Principles of Anesthesia Practice I Unit III Flashcards
What quick method of cylinder identification is required for gas cylinders?
Standard color identification
What are the non-liquified gases?
Oxygen, air and helium
What are the liquified gases?
Nitrous oxide and CO2
What is the definition of a liquified gas?
A gas that becomes liquid to a large extent in containers at ambient temperature and at pressures from 25-1500psi
What is the definition of a non-liquified gas?
Non-liquified gas: A gas that does not liquefy at ordinary ambient temperatures regardless of the pressure applied
What does the FDA, DOT and OSHA concern themselves with when it comes to gas cylinders?
FDA = purity, only so much detritus is allowed in each cylinder
DOT = marking, labeling, storage, handling
OSHA = employee safety
What components make up the body of the cylinder?
Steel, steel carbon fiber or aluminum body, flat or concave base and a neck with screw threads
What is the purpose of the check valve? What is it commonly made out of?
Attached to the neck, is made of bronze or brass and allows for refilling and discharge of gas
What is the purpose of the cylinder handle?
Opens/closes the cylinder
It is a requirement that a handle should be attached/close to every cylinder
What is the pressure relief device (safety relief)?
A vent that allows the cylinder contents to be released to atmosphere if pressure increases to dangerous levels
What are some examples of pressure relief devices?
A disc that bursts, a fusible plug that melts or a valve that opens
Describe how the pin index safety system works
Each cylinder has an arrangement of pins that only allow connections to the appropriate points. Such as oxygen have pins at positions 2 and 5, and N2O having pins at 3 and 5
What is the relationship of cylinder lettering to size?
A is the smallest and increases with subsequent letters, so A < B < C and so on
What are D cylinders commonly used for? E?
D = transport, E = commonly used on anesthesia machines
What happens to the pressure in a cylinder as the volume of a non-liquefied gas decreases?
Direct relationship; as the volume of a non-liquified gas decreases pressure will decrease (so as volume goes down, PSI goes down)
What happens to the pressure in a cylinder as the volume of a liquefied gas decreases?
There is a mix of liquid and gas in the cylinder. As you release gas, some of the gas will move from the liquid state to the gaseous state. PSI in the cylinder will NOT begin to drop until all the liquid gas is gone
What are the DOT requirements for gas cylinder quality/safety standards?
Service pressure
Test date
Diamond shaped label indicating hazard of gas…danger, warning, or caution
Name and address of manufacturer
Expiration date of contents
What are the basic cylinder standards?
Valves, regulators, gauges never come into contact with oils, greases, lubricants
Never subject to temps above 54 C (130F)
Connections always tight
Never cross use hoses, regulators, gauges
Markings, labels must not be altered
Cannot be dropped, drug, slid
Valve kept closed at all times
Properly secured to prevent fall
What are the basic requirements for storage rooms that house gas cylinders?
Adequate ventilation
Signs “no smoking” “no combustibles”
Not exposed to corrosive chemicals, fumes
Stored upright in bins
Full separated from empty
Wrapping, drapes undesirable
What steps should be taken before/during use of a gas cylinder?
Label, pin index holes, regulator, valve outlet inspected
Check if the tamper seal has been removed
Washer in place
Open valve before bringing cylinder to pt
Face valve outlet away from people
Open slowly
Check service pressure
Correct leaks if any
Describe how gas is delivered throughout the hospital (there are 3 primary points)?
Starts at central supply, when then sends it through piping at around 50 PSI which then arrives to the terminal units also at around 50 PSI
What is the basic location of a central supply for gas?
It is either outdoors in an enclosure or indoors in a secure area.
What are the requirements for a gas bank?
Must have 2 day supply and have a primary and secondary bank
the reserve supply may be in a secondary location
What size cylinders is gas supply generally stored in?
G or H cylinders that are refilled on site
Why is liquid supply of a gas generally more favorable to use?
Less expensive and more convenient to store, it is refilled from supply trucks and has no interruption to service in the hospital
What are the classes of piping?
Main lines: connect gas source to risers
Risers: vertical pipes connecting main line with branch lines on each level of the facility
Branch: sections supplying a room or group of rooms on one level of the facility
What are the requirements for area alarm systems?
Found in critical life support
areas
Alarms if pressure increases/decreases 20% from normal line pressure
Must be audible and visible
Must be labeled for gas and area
Must alarm in at least 2 places, usually Maintenance/engineering, and the affected unit
What are the terminal units?
The point in piped gas distribution where user connects/disconnects by hose
What system is used to make sure the terminal units are connected to the appropriate hoses?
The diameter index safety system (DISS) or quick connects (this is what you likely commonly used in the ICU)
this system works because the nipple and nut vary in bore/diameter of each individual connection for each gas
What is the advantage/disadvantage of quick connectors?
