Explain preventive maintenance strategies for radiological equipment.

Question

Accepted Answer

## Preventive Maintenance of Radiological Equipment

Preventive maintenance (PM) is scheduled work done **before** failure to keep equipment safe, accurate and available.

```mermaid
flowchart TD
  A[Maintenance strategies] --> B[Preventive: scheduled]
  A --> C[Predictive: condition based]
  A --> D[Corrective: after failure]
  B --> B1[Inspection and cleaning]
  B --> B2[Lubrication and part replacement]
  B --> B3[Calibration and QA tests]
  B --> B4[Safety checks and documentation]
```

| Strategy | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled (time-based) PM | Fixed intervals set by manufacturer | Quarterly X-ray tube and collimator check |
| Predictive / condition-based | Uses monitoring data to predict failure | Tube-heat units, helium level, log analysis, remote monitoring |
| Corrective | Repair after failure | Replace faulty detector |
| Calibration and QA | Accuracy and performance tests | CT number, kVp, mA, timer, light-field alignment |
| Safety checks | Radiation leakage, interlocks, earthing | Lead apron integrity |

### Typical PM tasks
1. Visual inspection and cleaning of filters, cables, connectors.
2. Check cooling (oil, water, helium), vacuum and high-voltage cables.
3. Check mechanical parts, brakes, table movement.
4. Software, firmware updates and backups.
5. Dosimetry and image-quality phantom tests.
6. Keep a maintenance logbook and service history.

### Benefits
Longer life, fewer breakdowns and downtime, lower cost, consistent image quality, patient and staff safety.

### Exam tip
Classify strategies and list 5 PM tasks with a logbook.

Preventive Maintenance of Radiological Equipment

Typical PM tasks

Benefits

Exam tip

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