VAPORIZERS

                                   

                    
 Anesthetic Vaporizers

• It is a device used to produce a controlled and

predictable concentration of anesthetic vapor
in the carrier gas passing through the
vaporizer
 Classification
• Plenum
– Positive pressure is developed upstream of vaporizers, e.g.
All Tec type vaporizer and kettle type. High resistance to
gas flow

• Draw-over
– Sub atmospheric pressure is developed in gas stream distal
to vaporizers either by patient or mechanical means, e.g.
EMO, Oxford Miniature Vaporizers. Low in resistance to gas
flow.
Oxford Miniature Vaporizer
Classification :

1- Agent specific / multiple agent

2- Variable bypass / measured flow
3- Flow over / bubble thru
4- VOC / VIC
 Features of modern vap.
• Variable bypass
– Fresh gas splits into bypass gas and carrier gas
• Flow over
– Carrier gas flows over the surface of the liquid volatile agent in the
vaporizing chamber
• Temperature compensated
– Equipped with automatic devices that ensure steady vaporizer output
over a wide range of ambient temperatures
• Agent-specific
– Only calibrated for a single gas, usually with keyed fillers
• Out of circuit
 Physical principles
• Vapor pressure
• Pressure exerted by the mol. Of vapors on the wall of container.
– Saturated vapor pressure (wicks/ baffles/ bubble through)
– VP increases with temperature/physical characteristics of volatile anesth. agent
– Not affected by the ambient pressure
– At boiling point Vapour Pressure = Atmospheric pressure
• Latent heat of vaporization
– Number of calories needed to convert 1 gram of liquid to vapor without a
temp. change. Temp. of remaining liquid falls, and may decrease rate of
vaporization
• Specific heat
– Number of calories needed to increase the temp of 1 gram of a substance(of
vaporizer) by 1 degree C.
• Thermal conductivity
– Measure of speed with which heat flows through a substance.
– Vap.are made of copper having high sp. Heat and high thermal conductivity. It
helps maintain a uniform temperature.
 Vapor pressure versus temperature curves for desflurane, isoflurane, halothane, enflurane, and sevoflurane.
The vapor pressure curve for desflurane is steeper and shifted to higher vapor pressures compared with the
curves for other contemporary inhaled anesthetics. (From inhaled anesthetic package insert equations and
from Susay SR, Smith MA, Lockwood GG: The saturated vapor pressure of desflurane at various temperatures.
Anesth Analg 83:864–866, 1996.)
 Saturated vapor pressure
• The most important factor governing vaporizer
design is the saturated vapor pressure (SVP) of the
anesthetic. SVP is a measure of the volatility of the
liquid anesthetic in the carrier gas:
• Anesthetics with a high SVP will require a smaller
proportion of the total gas flowing through the
vaporizer to pass through the vaporizing chamber to
produce a given concentration than will anesthetics
with a low SVP
 Boiling point
• Temp. at which vapor pressure equals atmospheric pressure

Halothane Enflurane Isoflurane Sevoflurane Desflurane

SVP at 243 175 240 168 668

200c

Boiling 50 56 49 58 22.8
point at 20
C
 Max. SVP
• Increasing the surface area for the carrier gas
by the use of:
• Wicks
• Series of Baffles
• Bubbling the gas through the liqiud
volatile anesthetic.
 Temp. compensation
• Heat transferred from surrounding metal
(copper)
• Temp. compensated valve which increases the
flow as the temp. falls by adjusting the
splitting ratio:
• Bimetallic strip
• single metal
• Bellows
 VAPORIZER
Use at hyperbaric pressure
• SVP is unaffected by ambient pressure
• Partial pressure remains the same
• Depth of anesthesia is dependent on partial
pressure rather than on its %
• Hence the same vap. Can be used at varying
atm. Pressure.
 Characteristics of ideal VAPORIZER

• Performance not affected by changes in FGF,

vol. of liquid agent, ambient temp. and
pressure, dec. in temp. and pressure
• Low resistance to flow
• Light wt. with small liquid requirement
• Economical and safety in use
• Corrosion and solvent- resistant
Generic variable-bypass vaporizer.
Vaporizer components include the concentration control dial, the bypass
chamber, the vaporizing chamber, the filler port, and the filler cap.
 Operating principles of variable bypass
vaporizers
• Splitting ratio
– Between carrier and bypass depends on concentration control dial
– Temp. compensated valve
• Effect of flow rate… Variation is notable at extremes of flow rates
– Output is constant over the range of flow from 250ml-15L/min.
• Effect of ambient temp
– Output is linear (uniform increase) from 20-35 Centigrade due to
• Automatic temp compensation devices
• Wicks in contact with the walls of vaporizer replace heat used for
vaporization
• Metals of high specific heat and thermal conductivity
• Effect of intermittent back pressure/ Pumping effect
.Long inlet tube to vaporizing chamber
.One way check valve at common gas outlet
.Equal vol. of bypass and vaporization chamber
Simplified schematic drawing of the Ohmeda Tec-
type vaporizer ( Temp. Compensation)
 Vapor 19.n

