3 Tips to Save Your C-Arm Cables

One of the most common issues we see with OEC products is torn cables. By my estimate, 30-40% of the OEC C-arms that come to us for refurbishment have some kind of tear in their cable casings. This means exposed wires, which means room for performance issues and safety liabilities. On top of that, an interconnect or high voltage cable costs around $2,000+ on exchange and can take 2-3 labor-intensive hours to replace! 

From our experience and our conversations with rad techs, we've learned that these issues can often be avoided by doing these 3 things:

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How to Protect Your C-Arm Cables

Keep Your Cables Clear of High-Traffic Areas

The power cable for your workstation and the footswitch cable are usually on the floor and are small enough to roll carts and tables over if you just push a bit harder. Resist the temptation to do this! The casters can damage your cables. The best solution is to consider what the traffic in the room will be before you begin rolling in other equipment and roll out your cable accordingly.

Unplug Your Cables Correctly

The C-arm interconnect, handswitch, and footswitch cables all plug into the C-arm with the same type of connector. The connector has a metal collar on the outside that slides back and releases the cable from the port. We often see cables that have been pulled from behind the connector, resulting in stress on both the housing and the wires, causing them to separate. Always unplug these cables by grabbing around the metal collar.  

See Handswitch/Footswitch Troubleshooting Basics

Use the Handles

This is the great-granddaddy of all cable sins. If you're rotating your C-arm, don't pull the high voltage cables: USE THE HANDLES! The brilliant design engineers at OEC put them on the unit for a reason. 

The Takeaway

Following these 3 simple tips can go a long way toward prolonging the life of your C-arm cables and saving you the downtime and money involved with replacing them. If you’ve already seen damage to your cables, just contact us. We stock replacement parts for OEC 9600, 9800, and 9900 C-arms. Use the button below to request your replacement right now!