Anaesthetic vaporiser
Overview
Anaesthetic machine
The anaesthetic machine is used by anaesthesiologists and nurse anaesthetists to support the administration of anaesthesia...
which delivers a given concentration of a volatile anaesthetic agent.
The design of these devices takes account of varying
- ambient temperature
- fresh gas flowFresh gas flowFresh gas flow refers to the mixture of medical gases and volatile anaesthetic agents which is produced by an anaesthetic machine. The flow rate and composition of the fresh gas flow is determined by the anaesthetist....
- agent vapour pressure
Historically, ether
Diethyl ether
Diethyl ether, also known as ethyl ether, simply ether, or ethoxyethane, is an organic compound in the ether class with the formula . It is a colorless, highly volatile flammable liquid with a characteristic odor...
(the first volatile agent) was first used by John Snow
John Snow (physician)
John Snow was an English physician and a leader in the adoption of anaesthesia and medical hygiene. He is considered to be one of the fathers of epidemiology, because of his work in tracing the source of a cholera outbreak in Soho, England, in 1854.-Early life and education:Snow was born 15 March...
's inhaler (1847) but was superseded by the use of chloroform
Chloroform
Chloroform is an organic compound with formula CHCl3. It is one of the four chloromethanes. The colorless, sweet-smelling, dense liquid is a trihalomethane, and is considered somewhat hazardous...
(1848).
