Vaporizers Flashcards
What is the function of a vaporizer?
Change liquid anesthetic into vapor, adds controlled amt of vapor to FGF/BS
What is a vapor?
volatile liquid in closed container, molecules enter space above it
Dynamic equilibrium forms if container kept at constant temperature
What is saturated vapor pressure?
highest partial pressure vapor can achieve at certain temperature
At constant temp, dynamic equilibrium reached btw liquid, vapor
What is the proportional effect of temperature on vapor pressure?
Increased temp = increased VP, more molecules added to vapor phase
decreased temp = decreased VP
What is VP affected by?
Liquid, Temp
IS NOT AFFECTED BY AMBIENT PRESSURE
Halothane SVP (torr, 20*C)
243mm Hg
Enflurane SVP (torr, 20*C)
172mm Hg
Isoflurane SVP (torr, 20*C)
240mm Hg
Desflurane SVP (torr, 20*C)
700 mm Hg
Sevoflurane SVP (torr, 20*C)
160mm Hg
Boiling Point
Where vapor pressure = atmospheric pressure
BP decreases with lower atmospheric pressure (?)
Agents with lower BPs: more susceptible to changes in Patm
BP (*C) Halothane at 760mm Hg
50.2
BP (*C) Enflurane at 760mm Hg
56.5
BP (*C) Isoflurane at 760mm Hg
48.5
BP (*C) Desflurane at 760mm Hg
22.8
BP (*C) Sevoflurane at 760mm Hg
59
Partial Pressure
part of total pressure in container DT one gas in mixture of gases
Dalton’s Law: partial pressure exerted by gas
Depends only on temperature, NOT total pressure above liquid
Absolute value
How is partial pressure related to patient depth?
Directly
What is vapor pressure?
Highest partial pressure that can be exerted by a gas at a given temperature
Volumes percent
Number of units of vol of gas IRT total of 100 units of vol for total liquid
Percentage of vol (V/V%) of gas = (Partial pressure of gas/total pressure of air)*100
Vol % = relative ratio
How is vol percent related to patient depth?
Indirectly
Heat of Vaporization
Energy needed for molecules in liquid phase to move into gas phase
Number of calories needed to convert 1g of liquid into vapor
What happens as vaporization proceeds?
As vaporization proceeds, liquid temp drops
Gradient forms, heat flows from surroundings to liquid to equilibrate temperature
Lower liquid temperature, greater the gradient, greater flow of heat from surroundings
Specific Heat
Quantity of heat required to raise temp of 1g of substance by 1*C
Higher specific heat, more heat required to raise temperature of given quantity of that substance
Alternative definition: amt of heat required to raise temp of 1mL of substance by 1C, standard = H2O at 1cal/g/C (1cal/mL/*C)
Why is specific heat important to anesthesia vaporizers?
How much heat must be supplied to liquid ax to maintain stable temp during vaporization?
Choosing material for vaporizer: materials with high specific heat experience more gradual temperature changes
Thermal Conductivity
Measure of speed with which heat moves through substance
Greater thermal conductivity means substance better conducts heat
Thermostabilization
best achieved by constructing vaporizer with high thermal conductivity ie bronze, copper
If vaporizer has wicks, must be in contact with metal part so heat loss through vaporization can be quickly replaced
What are examples of measured flow vaporizers?
Copper kettle, Desflurane, Ohio #8
What are three components of measured flow vaporizers?
vaporizer, vaporizer flow meter, bypass flowmeter
Measured Flow Settings, Compensation
- Require temperature compensation via flow control
-Often require algebraic conversion or slide rule to determine ratio of vaporizer setting to bypass flow
What are the methods of vaporization?
- Variable Bypass
- Flow Over
- Bubble Through
- Injection
What is the main purpose of a variable bypass vaporizer?
VP anesthetic agents > partial pressure required to produce ax
* Must have way to dilute amt of VA being delivered to patient
* Accomplished by splitting gas through vaporizer
MOA variable bypass: splitting valve
- determines how much of FGF goes through bypass vs into vaporizing chamber
- Come together at vaporizer outlet to enter BS
Splitting ratio
vaporizing chamber FR/bypass FR
Depends on ratios btw two pathways, which in turn depends on adjustable orifice = outlet of vaporizing chamber
Also depends on total flow to vaporizer
MOA: flow over
Carrier gas passes over surface of liquid
Requires compensation: changes in gas FR through vap = changes in output
Ex: if excessively high flow, complete saturation of gas moving through vaporizing chamber may not occur so decreases output
Increased surface area of gas-liquid interface, increased efficiency of vaporization
Strategies of flow rate compensation?
–Increase surface area of carrier gas-liquid interface to ensure full saturation of gas exiting vap chamber
MOA:
–Baffles, spiral tracks – used to lengthen gas pathway over liquid (Tec 5)
– Wicks increase SA of liquid through capillary action, must have bases IN liquid anesthetic
MOA bubble through
Carrier gas bubbled through liquid via diffuser
MOA injection
Inject known amt of liquid anesthetic into known vol of gas
VOC?
High resistance, prevents pressurizing effect
VIC?
Low resistance
Agents with low VP (methoxyflurane) or potency (ether)
Affected by minute vol, FGF, PPV, temp
3 ways achieve temp compensation
- Construct vaporizer out of materials that supply/conduct heat efficiently so act as ‘sink’ from atmosphere, greater thermostability
- Suppled heat
- Alter splitting ratio so that increase GF as temperature decreases/decrease GF as temp increases
MOA supplied heat
electric heater used to supply heat to vaporizer
Computerized thermocompensation
Changing amt of liquid injected, heat loss DT vap may not be important
Altering flow of carrier gas through vaporization chamber
All done electronically
Mechanical Thermocompensation
- Compensates by altering splitting ratio
-Main principle: liquids/metals contract when get cold, expand as warm
So as vaporizer cools, the thermal element allows more carrier gas to pass through vaporizer
Why does the vaporizer decrease in temperature?
