Use of a Low-flow Digital Anesthesia System for Mice and Rats

A traditional vaporizer depends on flowing gas and atmospheric pressure for passive anesthetic vaporization. Newly developed direct injection vaporizers utilize a syringe pump to directly administer volatile anesthetics into a gas stream. Unlike a traditional vaporizer, it can be used at very low flow rates, making it ideal for use on mice and rats. The equipment's capability to use low flow rates could result in a substantial cost savings due to the reduced need for anesthetic agents, compressed gas, and charcoal scavenging filters(1). A lower flow rate means less waste of anesthetic gas and likely reduces the risk of anesthetic exposure to laboratory personnel. Thus, the high levels of precision and safety associated with direct injection vaporizers, along with a reduced need for anesthetic agents, compressed gas, and charcoal filters are beneficial for research requiring small animal anesthesia. The goal of this protocol is to demonstrate the use of a syringe-driven direct injection vaporizer as part of a digital, low-flow anesthesia system. The direct injection vaporizer is capable of accurately delivering anesthesia at very low flow rates compared to a traditional vaporizer, making it a promising alternative for controlled gas anesthetic delivery to rodents.