TEC 3 Ohmeda TEC 4

TEC 5

TEC 4 TEC 5
 Differences in TEC series
TEC 2 : obsolete

TEC 3 : improved vaporization due to increased area of wicks

long inlet port in the vaporizing chamber.

improved accuracy at low gas flows

Bimetallic strip in bypass channel

TEC 4 : No spillage in bypass channel if vaporizer inverted

Inability to turn on two vaporizers at a time

TEC 5 : improved surface area for vaporization in chamber

improved keyed filling action

easier mechanism for switching on the rotary valve

Tec 2 - a bimetallic strip increases flow through the
vaporizing chamber when temperature decreases
Tec 3- a bimetallic strip increases flow through the
bypass chamber when temperature increases
 Ohio 100 - a bellows and thimble valve increases flow
through the bypass when temperature increases

• Ohio 100 - a bellows and thimble

valve increases flow through the
bypass when temperature
increases
 Datex-Ohmeda Tec 6 Vaporizers for
Desflurane
• It is an electrically heated, pressurized device
specifically designed to deliver desflorane.
• Desflurane has boiling point of 22.8 C, MAC
value of 6 to 7%.
 Problems of Desflurane
• At 20C, the vapor pressure of desflurane is near 1
atmosphere.[664mm of Hg]
• Vapor pressure of enflurane ,isoflurane ,halothane, and
desflurane at 20 C are 172,240,244 and 668.
• At 1 atmosphere and 20 oC,100mL/min flow passing
through vaporizing chamber would carry 735 mL/min
desflurane versus 29,46 and 47 mL/min of enflurane,
isoflurane and halothane respectively.
• Under these conditions to produce 1% of desflurane, we
need 73L/min pass flow as compared to 5L/min for other
anesthetics to pass through vaporizer.
Tec 6 Desflurane Vaporizer
 Datex-Ohmeda Tec 6 Vaporizers for
Desflurane
• described as a gas/vapor blender than as a vaporizer.
• It is heated electrically to 35 C with a pressure of 1550 mmHg( 2 atm)
• Electronic monitors of vaporizer function
• FGF does not enter vaporization chamber, instead Desflurane vapor enters
the path of FGF.
• Percentage control dial regulates the flow of Desflurane into FGF
• Dial calibration is from 1% to 18%
• Provided with back up 9 volt battery
 Aladin Cassette Vaporizer System
A Novel system
Single vaporizer capable of delivering
5 different anaesthetic agents
It is designed for use with Datex-Ohmeda S/5 ADU and similar
machines.
FGF is divided into by – pass flow and liquid chamber flow

Liquid chamber flow conducted into agent specific, color coded

cassette in which volatile anesthetic is vaporized
Machine accepts only one cassette at a time and recognizes cassette
through Magnetic Labeling
Aladin cassette vaporizer
 Safety features
Important safety features include:
• Colour specific for each agent
• Keyed fillers bottles
• Low filling port
• Secured vaporizers (less ability to move them about minimizes tipping)
• Interlocks
– Only one vaporizer is turned on
– Gas enters only the one which is on
– Trace vapor output is minimized when the vaporizer is off
– Vaporizers are locked into the gas circuit, thus ensuring they are seated correctly

• Concentration dial increases output in all when rotated counterclockwise

(as seen from above
Keyfillers
Key-filler vaporizer bottles
 When one vaporizer is in use, the pins extend
and prevent other vaporizers being switched on
Ohmeda Selectatec vaporizers incorporate
pins in the manifold that are linked to the
control dial
The Dräger Interlock 1 system for Vapor 19.2
vaporizers features a rotating bar on the
manifold with teeth that fit into a cut-out on
the back of the control dial.
 Hazards
• Tipping
– If tipped >45 degrees-liquid can obstruct the outlet valves
• Tx-Flush for 20-30 min at high flow rates with dial set at high conc.

• Overfilling
– May result in high output
– Fill only up to max filling line
– Fill only when the vaporizer is off
• Leaks
– Relatively common due to malposition or loose filler cap.
– Not detected with standard checklist—perform negative pressure
check
 Hazards cont.
• Misfilling
• Vaporizers not equipped with keyed filling lead to misfilling.
• Contamination
• It occurs by filling a vaporizer with contaminated anesthetic
bottle.
• Underfilling
• Leads to dec.vaporizer output.
• Simultaneous Inhaled Anesthetic Aministration
• Happened in old machines with no interlock system.
THANK YOU