High flow closed circuit anaesthesia

Abstract

We present an automatic closed circuit anaesthesia ventilator designed for routine clinical use. The ventilator combines the benefits of high flow systems and true closed circuits, without their disadvantages. The system can be used with any FiO2, with air or nitrous oxide as carrier gas. Servo controlled delivery of modern volatile anaesthetics is regulated on end-tidal value. The time constant for increase or decrease of concentrations is only a few minutes. There is no need to open the system at any time, nor is it necessary to increase the fresh gas flow. An automatic flush procedure prevents accumulation of unwanted gases. Operation is as easy as contemporary non-closed circuit ventilators. With this machine, closed circuit anaesthesia is possible from the beginning to the end of the procedure.