Selectivity in Medical IT circuits can be imple- ‘mented with thermomagnetic switches or fuses of adequate size, When using fuses, their purpose isto protect teach socket in the group and, upstream in the room switchboard. to protect the power supply duct for each group of sockets. Total selectivity is Implemented by choosing fuses of the appropri- ate size and the main switch with avery high magnetic trip current, The advantages are obvious: if one considers that. a short circuit in an operating room normally oc- curs because the plugs have been pulled out by tugging the cable instead of grasping the actual plug, or due to fluids entering into contact with active parts, a chorteireult ona ocket causes tripping of the respective fuses, and therafore it. is possible to use another socket (there are al- ways more sockets than necessary) without any serious disservice. ‘with the use of automatic miniature circult break- ers, selectivity can be obtained by choosing the protection devices so that forall the short circuit values, up to the maximum leakage current pro- vided for the duct protected by the downstream Cireuit-breaker, the tripping zones of the minia~ ture circuit breakers in series do not overlap (fig, 3.16). In general, however, selectivity between cir- cuit breakers is obtained also by regulating their tripping time delays. Selectivity must also be implemented for the RcDs assigned to protect equipment powered di- rectly by the network. ‘ror example, in the hospital accommodation rooms (group 1 rooms) there are three circuits (lighting, plug sockets, headboard sockets) each protected with a 30 mA RCD; to protect the power 3 Temmcmanassimed supply circuits for a group of rooms, a300 mA RCD is installed, while upstream in the cabinet there fs a 500 mA RCD. Lastly, total selectivity f2 ‘obtained by regulating the tripping time delays of the RCDs. 2.2.6 installation criteria ‘The switchboard containing the insulating trans- former can be installed either wall-mounted or floor-standing outside group 2 rooms, or inside provided that itis outside the patient environ- ment, in order to avoid contact between the pa- tient- including via medical personnel and the ‘cabinet, which contains not just the circuits downstream of the transformer, but also its power supply conductors. If the requirements demand power higher than that allowed (10 kVA) for the insulating trans- former, then multiple insulating transformers ‘must be installed in order to contain the leakage currents. n this way itis possible to benefit from the redundancy of the circuits in order to maxi- mize continuity of service, also in the case of maintenance. ‘The insulation monitoring and measuring device ‘can be placed in the electrical switchboard of the Medical T system, but a panel with repetition of acoustic/optical signals and a test pushbutton ‘must be located in the most used premises, where the continuous presence of healthcare op- ‘erators is assumed. Both the plug sockets and the mintature ctrcutt breakers must be installed at more than 20cm (from centre to centre) from any connection for ‘gas for medical use. ‘The socket outlet powered by a Medical IT system ‘must not be interchangeable with the plug sock- ‘ts of the same premises that are powered di- rectly by the network,