Client & Partners
Denim International Gases (DIG) is a a leading ISO certified manufacturer of the international standard industrial and medical gases. The company is situated at Port Qasim, Karachi and is supplying high quality gases to various sectors of the country since 2013. Denim International Gases was one of the key players in the supply of medical gases to various hospitals during the peak months of the Covid-19 pandemic. DIG is a key supplier of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) gas to DUHS.
Dow University of Health & Sciences (DUHS) is a prominent healthcare institution committed to delivering high-quality medical services. Dow University Hospital, Karachi, was established 2003 as a tertiary care facility. Being one of the best hospitals in Karachi, Dow University Hospital provides medical services to diagnose both in-patients and out-patients through advanced technology, medical apparatus, and fully-equipped medical wards and high-dependency units for major medical procedures and the care of critical patients.
EQUINDUS represents a group of companies in national and international markets involved in Research, Design, Development, Delivery and Support of leading edge industrial solutions.
The Customer Expectations
In hospitals, medical gas systems are indispensable, providing piped oxygen, nitrous oxide, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and medical air to critical areas such as patient rooms, recovery areas, and operating rooms.
Oxygen: Essential for patients requiring supplemental oxygenation. Pressures are maintained around 380 kPa or 55 psi.
Nitrous Oxide: Used as an analgesic for pre-operative procedures, delivered at approximately 345 kPa or 50 psi.
Nitrogen: Employed to power surgical equipment and for procedures like cryosurgery. The pressure is typically around 345 kPa or 50 psi.
Carbon Dioxide: Used to suspend or inflate tissues and in laser surgeries. System pressures are about 345 kPa or 50 psi.
The client sought an IoT solution that could display the remaining gas levels in different tanks, along with the operational status of the supply station and the gas pressure applied in each area where the gas is in use.
The Challenges
Power Management and Data Collection: Managing power for on-site sensors, wireless nodes, and gateways posed a significant challenge. Additionally, efficient data collection methods needed to be established.
Local & Wireless Network Setup: The proximity of multiple tanks on each site required the implementation of both LAN and WAN (mobile) network architecture. This setup aimed to establish a robust failover mechanism for internet connectivity backup, ensuring continuous and reliable operations.
Network Reliability: With approximately 85% of sites located remotely, ensuring the stability of the network became a critical challenge.
Security and Data Accuracy: Given the healthcare context and the critical nature of medical gases, ensuring the security and 100% accuracy in data delivery became paramount.
Minimizing Operational and Maintenance Costs: Concerns about the operational costs associated with IoT solutions were a significant consideration. The client sought a solution that would minimize ongoing operational and maintenance expenses.
Our Solution
CloudApps in collaboration with Equindus is serving as a technology partner for DIG, introduced the Telemet solution—a cloud-based Industrial IoT (IIoT) platform. Telemet was implemented to remotely monitor key parameters of LMO storage tanks at DUHS.
Implementation:
Real-time Monitoring: Telemet enables real-time monitoring of LMO levels, pressure, temperature, and flow rate, ensuring accurate and up-to-date information.
Automated Alerts: The system is configured with thresholds, triggering automated alerts and notifications via SMS and email in case of deviations or critical issues.
Dashboard and Reports: Comprehensive dashboards and reports provide a visual overview of tank status, historical data, and trends, empowering DUHS staff with actionable insights.
The Results
Enhancing Processes
Through instant notifications (via email or messages) triggered by threshold or time-based indicators when an oxygen tank is running low, coupled with precise identification, healthcare operators can mitigate risks associated with ongoing procedures linked to that tank across the hospital.
Optimizing Inventory
Due to inefficiencies in existing processes and the diverse range of individuals interacting with the medical oxygen inventory, healthcare facilities often maintain more inventory than necessary. Implementing electronic medical oxygen monitoring can result in a significant reduction of 30% or more in inventory. Furthermore, refined processes and electronic pressure monitoring can nearly eliminate unnecessary refills of full or mostly full tanks—a prevalent issue in healthcare.
Cost Reduction
By eliminating surplus inventory and unnecessary tank refills, the redistribution of responsibilities leads to decreased maintenance costs. Combined with process enhancements and procurement optimizations, this translates into substantial savings.
Enhanced Patient Care
Foremost, remote medical oxygen monitoring contributes to improved patient care by significantly reducing the risks associated with unnecessary empty medical oxygen tanks.
