TechNation recently celebrated HTM Week, May 17-23, with a fun contest sponsored by AllParts.
HTM professionals were invited to share their “Most Satisfying Repair: That one fix that felt like winning a trophy.” Each weekday during HTM Week, TechNation selected a winner and presented them with a gift card.
Winning entries included:
Dimitris Pleqi, BMET II, TRIMEDX
Pleqi shared a repair involving a steam issue at Ascension St. Vincent Southside SPD. While the steam valve initially appeared to be the culprit, he “ran a full set of tests” and confirmed the valve was operating correctly. That led him to investigate further and ultimately identify the steam trap as the true source of the problem.
After driving to Riverside to pick up the replacement part, Pleqi returned to complete the repair and restore the system to normal operation.
“What made this one so satisfying wasn’t just fixing the problem – it was trusting the troubleshooting process,” Pleqi said. “Instead of replacing the obvious component, I took the time to test, verify and pinpoint the true failure.”
Richard Bahlmann, Biomedical Information Support Specialist, VA Central Iowa Healthcare System
Bahlmann recalled troubleshooting a Draeger Fabius GS Premium that continually failed the fresh gas safety valve check. After replacing the safety valve and other parts, the issue remained.
“After fighting with this unit for over a week, I stumbled upon the fact that somehow, the bezel above the safety valve had become bowed down and was preventing the safety valve from actuating,” Bahlmann said.
Once the bezel was bent back into place, the unit “worked like a champ.”
“I felt like I won the lottery with that one,” he said.
Angie King, BMET III, Atrium Health Navicent
King shared what she described as one of the simplest – yet most satisfying – fixes of her career involving a Faxitron portable X-ray unit that would not start up.
After customer support suggested the issue “might be the computer lost its time,” King disassembled the unit without a manual, removed the computer and located the CMOS battery.
She repaired a connector directly to the replacement battery, reset the CMOS settings and rebooted the unit.
“It worked. The unit fired up like new,” King said. “This was the first time I had ever touched the unit.”
Aaron Jones, Biomedical Technician, Hero
Jones reflected on a defining moment early in his career during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2008, when he was tasked with installing A-dec dental chair systems in Iraq without factory training or senior-level guidance.
“The expectation was simple: make it work,” Jones said.
Working through limited documentation and a complicated operatory setup, Jones spent hours tracing tubing, studying diagrams and solving issues one step at a time until the system became fully operational.
“Seeing that completed dental chair sitting there ready for patient care in the middle of a deployment zone was one of the most satisfying moments of my entire career,” he said.
Jones said the experience permanently changed his confidence as a technician.
“A good biomed does not always need to know everything before starting,” he said. “Sometimes you become the technician capable of the job by working through the challenge itself.”
Larry White, Imaging Specialist and Senior Technical Field Engineer, Specialty Underwriters
White shared a story dating back to 1988 involving a GE 9800 CT scanner at Riley Memorial Hospital.
A young boy with severe brain injuries from a car accident urgently needed a scan, but the CT system was down because of a failed board and power supply. Realizing the patient was too critical to transport to another facility, White upgraded the parts order from next-day delivery to the next available flight.
When the parts arrived, White repaired the scanner and stayed throughout the CT procedure and surgery to ensure all imaging equipment continued working properly.
“He is still alive today,” White said.
TechNation thanks all HTM professionals who participated in the contest and helped celebrate the dedication, creativity and perseverance that define the HTM field.
