Equipment That Failed the Check

In practice

During setup for a breast procedure, the circulating nurse powers on the electrosurgical unit. It gives an alarm on its self-test and will not clear. The scrub person, Robin, also notices that the cord to the foot pedal has a cracked section of insulation. Neither of them tries to make it work. The circulating nurse labels the unit as out of service, as facility policy requires, and calls the biomedical engineering department. A replacement unit arrives within ten minutes. The circulator checks its cord and runs its self-test, which passes. Robin checks the new handpiece cord on the field and holsters the pencil. While they wait, Robin tells the circulating nurse that the dispersive pad on the cart is a size for adults and the patient is small; the circulator brings the correct size. The case starts on time. Later, biomedical engineering reports that the first unit had an internal fault that could have affected its safety features. At the debrief, the team notes that the cracked foot-pedal cord would have been a shock hazard on a wet floor even if the unit itself had worked. The circulating nurse records both findings in the equipment report, so the department can check whether other units of the same age need inspection.