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Primer
Pneumatic Tube Systems
The days are numbered of staff running from one place to
another within the hospital with samples or records. Pneumatic Tube Systems
are here to take care of mobility of physical objects, reports K Deepalakshmi
 Attendants,
nurses and medical staff bustling around with testing samples, medical records,
drugs and other physical objects is a common sight in hospitals. Considerable
time is wasted in this mobility. All this could become history in a short time,
as hospitals are adapting a new system for moving these physical objects - Pneumatic
Tube Systems (PTS).
The Mechanism
Pneumatic tube systems-also known as pneumatic post systems-are systems in which
cylindrical containers called 'carriers' are propelled through a network of
tubes by compressed air or by vacuum. Tubes connect various departments in a
building. The objects are placed in an appropriately sized canister, which is
tightly closed. Simple PTS follow conventional fluid mechanics principles. Air
is blown down and/ or extracted from the pipeline, propelling the capsule along
the pipe. Both ends of the pipeline are sealed during transport, allowing the
air behind the canister to be above atmospheric pressure, and / or air in front
to be below atmospheric pressure. The movement of the canisters can be tracked
by computer interface. The system can be used to connect different buildings
too. "PTS can be used between buildings by means of overhead tubing or
underground tubing," says Prashant Narula, Director (Marketing), Narula
Udyog (India). The company provides PTS solution for several industries.
Pneumatic tubes are used in other industries like retail stores, banks, manufacturing
industries, hotels, government and private offices for transporting documents
and cash handling.
Requirements for Installation
 "We
are transporting about 15,000 samples daily through this system"
- Dr R Selvakumar
Professor of Clinical Biochemistry, Christian Medical College
& hospital,
Vellore
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The system includes many components namely, a link between
terminals where the item being transported enters and exits the system, a vehicle-the
canister that contains the item to be transported, and a computer interface.
The cost of the system depends on the needs, number of workstations, system
layout and additional features demanded.
"The pneumatic tube system of our Hospital is estimated
to cost around Rs 25 lakh," says UK Ananthapadmanabhan, President, Kovai
Medical Center, Coimbatore and adds, "We are expecting a return of investment
in two years." However, he feels that the cost may go down in future if
the system is manufactured in India.
"There are no pre-requisites other than one simple electricity connection/
point," Narula assures. The installation procedure is the same whether
the hospital is new or existing.
Reducing Time Spent
Though pneumatic tubes are used in various sectors, the system has found a special
place in hospitals. A host of objects including medicines, lab samples, blood
bags, medical records like X rays, patient records and cash are transported
in hospitals. "About 3,000 medicines and 1,000 lab samples are transported
per day in our
hospitals," estimates Ananthapadmanabhan. The hospital plans to install
PTS with 25 workstations within three months. Providing various sizes from 10
inches to 2 ½ feet, the system can be used for transporting matter of
any size.
Pneumatic tubes play a major role in saving time. "The normal speed of
propelling an object through PTS is 3-5 metres per second. What is done in minutes
by manual transportation is done in seconds," says Abhishek Sharma, Project-in-charge,
Sahara Hospital, an upcoming 350-bed hospital in Lucknow.
"The advantage of this system is that a lot of manpower is saved and the
transport of samples for investigations is fast," informs Dr T Vasudev
Rao, Director of Lab Services, BGS Global Hospitals, Bangalore and adds, "The
system is not complicated and even lab attendants and technicians can handle
it."
"We calculate the turnaround time in pneumatic tubes
to be less than two minutes," says Dr R Selvakumar, Professor of Clinical
Biochemistry, Christian Medical College & Hospital, Vellore. This could
be as high as an hour if human effort is involved, especially during peak hours,
he claims.
 Pneumatics
are currently imported. There are no major players from India. Swisslog,
Aerocon and Sumetzberger are some of the major manufacturers of pneumatic
tubes. "Ing Sumetzberger GmbH is a leader manufacturing PTS since 1921
and has 10,000 plus installations the world over," says Narula, who
markets their PTS in India. |
PTS Applicability
PTS are mainly used in the laboratory and pharmacy. Some hospitals use them
in OPD and administration too. For instance, Kovai Medical Center plans to connect
all its ward stations, ICU, CCU, blood bank, pharmacy and laboratory through
PTS. "Using the system for multiple purposes will increase its productivity,"
says Ananthapadmanabhan.
