High-voltage reed relays can also be used to establish a safe and reliable connection between low- and high-voltage circuits in, for instance, x-ray machines that have a low-voltage circuit for control purposes (and exposure timing) and a high-voltage circuit to accelerate electrons within the tube. Similarly, computerized tomography (CT – which uses x-rays) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners incorporate both low- and high-voltage circuits, with the latter sometimes exceeding 100kV.

Furthermore, high-voltage reed relays can be used in electrosurgical generators for electronic scalpels, which require the switching of high voltages at high frequencies, circa 1MHz, to perform cutting and cauterizing simultaneously.

Within many of the above examples, not only is the ability to switch potentially high-voltages important, but so is high-isolation resistance (between the low- and high-voltage circuits).

However, not all reed relays used in medical equipment necessitate high-voltage capabilities. They may though require other properties not found in standard devices. For example, reed relays that have been designed specifically for data acquisition and instrumentation applications are ideal for use in medical monitoring and controlled treatment applications.

Additionally, reed relays with higher than usual coil resistance are suitable for battery powered / portable medical equipment – as the current draw will be lower than if a standard device were to be used.

In all the above-mentioned applications, ensuring high reliability is essential. The reed relay must operate when required and, if switching a high voltage, it must be fail-safe in case there is a fault in the (lower voltage) control circuitry, for example. In addition, reed relays are used extensively in automatic test equipment (ATE) employed for quality assurance during the manufacture of medical equipment.