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Chapter 7. Patient Safety
Grounding the electrocardiograph
To protect the patient and hospital personnel, the electrocardiograph system must be grounded.
The device is equipped with a detachable 3-wire cable which grounds the instrument to the
power line ground (protective earth) when plugged into an appropriate 3-wire receptacle.If a 3-
wire receptacle is not available, consult the hospital electricians. If there is any doubt regarding
the integrity of the protective grounding wire, the equipment should run on the battery.
Equipotential Grounding
Protection class I instruments are already included in the protective grounding (protective earth)
system of the room by way of grounding contacts in the power plug. For internal examinations
on the heart or the brain, the electrocardiograph must have a separate connection to the
equipotential grounding system. One end of the equipotential grounding cable (potential
equalization conductor) is connected to the equipotential grounding terminal on the rear panel of
the device and the other end to one point of the equipotential grounding system. The
equipotential grounding system is for the safety function of the protective grounding conductor if
ever there is a break in the protective grounding system. Examinations in or on the heart (or
brain) should only be carried out in medically used rooms incorporating an equipotential
grounding system. Check each time before use that the instrument is in perfect working order.
Possible explosion hazard if the device is used in the presence of
flammable anesthetic agents.
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