Pro = Quick connection with one or both hands without tools
Con = Leaks more
What are the 2 basic functions of a vaporizer?
To change a liquid anesthetic to a vapor and to add a controlled amount of that vapor to a fresh gas flow in the breathing system
Most modern volatiles exist in the liquid state at what temperature?
Below 68 F (20 C)
What creates vapor pressure?
The molecules of the gas colliding with the container walls
What is saturated vapor pressure?
When equilibrium is achieved from the liquid/gas phases of the volatile. The pressure comes from the vapor colliding with the walls of the container
What factors can changed the saturated vapor pressure?
The characteristics of the liquid and the temperature of the liquid
These factors are independent of atmospheric pressure
What are the definitions of partial pressure and volumes percent
PP = the pressure of a singular gas in a mixture of several gases
VP = is similar to above, but its the concentration of a gas in a mixture expressed as a percentage
VP = partial pressure / total pressure x 100%
What is the vapor pressure of Halothane (Fluothane)?
243
What is the vapor pressure of Isoflurane (Forane)?
238
What is the vapor pressure of Desflurane (Suprane)?
669
What is the vapor pressure of Sevoflurane (Ultane)?
157
What is the heat of vaporization?
The number of calories needed to convert 1 gram of liquid into vapor
What happens to the liquid as the equilibrium shifts to move more molecules into the gaseous state from the liquid state as gas is allowed to leave?
The liquid temperature drops causing vapor pressure to drop and the output of vapor decreases
What is specific heat?
The number of calories needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of something by 1 degree C
What is the relationship of specific heat to the amount of heat absorbed?
The higher the specific heat, the more heat required to raise the temperature of the substance
What is the specific heat of water?
1 cal per gram
Why are materials with higher specific heat’s generally used when making the container to house a vaporizer?
Materials with higher specific heat minimize temperature variations
What is thermal conductivity?
The speed at which heat flows through a substance
The higher the thermal conductivity, the better the substance conducts heat, so a metal has high thermal conductivity
What metals, per lecture, have high thermal conductivity and therefore minimize temperature swings during vaporization?
Copper and aluminum
What is the most common vaporizer?
Concentration calibrated variable bypass
Where should the vaporizer be located?
Between the flow meter and common gas outlet
Why should the vaporizer not be downstream of the common gas outlet?
They are not calibrated for high flows of oxygen flush
How do you adjust how much anesthetic is delivered with variable bypass?
By adjusting the splitting ratio (the more you turn the knob from 0 to higher numbers you increase the splitting ratio)
How does a vaporizer compensate for temperature fluctuations as liquid anesthetic is converted into vapor?
As you lose liquid, the change in temperature causes the temperature compensating valve to move, this automatically changes the splitting ratio to compensate for the decrease in volatile being delivered by increasing the splitting ratio
as temperature decreases, vapor pressure decreases and less volatile gets delivered. The automatic increase in splitting ratio compensates
What color identifies Isoflurane, Sevoflurane and Desflurane?
Sevo = yellow
Iso = purple
Des = blue
It is highly unlikely to have the incorrect agent in a vaporizer, but what safety measure would indicate that this has occurred?
You would see 2 different vapor pressures on the monitor
What do you do to the vaporizer if the incorrect agent has been added to it?
It must be completely discarded/drained. Then run FGF until there is no vapor detected
What is the ideal FGF rate for variable bypass?
250 ml/min to 10 L/min
What happens with low flow rates in the vaporizer? High rates?
Low = The high density of volatile prevents upward movement of molecules
High = failure to saturate carrier gas
In both cases, lower levels of volatiles are delivered to the patient than what is dialed on the vaporizer
The pumping effect causes intermittent back pressure in the circuit. What 2 phenomena can cause this?
Positive pressure ventilation and the oxygen flush valve
more pronounced with low FGF, low dial settings and low levels of liquid in the vaporizing chamber
What measure helps attenuate the pumping effect?
Smaller vaporizing chambers, baffle systems, longer tube for the inlet of vaporizing chamber and the addition of a check valve
Throughout anesthesia, when is little to no rebreathing desired? When is rebreathing desirable?
No rebreathing = emergence
Rebreathing = induction
What is the relationship of FGF to inspired concentration?
High FGF - inspired concentration = the vaporizer setting
Low FGF - the inspired concentration is different than the vaporizer setting
What is the relationship of vapor pressure to barometric pressure?
They are independent of each other (because the vaporizer is generally calibrated to it’s anticipated altitude)
When is tipping most likely to occur?
When the vaporizer is incorrectly removed, transported or replaced
What occurs when tipping happens?
Excess liquid enters the bypass chamber which causes a very high output of volatile = the patient can get an overdose of volatile
Why is overfilling highly unlikely to occur in modern vaporizers?
