Evolving Standards Reshape Medical Power Supplies

Focus:

The global standard, IEC 60601 "Medical Electrical Equipment, Part 1: General Requirements for Safety," will undergo changes in its pending third edition that change the way products such as medical power supplies are designed for compliance. The changes are intended to help device manufacturers keep pace with advances in technology, while maintaining safety. The third edition of IEC 60601 will introduce the concepts of "risk management" and "essential performance," which will require new processing for design and testing. According to the author, Peter Resca "The net result is that the certification process will be less about type tests with defined limits-although these will still be important-and more about the manufacturer identifying potential hazards and documenting how they are addressed.

What you’ll learn:

• How to understand the new requirements for medical compliance imposed by IEC 60601 Third Edition

View the Source

Author & Publication:

Peter Resca, Director of Engineering, and Dave Murray, Senior Product Engineer, Astrodyne, Mansfield, Mass., Power Electronics Technology, Apr 01 2007

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