Vacuum and AGSS
Medical vacuum
Medical vacuum is the piped suction service of a hospital: a central plant of vacuum pumps, vessels and filters connected through the pipeline to terminal units, giving immediate and continuous suction for clinical use.
ISO 7396-1 covers vacuum pipelines together with the compressed medical gases. In HTM 02-01 (2026), the medical vacuum pipeline system is the vacuum supply system, the distribution pipework, valves and terminal units, designed to hold a vacuum of at least 315.5 mmHg at each terminal unit during the design flow tests. The plant typically includes a duplex set of bacteria filters with drainage traps, non-return and isolating valves, gauges and pressure switches.
Medical vacuum is not the same as dental suction or anaesthetic gas scavenging. HTM 02-01 says it should not be used to extract bodily fluids during dental procedures, which need a dedicated dental vacuum system, and anaesthetic gas scavenging disposal systems are covered by ISO 7396-2, not Part 1.
ULTRAVAC central vacuum plants run fully automatically with 1 to 12 vacuum pumps, at a normal operating vacuum of −0.85 bar, and the basic configuration includes two bacterial filters with liquid separator.
Sources
- ISO 7396-1:2016, Medical gas pipeline systems, Part 1 (ISO summary)
- HTM 02-01 (2026) Part A, paragraphs 10.1 to 10.3, 10.9 and 10.14 (NHS England)
- ULTRAVAC datasheet, p. 2 and p. 5
Ultra Controlo figures come from its technical datasheets. Third-party facts were read at the source on the date shown.