Modern vaporizers have an overflow hole to allow excess volatile to drain
Common cause of vaporizer leaks?
Loose filler caps, drain valves or vaporizer/mounting bracket interface
when this occurs, there is usually an odor to the cause you can smell
What happens to the Fi if there is a vaporizer leak?
Fi is the inhaled concentration or fraction of the gas, if there is a leak, less gas gets to the patient and can result in patient awareness
What are the basic vaporizer standards?
Average concentrations +/- 20% of setting
Gas may not pass through more than 1 vaporizer
Vaporizer interlock
Output of vaporizer <0.05% in OFF
All control knobs move counterclockwise
Filling levels displayed
What are the mounting standards for vaporizers?
Detachable - Standard on most machines and the weight of vaporizer and “O” ring create seal
Locking lever on back (front for cannisters)
Easily removed and replaced (esp. for MH)
What device prevents more than 1 vaporizer from being turned on at one time?
The interlock device
Where would you find the holes for the pin index safety system?
On the cylinder valve positioned in an arc below the outlet port
What vaporizers include a transport dial to isolate the vaporizer and bypass chamber?
Some Drager vaporizers
When were the first anesthesia machine standards implemented? Last update?
1979 and last update was in 2005
American society for testing and materials oversees this
What are the basic functions of the anesthesia machine?
Provide accurate and safe gas delivery
Provide a means for ventilating patients
Provide electrical outlets
Provide a housing for monitoring devices
Provide storage/shelving
What functions are activated when the master switch is on?
Pneumatic and electrical functions
Activates alarms and safety features
Power-up protocol can be bypassed
What functions are not disabled when the master switch is turned off?
The battery charger, electrical outlets, oxygen flush valve and the auxiliary oxygen flow meter will all still function
What are the basic requirements of the power failure indicator? Recommendations for safe practice?
The alarm must be visual and/or audible. For safe practice, keep the machine plugged in with the battery backup fully charged
Duration of backup depends on power usage, such as are we manually ventilating or automatically ventilating
What is the primary purpose of the electrical outlets on the anesthesia machine?
To power anesthesia monitors. Any other appliances should be plugged into the main hospital outlets
What occurs if electrical requirements/demands exceed the anesthesia outlet?
Circuit breaker activates and the machine will turn off
What are the 3 pneumatic systems?
High pressure, intermediate pressure and low pressure
Where does the high pressure system receive gas and at what pressure?
From the cylinders at high variable pressure, around 2200 PSI
How does the high pressure system convert high pressure gas to a more manageable PSI?
Using the pressure regulator (1st stage regulator) to reduce it to a lower more constant pressure of ~45 PSI
Without the regulator, our flow would constantly be changing
We are required to have yokes for what gas cylinders?
Oxygen and nitrous
What are the basic functions of the hanger yoke?
Orients and supports cylinder
Provides a gas-tight seal
Ensures a unidirectional flow
What parts make up the hanger yoke?
Body - principal framework
Retaining screw - tightens cylinder (clamp)
Nipple - thru which gas enters machine
Index pins- prevents attaching an incorrect cylinder
Washer - forms seal between cylinder and yoke
Check valve assembly - ensures unidirectional flow
What is the purpose of the check valve assembly?
To prevent gas from exiting the machine when there is no cylinder in the yoke. It also prevents gas moving from a cylinder with higher pressure to one with lower pressure
The prevention of gas movement between cylinders only occurs if both cylinders have a yoke and are on
What is a monitoring requirement for each gas being supplied by the cylinders?
Each must have a cylinder pressure indicator
What is the mechanism that enables analogue pressure devices to monitor pressure?
Bourdon tubes - as pressure changes, it increases/decreases the curve of the tube. This change in curvature is transmitted to the gauge to give us a pressure reading
What are the 2 units of measurement that a pressure gauge may be calibrated to?
kPa - kilopascals
PSI - pounds per square inch
What areas of the anesthesia machine make up the intermediate pressure system?
Pneumatic part of master switch
Pipeline inlet connections and indicators
Piping
Oxygen pressure failure devices
Oxygen flush valve
Flow control valves
What is the PSI in the 1st stage regulator? In the pipeline?
1st = PSI of 45
Pipeline = PSI of 50 - 55
What is the intermediate pressure if the master switch is off?
Zero
What are 2 basic requirements for pipeline pressure indicators?
Indicator required for each gas monitored
Usually found on front of anesthesia machine
Why must the pipeline pressure indicator be upstream of the cylinder valve?
If both are open, and the indicator is downstream, you would get an adequate pressure reading until the cylinder is empty, meaning both the pipeline and the cylinder are empty and you have no backup
if the indicator is appropriately upstream, then as soon as you lose pipeline pressure you would see the alarm, start gas from the cylinder, then take the appropriate steps to fix the problem
How much pressure should the anesthesia machine piping be able to withstand?
