Kevin Carpenter GHS Technology Management, Inc. (215) 893 2658

Member at Large ......................................... Jim Marsala Jefferson Biomedical Shared Services (215) 335 6094

Member at Large ....................................... Gail Robinson Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (215) 662 2330

Past President ....................................... Henry Hamarman Abington Memorial Hospital (215) 576 7555

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