At Dispomed, we know that a well-maintained veterinary anesthesia machine is essential for safe practice. It is our pleasure to share with you some technical advice that will extend the lifespan of your equipment.
A well-maintained device will reduce gas consumption as well as the level of pollution in the room.
Daily maintenance of your veterinary anesthesia machine
Prerequisites : Oxygen supply : 40 to 60 psi (2.8 to 4.2 bar), patient circuit, and bag.
Note: Repeat the following maintenance procedure for your 2 circuits (Bain & absorber).
Step 1
Connect the circuit to be verified to the fresh gas outlet of the veterinary anesthesia machine.
Step 2
Close the patient’s circuit outlet with a plug or your thumb.
Step 3
Open the flowmeter to approximately 200 ml.
Step 4
Close the gas evacuation valve.
Step 5
Depress the oxygen flush button and hold until the pressure on the manometer indicates approximately 30 cm H2O.
Step 6
Check the manometer. The pressure must not drop (but it can increase). If the pressure drops, replace the patient circuit and the bag and try again.
Step 7
Open the evacuation valve before using the veterinary anesthesia machine again.
If you encounter an excessive leak, it is recommended that you proceed by elimination to find the source of the problem by replacing a single component at a time. The most frequent leaks can be found at the fresh gas outlet o-ring, the patient circuit, and the bag.
Once the leak identified, dispose of the defective item to avoid it is being reused by error.
At the end of each day, it is recommended that you close the oxygen tank and fill up the anesthetic agent vaporizer.
Replacement of the soda lime
Soda lime has a variable lifespan depending on the gas flow and the size of the animals. The most simple rule is to replace the soda lime every 14 hours of use of the absorber.
We suggest that you identify, with a tag or another method, the date the replacement was made.
Important: Do not rely on the color change of the soda lime alone because it is reversible and not always reliable.
For another indication that the soda lime needs to be changed, put on some gloves and hold a small amount between your pressed fingers and squeeze slightly: soda lime in good condition will easily turn into fine dust.
Annual maintenance of your veterinary anesthesia machine
It is recommended to have the preventive maintenance done by a qualified technician once a year. He will perform in-depth tests, change the maintenance kit to avoid potential problems, and hand you a report on the performance of your vaporizer and on the veterinary anesthesia machine.
