Anesthesia Key

The electrical equipment used in the operating theatre and intensive care unit is designed to improve patient care and safety. At the same time, however, there is the potential of…

The anaesthetic machine receives medical gases (oxygen, nitrous oxide, air) under pressure and provides a continuous and accurate flow of each gas individually. A gas mixture of the desired composition…

Introduction Point-of-care testing is a rapidly expanding area of biomedical science and is now essential to efficient patient care. As the name implies, the goal is to collect the specimen…

Tracheal tubes Tracheal tubes provide a means of securing the patienťs airway, allowing spontaneous and controlled ventilation. These disposable plastic tubes are made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) which could be…

Inhaling dry gases can cause damage to the cells lining the respiratory tract, impairing ciliary function. Within a short period of just 10 minutes of ventilation with dry gases, cilia…

Ventilators are used to provide controlled ventilation to maintain oxygenation and removal of carbon dioxide. Many of them have the facilities to provide multiple ventilatory modes that can lead to…

Breathing systems must fulfil three objectives: 1. delivery of oxygen 2. removal of carbon dioxide from the patient 3. delivery of inhaled anaesthetic agents. These agents are predominantly eliminated by…

Laryngoscopes These devices are used to perform direct laryngoscopy and to aid in tracheal intubation ( Fig. 7.1 ). They can also be used to visualize the larynx or pharynx…

Face masks and angle pieces The face mask is designed to fit the face anatomically and comes in different sizes to fit patients of different age groups (from neonates to…

Since the late 1960s there has been speculation that trace anaesthetic gases/vapours may have a harmful effect on operating theatre personnel. It has been concluded from currently available studies that…