Choosing between floor-mounted and ceiling-mounted cath labs involves carefully considering the structural support for each and your procedural needs. Each type has specific requirements and benefits, varying with installation costs, equipment mobility, and flexibility. Understanding these factors is essential when selecting a system that best suits your facility’s space, budget, and needs.
This article will help you in your decision-making process by exploring the primary differences between the two systems and each system’s unique height, structural support, and leveling requirements.
Ceiling Structure and Support Requirements
A catheterization laboratory, or cath lab for short, has a wide range of configurations to suit the specific needs of different clinics and patients. For instance, different configurations like single-plane and bi-plane cath labs offer tools for general or specialty procedures, respectively.
Additionally, you can get floor-mounted and ceiling-mounted systems. Here, we will examine the structure and support requirements for each, which can be confusing since both types require the installation of overhead structures. Sometimes, people wonder if the mounting even matters, but it does. The primary difference is the load weight those structures must bear. Let’s take a look.
Floor-Mounted
With most floor-mounted systems, some components, like the monitor boom, still need to be attached overhead. Other items frequently attached to the ceiling include surgical lights and lead shields. Altogether, these components generally weigh only about 700 pounds, and while not insignificant, they do not require as much labor and heavy-duty structural components to support them.
Ceiling-Mounted
Celing-mounted cath labs also typically have monitor booms, surgical lights, and lead shields attached above. However, the support structure must be much heavier-duty because it must also be strong enough to support the gantry, which houses the radiographic equipment centered over the examination table. The gantry, monitor boom, and other necessary accessories can easily weigh well over 3300 lbs, requiring more labor and sturdier materials to install.
Ceiling Height and Floor Level Considerations
Ceiling height and floor level are also essential considerations since at least some of the necessary equipment will always hang from above. If you are modifying an existing room in your building, your equipment set-up might be determined by the room’s current height and level unless you want to undergo some major remodeling.
Let’s take a look at some recommendations for both of these scenarios.
Recommendations for Floor-Mounted Systems
Since these systems only have monitors and possibly lights and shielding hanging from above, there is more flexibility in height. Still, support structures are required, so most systems will require a minimum of 9’ in height inside the room when it is fully finished.
Recommendations for Ceiling-Mounted Systems
Here, the equipment is different, so the recommendations naturally differ as well. Since the gantry interacts with the table, specific requirements must be accounted for in the design process. The additional support structures and ceiling equipment also mean a taller height is needed.
The minimum requirements will depend on the system you are installing, so be sure to speak with your equipment specialists to get the precise heights for your chosen system. However, generally speaking, what is needed is a little over 9’6”. While it can be higher, it cannot be any lower. The ceiling must also be square and level to within +/- 1/16” over 39”.
Floor Leveling Requirements
The maximum amount that the floor can deflect when the structure's rails are under full load varies between systems. This leveling requirement must be strictly followed to ensure precision images and efficient and safe procedures. For example, the maximum deflection for ceiling-mount systems is 1/16” for every 39”, while for floor-mount systems, it can be ⅛” over 120”.
Installation and Cost Differences
Ceiling-mounted cath labs require a much stronger support system, more heavy-duty materials, and more labor to install, so they will cost more.
Mobility and Equipment Flexibility
Both systems offer benefits in mobility and flexibility, so what is ultimately best depends on the procedures you perform and the layout of the room, assuming you are remodeling rather than building a new facility.
Ceiling-mounted cath labs typically offer more flexibility for performing procedures at different angles and positions without having to reposition the patient every time. However, floor-mounted systems may allow for easier positioning of the C-arm when navigating around the table in tight spaces.
Choosing the Right System for Your Facility
Like most things in life, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. When choosing the right system for your facility, you must consider your space and the procedures you perform most frequently. If you are building a facility, room size and other factors are less of an issue, as you can build it to suit whichever system you choose.
However, if you are redesigning an existing room, your choice might be based on your current conditions. For instance, floor-mounted cath labs require a minimum height of 9’ and a floor level to ⅛” over 120” when the structures' rails are under load. In contrast, the ceiling-mounted systems require a minimum height of more than 9’6”, and both the ceiling and the floor must be level to 1/16” over 39” while the system rails are under load.
Final Thoughts
Both configurations in cath labs offer distinct advantages for clinics looking to enhance their diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. However, they also have specific requirements that must be considered before deciding which system is best for your facility’s particular needs.
Ceiling-mounted systems provide enhanced flexibility and maneuverability for complex procedures but require more available height, heavy-duty support structures, and more precision leveling in the room. Floor-mounted systems offer a more cost-effective option with simpler installation requirements and are better suited to facilities with lower room heights that cannot accommodate the heavy demands of the other systems.
If you're ready to explore cath lab systems that align with your practice needs, PatientImage offers a range of digital X-ray equipment options and easy in-house financing to help you get what you need.
