Related Experiment Videos
Fresh gas utilization of eight circle systems
A M Zbinden1, P Feigenwinter, M Hutmacher
1Institute for Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.
British Journal of Anaesthesia
|October 1, 1991
Summary
Fresh gas utilization (FGU) measures how efficiently breathing systems deliver anesthetic gases to patients. Testing eight European systems revealed none achieved ideal FGU, with significant variations in efficiency observed.
Area of Science:
- Anesthesiology
- Medical Device Engineering
- Respiratory Care
Background:
- Fresh gas utilization (FGU) quantifies anesthetic gas conservation in semi-closed breathing systems.
- High FGU ensures accurate inspired gas concentrations, especially at low fresh gas flows (FGF).
Purpose of the Study:
- To measure and compare the FGU of eight commonly used European semi-closed anesthetic breathing systems.
- To evaluate system performance against ideal FGU benchmarks.
Main Methods:
- Tested eight anesthetic workstations (Dräger Cicero, Sulla 808V, AV1; Ohmeda Modulus II Plus; Gambro Engström Elsa; Siemens Servo Ventilator 900 D, 710; Megamed 700A) according to Draft European Standard.
- Measured FGU at a fresh gas flow of 3 L/min.
Main Results:
- No tested system achieved 100% FGU at FGF below minute volume.
- FGU varied significantly: Gambro Engström Elsa (97.8%) and Siemens Servo Ventilator 900 D (96.1%) showed highest efficiency.
- Siemens Ventilator 710 (74.1%) and Megamed 700A (77.0%) demonstrated the lowest FGU.
Conclusions:
- Current semi-closed anesthetic breathing systems exhibit suboptimal fresh gas utilization.
- Significant performance differences exist among systems, impacting anesthetic gas conservation and delivery accuracy.
- Further development is needed to optimize FGU in anesthetic workstations.