4x the intended pressure
What is the acceptable leak rate inside the machine?
no more than 25 ml/min
At what PSI is the oxygen failure safety device tripped?
At PSI less than 30
What occurs if oxygen pressure drops below 30 PSI?
Nitrous use is decreased or stopped (if nitrous is running), 19% oxygen concentration is maintained, the alarm sounds within 5 seconds and continues until oxygen flow ceases
What are the basic requirements for the oxygen flush?
Operable with 1 hand
Single purpose
Self-closing
Designed to minimize accidental use
Have flow between 35-75 L/min
What are the risks of the oxygen flush valve?
Barotrauma and surgical awareness (the high flow rate dilutes the anesthetic)
What are the basic requirements for the oxygen flow knob?
It must be larger and fluted so that it looks and feels different from the other knobs
What regulates the flow of oxygen, air and other gases?
Flow adjustment control mechanisms - think knobs for the flowmeters
What components make up the low pressure system?
Everything downstream of flow control devices:
Flowmeters
Hypoxia prevention devices
Unidirectional valves
Pressure relief devices
Common gas outlet
What is the pressure in the low pressure system?
Variable, though should be slightly above atmospheric
Depends on flow from flowmeters and backpressure from breathing circuit
What tube is used in flowmeters?
A Thorpe tube
What makes up a Thorpe tube?
Smallest diameter at bottom
Free floating indicator
A stop at top of tube
A flow scale
What safety measures must be in place on a flow meter?
Marked with the appropriate color and chemical symbol
What pressure does the 2nd stage regulator maintain?
14 - 30 PSI (remember, 1st stage is about 45 PSI)
Smallest diameter at bottom
Free floating indicator
A stop at top of tube
A flow scale
Describe the general trend of gas movement in the anesthesia machine
It goes from bottom to top, and from left to right
this basic setup means that flowmeters should be placed on the right side
Why does flowmeter sequence matter?
Gas should flow from left to right; if a leak occurs in the gas to the far right, all gases behind it will fail/leak as well. So if oxygen is on the far left, and a leak occurs to the right, the patient may get a hypoxic gas mixture. If the oxygen is to the far right, and a leak occurs to the left, oxygen should remain unaffected
What is the mandatory minimum oxygen flow for the flow meter?
50 - 250 ml/min
only when the master switch is on
When does the minimum oxygen ratio activate when using oxygen and nitrous?
When the oxygen concentration drops below 25%
Where are the unidirectional valves located?
Between the vaporizer and the common gas outlet, upstream from the oxygen flush valve
In terms of unwanted pressure, what is the function of the unidirectional valves?
Lessens back pressure from flush or breathing circuit
Where would you find the pressure relief devices?
Near the common gas outlet.
What is the function of the pressure relief devices?
Opens to atmosphere and vents if preset pressure is exceeded
Limits ability of machine to provide adequate pressure for jet ventilation
What is the basic function of the common gas outlet?
Receives all gases from machine and delivers mixture circuit
should not be used for supplemental oxygen and should also be made difficult to disconnect
What is the definition of a ventilator?
Automatic device designed to provide/augment ventilation and oxygenation
What does the ventilator replace or override on anesthesia workstations?
The reservoir bag
What was the primary method of ventilation on older ventilators? What are its drawbacks?
Controlled mandatory ventilation (CMV)
It couldn’t provide high enough inspiratory pressure, couldn’t provide PEEP and offered only volume control ventilation
What type of ventilation has a decrease in Vt if the compliance of the breathing system decreases?
Volume control
volume is used to expand system, and if it takes more volume to overcome a less compliant system, you would lose volume
How do modern vents account for changes in volume delivered related to changes in system compliance?
By using pressure controlled ventilation
What is peak pressure?
maximum pressure during the inspiratory phase time
What is the relationship of FGF to Vt on older vents?
As FGF increases, Vt increased
newer vents divert excess FGF during inspiration
What is the time during which lungs are held inflated at a fixed volume/pressure?
The inspiratory pause time
What is the normal and inverse I/E ratios?
Normal = 1:2, inverse = 2:1
What allows excess gas to be sent to the scavenger during exhalation?
The spill valve
What allows the driving gas to exit the bellows housing?
Exhaust valve
What are the 2 primary factors that affect ventilation?
Compliance of the system and of the patient
Why does a leak decrease Vt?
The vent cannot compensate for a leak
What type of bellows is most common? Why?
Ascending; it’s harder to detect problems with descending (gravity will always pull it down), whereas if there is a problem with ascending you can clearly see the fail to rise
Describe when the bellows ascend/descend for ascending (standing) or descending (hanging) bellows
Ascending: rise on expiration, descend on inspiration
Descending: rise on inspiration, descend on expiration