Electrical patch panel for isolation environments

A biological isolation system comprising:

• a hot zone maintained at a selected level of biological isolation;
• a through-hole panel mounted on a barrier between the hot zone and a cold zone that is not maintained at the selected level of biological isolation;
• and
• a plurality of hermetically sealed electrical feedthroughs each including a housing, a cold-side electrical receptacle, and a hot-side electrical receptacle, the hermetically sealed electrical feedthroughs being hermetically sealed into through-holes of the through-hole panel with the hot-side electrical receptacle extending into the hot zone and the cold-side electrical receptacle extending into the cold zone, a surface of the through-hole panel exposed to the hot zone and a portion of the hermetically sealed electrical feedthroughs exposed to the hot zone being substantially resistant to one or more corrosive biological decontamination agents used in decontamination of the hot zone.

A method of providing electrical connections across a barrier of an isolation zone, the method comprising:

• forming an opening in a barrier of an isolation zone;
• inserting a sealed electrical feedthrough at the opening in the barrier;
• and
• sealing an interface or gap between a housing of the sealed electrical feedthrough and an edge of the barrier.

A biological containment environment for imaging comprising:

• an isolation zone maintained at a selected level of biological isolation;
• a medical imaging instrument disposed outside the isolation zone;
• a tube extending from the isolation zone into an imaging region of the medical imaging instrument via which a subject in the isolation zone can be introduced into the imaging region without breaking containment of the isolation zone;
• and
• a plurality of hermetically sealed electrical feedthroughs passing through a barrier delimiting the isolation zone, each hermetically sealed electrical feedthrough including a hermetically sealed housing with a cold-side electrical receptacle accessible from outside the isolation zone and a hot-side electrical receptacle accessible from within the isolation zone, the hermetically sealed electrical feedthroughs providing electrical communication between the isolation zone and the medical imaging instrument.