For vaporization to occur, anesthetic molecules have to escape from liquid and become vapor –> reduces energy of remaining liquid
More molecules escape (become vapor), more energy lost from liquid
As vaporization happens, falling temp/lowering energy of liquid = less vaporization = decrease concentration of anesthetic being delivered
What are the 3 strategies of mechanical thermocompensation?
- Liquid bellows
- Metal rod
- bimetallic strip (Tec series)
Agent Specificity
Most modern vaporizers = agent specific
Multipurpose: Ohio #8, Stephens
Resistance
- Plenum
- Draw Over
Plenum
High resistance, unidirectional, agent specific, variable bypass vaporizers, VOC
Draw Over
Low resistance
inefficient vs plenum
Robust, portable - good for field ax
Concentration Calibrated
Calibrated by agent concentration expressed in % of vapor output
Vaporizer output controlled by single knob or dial that calibrated in volumes percent
Designed to be btw FM, common gas outlet
o NOT for use btw common gas outlet, BS – cannot handle high FGFs of O2 flush, will increase resistance
Effects of barometric pressure
Most calibrated at sea level, ASTM standards: effects of changes in ambient pressure on performance included in manual
What happens with back pressure?
Occurs during IPPV, O2 flush activation
positive pressure transmitted back from BS to machine, vaporizers = increased or decreased outflow from vaporizer
What is the pumping effect?
Increased vaporizer outflow due to : positive pressure breath causes transmission of back pressure to vaporizer, thus back pressure opposes gas flow out of vaporizer chamber and bypass
MOA Pumping Effect
FGF entering vaporizer retrograde gets compressed
Size of vapor chamber > bypass, more gas gets compressed in vaporizer chamber
That excess gas in vap chamber collects vapor
When pressure released, goes all directions including retrograde into bypass tract so now, delivering vapor from both vaporizing chamber and bypass tract = OVERDOSE
Contributing factors to pumping effect
less agent in vap chamber (vaporizer less full), carrier gas flow low, pressure fluctuations high/frequent, dial setting low
Which type of flow is Assoc with pumping effect?
LOW carrier gas flows
Strategies to reduce pumping effect
Reduce size of vaporizing chamber relative to bypass chamber
decreases amt of pressurized gas reaching vaporizing chamber
Long spiral, small-diameter tube to connect vap chamber to bypass channel (Drager 19.1)
amt of pressurized gas reaching vaporizing chamber
One way check valves immediately upstream from vaporizer
Sometimes used downstream O2 flush: prevent back pressure assoc with use
Exclude wicks from area where inlet tube joins vaporizing chamber
Overall increase resistance (?) of gas flow through vaporizer
Pressurizing Effect
essentially dilutes out anesthetic agent, decreases outflow
pressure to vaporizer outlet causes increased pressure to vaporizer chamber -> compression of carrier gas molecules so that more molecules of carrier gas per mL
Number of vapor molecules in chamber DOES NOT CHANGE bc vapor pressure depends solely on temperature, NOT ambient pressure
Same molecules of vapor in more molecules of carrier gas = decreased concentration of anesthetic in chamber/outlet
Contributing factors to pressurizing effect
high flows, large pressure fluctuations, low vaporizer settings
Which type of flow is assoc with pressurizing effect?
High flows
Effects of Rebreathing?
Vaporizer dial setting = reflects concentration of inhalational agent delivered to BS
If little to no rebreathing: Fi(inhal) ~ Et(inhal)
As decrease FGF, exhaled gases = more significant portion of inspired gases –difference btw vaporizer setting, inspired concentration
Increased minute volume -> increased rebreathing = greater effect
Need agent analyzer to determine inspired agent concentration
3 ways to fill vaporizers
- Standard screw capped filler port/funnel fill system - pour into vaporizer chamber
- Agent specific keyed port - prevents inadvertent filling of vap with wrong ax, grooves specific to agent
- Quik-Fill system (sevo, maybe iso): bottle pushed into vaporizer component, valve opens allowing filling
How to fill desflurane vaporizer
All vaporizers use same bottle to fill vaporizer
Crimped on adapter that has spring loaded valve that opens when bottle pushed into filling port
When bottle removed, valve on bottle closes to prevent agent spill
Filling port has spring valve to prevent agent from escaping
Mounting Systems
Back bar, rail or mounting system used to hold vaporizers on machine
Cagemount systems in vet med: 23mm taper push fittings (inlet, outlet; female, male) to attach vaporizer to gas delivery system, vaporizer bolted directly to back bar
- Permanent
- Proprietary Systems
Pros of permanent mounting
Less physical damage to vaporizers
fewer leaks
always filled in vertical position
Cons of permanent mounting
Machine may not have enough mounting locations to accommodate all needed vaporizers
Malfunctioning vaporizer cannot easily be exchanged
Pros of proprietary mounting systems
–More compact machine with fewer mounting locations
–Vaporizers can be easily removed, replaced even during a case
–Can remove vaporizer if have MH
What are the two proprietary mounting systems?
- Selectatec
- Drager
Cons of proprietary mounting systems
–Partial or complete obstruction to gas flow from problems with mounting system
–Leaks, absent/damaged o-ring
–Leaving walking lever in unlocked position
–Compatibility challenges among different manufacturers