Calibrated vaporizers: maintaining clinical performance

This column is the fourth in a series of articles designed to help nurse anesthetists understand and manage equipment technology. In this issue the author explains how to maintain vaporizers to minimize the risks of overdose, which may result from high output, or awareness and recall, which low output may cause. Since calibrated vaporizers are used to dispense inhaled anesthetic drugs, both human factors and mechanical problems must be addressed to ensure accuracy and performance during use.