Is your anesthesia machine obsolete?
A lovely old Ohio machine one of my clients converted into a fun work of art.
Wondering if your anesthesia machine is obsolete and if it is worth replacing?
I service many "vintage" models and many can be safely used as long as regular servicing is performed and some may require an upgrade or more frequent maintenance to safely use with your patients and prevent waste gas exposure to your staff.
There are guidelines available from the ASA for your reference
According to Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation’s Guidelines there are 3 criteria. Here is my quick interpretation based on common scenarios I see in vet med:
1) Lack of essential safety features
For example, some machines were manufactured with no pressure manometer; I strongly advise against using these machines unless your service person can add a pressure manometer which can be done in some cases
2) Presence of unacceptable features
Ex: Absence of a modern precision vaporizer or scavenge system. Machines with vertical one way valves almost always contribute to rebreathing of CO2 (msg me for more info on this). Ask your service person if an upgrade is available
3) Adequate maintenance no longer available
In other words, parts are unavailable and many times these machines are leaking. This requires more anesthetic to keep your patients on a good plane of anesthesia and also exposes your staff to excessive waste anesthesia gases. It might be time for a brand new anesthesia machine to give you peace of mind!