At Dispomed, we know that a well-maintained anesthesia machine is essential for an efficiently run practice. Your anesthesia accessories should not be neglected. It is our pleasure to share a few tips to help improve the quality and performance of these essential products.
Anesthetic Agent Vaporizer
During cold weather, the vaporizer should be kept at room temperature, between 20 and 22 degrees Celcius. It is recommended that you adjust the temperature to this setting at least two hours before use, as the vaporizer, a solid metal mass, needs time to heat up. Avoid placing your anesthesia machine too close to a window.
After each surgery, we recommend that the agent level of the vaporizer be verified. A low level of agent could cause large variations in the concentration emitted.
Scavenger Interface
There are two precautions to take to ensure the proper functioning of the evacuation system:
Make sure the scavenger bag is not perforated. It is frequent to find cracks at the base of the bag connector. Scavenger bags crack more quickly than breathing bags because the agent remains stagnant inside.
Make sure that the rod inside the scavenger bag is placed correctly. To verify, lift the rod between the point of the bag and the disc check valve; there should be no more than a half inch distance between them. This way, when the bag inflates and deflates, the disc check valve, which controls evacuation, is pushed up.
Circuit Pressure Alarm
We recommend changing the 9-volt battery once a year so that the alarm is always ready for use.
Dispomed’s circuit pressure alarms are preset to a pressure of 15cm h2o. However, a small screw allows you to adjust the pressure if you wish to reset your warning level.
Breathing Bags and Tubes
Clean breathing bags and tubes daily by soaking them in a solution of 3 parts water to 1 part Virkon 1%. Rinse them thoroughly to make sure no residue remains inside. Hang them up to dry for 24 hours.
Anesthesia Filters
Anesthesia filters exist for one simple reason:
To protect your anesthesia machine from your patients. Rather than use special bags and tubes for contagions, we suggest you add a bacterial filter to the circuit of your anesthesia machine.
