Gas Evacuation System Purchase Guide

Do you worry that your gas evacuation system is out of date or that your employees may be inhaling the gas? Are you thinking of renovating? If so, the following information will help you to choose the best gas evacuation system for your practice.

1. Identifying your needs

Your responses to the questions below will help you to identify your specific needs.

How many anesthesia machines do you have?
Do you prefer disposable or long lasting products?
What is your budget?
How many hours of surgery do you perform weekly?
Is there a staff member available to verify the system on a daily basis?

2. Customer Service

This section will help you verify the after sales service offered with the purchase of a gas evacuation system.

Where is the product manufactured?
What kind of warranty is offered?
Who is responsible for the warranty, the manufacturer or the distributor?
What service is available in case of breakage?

Product Research

	Charcoal Filter	Passive evacuation system	Scavenger interface with integrated ventilator	Gas evacuation blower assembly	Active suction or vacuum pump

Type of system	Passive	Passive	Semi-active	Semi-active	Active
Type of configuration	Active charcoal	Corrugated tube	Semi-active scavenger interface with integrated ventilator	Passive scavenger interface	Active scavenger interface
Number of machines used with	1	1	1	1 to 8	Varies with the size of the pump
Maintenance	Daily	Daily	Annual	Annual	Annual
Life span	Max. weight of 50g	10 to 15 years	10 to 15 years	10 to 15 years	10 to 15 years
Verification method	By weighing the filter	By a qualified technician	By a qualified technician	By a qualified technician	By a qualified technician
Warranty	None	None	5 years	5 years	1 year
Country of manufacture	United States	Depending of the brand	Canada	Canada	Depending of the brand
Price	$18.75 to $23.00	$200 to $300	$945	$1500 to $4000	$5000 and more
	More info		More info	more info

Recommendation

Dispomed recommends that your gas evacuation system be installed by a specialized contractor in order to ensure that the installation conforms to the safety regulations.

Charcoal Filters

In order to help you better analyze the cost of using charcoal filters we offer the following example: A clinic with one anesthesia machine that is used, on average, 15 hours per week will spend an average of between 975$ and 1200$ annually on charcoal filters. (#machines X $ filter X # filters/year = average annual cost)

Charcoal filters must be weighed daily in order to be sure they have not surpassed the weight limit recommended by the manufacturer. If the filter has achieved maximum capacity it could mean that the gases exhaled by the patient are being inhaled by the employees and the patient.

Passive evacuation system

The passive evacuation system consists of a corrugated tube connected to a gas evacuation valve leading directly to the exterior of the building. This type of system is not recommended if the distance between the anesthesia machine and the outside wall of the building is more than 8’. Since the gas is evacuated by gravity, the animal’s breathing resistance increases as the length of the tube increases. The exterior outlet must be protected from insects that can infiltrate the tube. The outlet must also be protected from turbulent winds that can cause air gas emanations to be pushed back into the tube, thus diluting the gas in the patient circuit.

With this kind of gas evacuation system you must also think about the venturi effect which is a suction that occurs causing a flat bag effect that can make breathing more difficult for the patient.

Scavenger interface with integrated ventilator

The interface with the integrated blower is a semi-active system. It is working with one anesthesia machine at a time. Just like the gas evacuation blower, it is also connected to a network of pipes to evacuates all the used gas out of the clinic. The advantage of the interface with the integrated blower is the cost that more interesting for clinics who have 1 or 2 anesthesia machines.

Gas evacuation blower assembly

A gas evacuation blower assembly is a semi-active system that allows for the halogenated gases/nitrous-oxide used during anesthesia to be evacuated, thus avoiding air pollution in the operating rooms. Together with the scavenger interface the blower assembly is connected to a network of pipes connecting each room with an anesthesia machine. The ventilator evacuates continuously while the scavenger interface controls the air flow level of each anesthesia machine. This system is the most efficient for most clinics and hospitals.

Active suction and vacuum pump active systems

The active suction and vacuum pump active systems are generally used in large centres such as universities, hospitals and pharmaceutical centres. This system consists of one central vacuum pump and a scavenger interface for each anesthesia machine. This system is more expensive than other gas evacuation systems however, depending on the strength of the pump it can be used on up to 100 anesthesia machines.