What the press says:

Medium: European Hospital
Edition:   August/September 2002

Dietmar Schwarzer describes the value of a system that checks equipment at the Robert-Koch Hospital, Apolda, Germany, where he is Head of Technology
We have used the Ultrasonic Spy for about six months. This is a portable machine about the size of briefcase, which 'hears' faults in technical processes before the human ear can detect them. So we can analyse if equipment is likely to need repairs before it actually goes wrong, which is obviously a great advantage in hospitals where any downtime of equipment means delays in patient care plus additional costs. So we can detect any likely downtime and take preventive measures. For example, we use the ultrasonic system hospital to check gas systems, engines, and faults in technical equipment - to see if pumps have a leak, or whether bearings are worn. If a pump is defective, or the valve of the hydraulics system doesn't close correctly, I can save a lot of repair time.
In terms of recouping costs for the purchase of the ultrasonic system, it's hard to assess how long that would take, but in terms of hospital technology, preventive measures are very important.
We are currently building a new hospital in Apolda, for which we purchased this equipment, but we are testing it in the old hospital. In the new one the ceilings contain all the medical gas pipes and these can be several kilometres long. The ultrasonic spy can detect any leaks immediately - without having to take down the ceilings.
So, the ultrasonic spy saves the hospital a lot of time and money.