On the other hand, the system is used only for sample collection
in Aditya Birla Memorial Hospital, Pune. "The pipe system runs from the
OPD sample collection room in the ground floor to the laboratory in the third
floor," says Dr Jyoti Gokhale, the Hospital's Consultant Microbiologist
and Laboratory Co-ordinator. The advantage is prompt and rapid transport of
the samples to the lab, which eliminates delay in transit, she adds. The system
is also used for sending medicines from the pharmacy to various wards.
 Pneumatic
transportation was originally invented by Phineas Balk in 1806. Though a
marvel of the time, and a successful sideshow, it was considered little
more than a novelty until the invention of the capsule in 1886. The Victorians
were the first to use capsule pipelines to transmit telegraph messages,
or telegrams, to nearby buildings from telegraph stations. |
Basic Skills Only
All that is needed to operate the pneumatic tube systems
are basic computer operation skills. The operation can be learnt in no time.
However, a little training is needed for maintenance. "Our engineers were
given training on troubleshooting and general maintenance by the manufacturers,"
says Dr Selvakumar. Pneumatic tubes systems are almost maintenance free. "The
canister is cleaned daily with water and wiped with a disinfectant," says
Dr Gokhale. The in-house engineering departments of the hospitals take care
of maintenance. "The best way to maintain this equipment is by having an
Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC) with the suppliers," says Dr Rao. There
is some wear-and-tear of canisters, but these can be replaced. Thus far, none
of the hospitals have reported breakdowns or faults.
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 PTS were
installed in Christian Medical College & Hospital (CMC), Vellore,
about one and a half years ago. This century-old hospital is spread across
25 acres. The buildings included some old structures too. Concerned over
the delay in manual transporting of samples, the Hospital decided to go
for PTS. "Our campus consists of several buildings, some even a kilometre
apart," says Dr R Selvakumar, Professor of Clinical Biochemistry.
PTS from Aerocon was installed here. "A German engineer from the
company designed the system layout for us by dividing the entire space
into three zones," he says.
The installation of pipeline alone took nearly three to four months.
The overall installation was done in six months time. Some pipeline runs
underground, some overhead and even in open areas withstanding the heat
and rain. Today, the system functions with 120 workstations, for collecting
testing samples from all the departments. "We are transporting about
15,000 samples daily through this system," Dr Selvakumar says and
adds, "Human error is possible in selecting the destination or blocking
the pipeline but the system itself is error-free."
The hospital is exploring the possibility of transporting drugs through
this system in the future. The canisters travel at a speed of 20 feet
per second. The transit is controlled through a computer interface, which
is continuously observed by the engineering department.
"We invested Rs 2.5 crore for this system and for its deliverability,
time saving and the usage, it's worth it," says Dr Selvakumar.
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Safety Sealed
The canisters are designed not to open in transit. "The canister opens
sideways and fits well in the pipeline. There is no chance of breaking or opening
in the middle," explains Dr Selvakumar. "There are occasional instances
of the canister stopping in the middle of the pipeline because of blocks (due
to human miscreants). In such cases, it can be seen in the computer and is immediately
rectified," he says.
The canister comes with password protection too. If needed, a password can be
set, so that the canister cannot be opened without the right password. "The
pneumatic system can resume its conveying to the predefined destination automatically
after electricity failure," says Narula. Hence there is no chance of the
materials getting 'lost'. Further, all the transactions are monitored by the
computer interface. The details of mobility can be retrieved at any point of
time.
Pneumatic Future
From two-way travel to connecting multiple workstations, PTS has seen several
modifications. Today, the system comes with various facilities like selection
of priority, adjusting the speed, shutting-down a workstation, tracking the
canister and so on. Dr Rao suggests "bringing in an alarm system to indicate
the arrival of a sample into the lab." In fact, so upgraded has this technology
become that Sumetzberger has connected The Royal Hospital, Belfast to Belfast
City Hospital, 1.4 kilometres away, Narula claims.
"Improvement is a never-ending process and has no limits, and this goes
for any product or service not only PTS," says Narula. "PTS are a
must in all government and private hospitals with a capacity of more than 300
beds," Ananthapadmanabhan avers. With the growing demand for and thus high
cost of manpower, it is time to find an alternative. Pneumatic tubes systems,
being a viable option, are sure to make a mark in most hospitals.
k.deepalakshmi@expressindia.com
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