[Choice of respirators for anesthesia]

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Medical Engineering
• Respiratory Care

Background:

• Anesthesia machines are critical for patient safety during surgery.
• Selecting the appropriate anesthesia machine requires careful consideration of various technical and functional criteria.
• The work of breathing imposed by anesthesia circuits can impact patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the quality of gases and vapors supply, ventilator function, patient circuit, and monitoring devices of anesthesia machines.
• To compare the advantages of compact versus modular anesthesia apparatus.
• To analyze the imposed work of breathing in four specific anesthesia machines under controlled and spontaneous ventilation modes.

Main Methods:

• Review of quality criteria for anesthesia machine components (gas supply, ventilator, circuit, monitoring).
• Analysis of four anesthesia machines: Modulus II+, Siemens 900 D+SAC985, Roche Kontron 4300, and Engstrom Elsa.
• Testing in clinical controlled ventilation and simulated spontaneous ventilation to measure work of breathing.

Main Results:

• The study analyzed the work of breathing imposed by the tested anesthesia machines.
• Results were discussed in relation to established safety rules and ergonomic principles.
• Performance was evaluated considering the cost-effectiveness of each machine compared to a prototype.

Conclusions:

• The findings provide guidance for anesthesiologists in selecting anesthesia machines based on performance, safety, and cost.
• Ergonomic factors and imposed work of breathing are key considerations for clinical use.
• Comparison with a prototype highlights areas for potential improvement in anesthesia machine design.