January 15, 2025
Each year the Biomedical Engineering team at London Health Sciences Centre certifies and fixes over 24,000 pieces of equipment including incubators in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, diagnostic imaging equipment, patient beds and key pieces of operating room equipment. These team members are partners in providing care throughout LHSC. This photo essay displays some of the work this team of 42 including technologists and technicians does daily at both University and Victoria Hospitals.
Tim Campbell
A lot of the work done by the Biomedical Engineering team happens in their workshops. At his workbench, Tim, a biomedical technologist, is working on a ventilator used in the Adult Critical Care and Trauma Centre at Victoria Hospital. His job today is to ensure the pressure for the ventilator is working appropriately and that the machine is safe for both patients and the providers who are connecting patients to the equipment.
Blair Bushell
Working at a bench beside Tim is Blair, a biomedical technologist as well. He is working on a Physiological Monitor that is used in the Emergency Department, Critical Care Trauma Centre and various inpatient departments. Blair is testing to verify the non-invasive pressures and rates are within the limits and calibrated. These checks are done on a regular basis. The machine also monitors the expired CO2 levels from nasal cannula that are used by patients.
Maciek Michalski
Unpacking a new piece of equipment is Maciek Michalski, a biomedical technologist. Most equipment used by patients goes through thorough testing by Biomedical Engineering team members prior to being used. This ensures the equipment received from the manufacturer is working properly and is connected to the appropriate systems if needed. It is also compared to the work order and recorded in the system so it can be tracked. In this digital age, Maciek also makes sure the online manual is linked to the equipment for reference by his colleagues. The insufflator being unpacked is used in laparoscopic surgery, a minimally invasive procedure.
David Galloway
David, a biomedical technologist tests a defibrillator that is used on the cardiac inpatient unit. The test does a 30 Joule pulse to the pad to ensure it is working properly when needed. Testing and ongoing maintenance of equipment is essential to ensuring any issues are identified and corrected before the equipment is needed by the care team in an emergency situation.
Sabah AmirCheleby
There are numerous pieces of equipment at LHSC that require the Biomedical Engineering team to go to the unit. With a background in Biomedical /IT, Sabah is a biomedical technologist who specializes in connecting equipment to the IT platforms that support patient care.
Integrating biomedical devices with IT infrastructure is a crucial step in modernizing healthcare. This integration, often referred to as Biomedical Device Integration (BMDI), involves connecting medical devices directly to electronic medical record (EMR) systems.
Today, Sabah is replacing the computer box for the monitor and calibrating it in the Cardiac Care Unit. The monitor is connected to a bank of screens at a central nursing station where staff keep an eye on the patients’ vitals.
Maryam Malmali
A biomedical engineering technologist, Maryam is working on a broken syringe pump where the sensor is not working properly. After the repair is complete, it requires calibration using a computer interface program. The biomedical engineering team configures all the pumps to the wireless network which is used to push Drug Libraries, information on drug dosage, to all syringe pumps. Drug Library updates occur a couple times per year to ensure new medications are safely delivered to patients.
Rich Laing
A member of LHSC’s biomedical engineering technologist team for 34 years, Rich is showcasing the intra-aortic balloon pump back-up unit that is kept in reserve to ensure there is always a working unit available. Preventative maintenance is done on the units once every six months. This specialized piece of equipment improves cardiac output by synchronizing the inflation and deflation of the balloon with the heart’s natural rhythm which helps to increase the amount of blood pumped by the heart.
Mark is a seasoned biomedical engineering technologist specializing in diagnostic imaging who is partnered with Tanner, a biomedical engineering technologist who is apprenticing in diagnostic imaging. They are performing preventative maintenance on a hydraulic surgical table in one of the operating rooms at University Hospital. There was a recall on a couple of components and the team is replacing them to ensure the table continues to operate safely and securely during life-saving neurological operations.
Sam Rondinelli and Jessie Dove
Sam and Jessie are a mentor/mentee technologist team in Biomedical Engineering. They are working on an incubator that is used in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. This is a critical device that maintains baby's temperature, humidity levels and weight after they are born. They also work on resuscitation warmers, known as infant care centers, that are used in the Birthing Unit. This monitors heart rate, blood oxygen levels, temperature and the weight of the baby after birth. There are many components to these machines that need to be maintained, and this team makes sure they work as they should. Having a mentor/mentee partnership is one way the Biomedical Engineering team is ensuring knowledge is passed from one generation to the next.
Tuan Nguyen and Jesse Emes
Tuan and Jesse are biomedical technicians working on a patient bed. These beds are filled with air to provide more comfort for patients by helping distribute the patients’ weight and reducing pressure. Like a regular air mattress, they can have leaks. Tuan and Jesse are trying to determine which section has the leak and they will remove and replace the sleeve. Their work requires troubleshooting and problem solving on a daily basis.
Oresta Masnyn and Pourya Taherioskovei
Oresta and Pourya are biomedical technicians at University Hospital replacing a head gas spring on a stretcher to help it move more smoothly. Technicians work on the motors, electronics and physical components of patient beds and stretchers.