PURPOSE: To implement a plan of preventive maintenance developed for users of the phacoemulsification machine. METHODS: In order to implement a maintenance program for a phacoemulsification machine, Alcon's Legacy 20000™ was chosen. Its operating manual was used as a primary search, so that the probability of equipment malfunction or breakdown could be quantified. The maintenance condition of Legacy 20000™ was checked in some hospitals in São Paulo through an interview with the responsible clinical engineers. Surgeons working at the Cataract Sector of UNIFESP (Universidade Federal de São Paulo) were asked their opinion about the functioning of Legacy 20000™, in order to indentify the main sources of malfunction. After research had been carried out in hospitals and with the surgeons, a maintenance manual for the Legacy 20000™ was proposed, based on preventive maintenance tools. RESULTS: The analysis regarding error messages showed that most potential problems and corrective measures to be taken are due to problems of connection or fixation of the cables. The Legacy 20000™ main sources of malfunction were identified in the São Paulo Hospital, which had acquired its own piece of equipment. In most cases they were related to broken ultra-sound handpiece, broken electronic and mechanical components, faulty setup and problems of priming, vacuum and aspiration. The interview with the cataract surgeons of the Universidade Federal de São Paulo showed lack of technical knowledge due to their lack of familiarity with the manual and no training regarding equipment functions. CONCLUSIONS: There is no complete plan of preventive maintenance for the Legacy 20000™ in the hospitals considered for this research only corrective maintenance. The manual of preventive maintenance item proposed for Legacy 20000™ was prepared based on the research results using preventive maintenance tools.
Phacoemulsification; Surgical Instruments; Cataract extraction; Equipment safety; Equipment failure analysis; Time factors
