Solutions to some of the existing problems with breathing equipment type

Despite the stringent guidelines laid down by the American Society of Anesthesiologists for equipment checks, there are occasional reports of problems related to the equipment used to administer anesthesia. In this article, we discuss two important, albeit rare, problems associated with breathing equipment that have been reported in the literature. The rarity of these problems in itself may hinder early diagnosis because anesthesiologists do not usually consider these problems to be the cause of an ongoing patient morbidity. The first problem discussed here is the presence of a foreign body within the breathing system used to administer anesthesia. The second problem discussed is a kink in the breathing circuits that can precipitate life-threatening problems if it is not detected early enough.