EBME Forums Forums Maintenance Technical Assistance Surgical trace gas analysis

Hello
For the health & safety of the theatre staff, we used to arrange for GE to go into our theatres and check for the prescence of anasthetic gases during operations. GE no longer provide this service.
Does anyone know of any companies that can provide this analysis of trace gases?
Simon

Don't know of any companies that provide that service but...

Don’t you have Anaesthetic gas scavenging systems installed?

i.e. http://www.summithilllaboratories.com/products_gas.htm

Yes like most operating theatres we use anasthetic gas scavenging but it only removes the patients expired gases (assuming it is functioning & fitted correctly).
We still check for the prescence of trace gases. Are we the only hospital to do this?

Is there any valid (proven) reason for doing so? Surely your theatres have a decent ventilation system?

Your regional QA pharmacy service, the bods that check the purity of gaases after HTM02 repairs etc should be able to do this for you. Ask your AP for medical gases who they use for QA.

Draeger Industrial do some analysis tubes that you leave lying around and they change colour giving you a long term analysis rather than a spot check. I have not used these for anaesthetics but I have used them when nitric oxide first raised it head.
Too long ago to remeber where I got them.
Robert

PS Here is a quick Google to show the type of tube I am talking about.

Or just use the sampling tube from the gas bench of your monitor/anaesthetic machine dangling on the floor.
Robert