1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to anesthesia ventilation systems, more particularly to anesthesia spirometer and circle absorption circuits, and especially to cleaning such circuits.
2. Background
In a modern medical clinical setting, it is frequently necessary to assist and control the breathing of a patient who is unable to breathe independently. The anesthesia ventilation systems used for this purpose commonly include a device known as an anesthesia circle absorption system. The patient breathes through this device. When inhaling, the patient draws gases from the closed circle absorption system through a breathing circuit via a unidirectional inhalation valve. When the patient exhales, the inhalation valve closes and an exhalation valve, which was closed during inhalation, opens. The exhaled gases pass through the exhalation valve and into absorbent canisters where carbon dioxide is removed from the exhaled gases.
Because the patient s breath includes a mixture of water vapor and biological matter possibly including pathogens, the absorber circuit must be cleaned and dried in order to remain sanitary. Sanitation has taken on renewed importance after several recent and alarming reports of the detection of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in medical facilities.
Cleaning and drying should be completed before the circuit is used again. As a practical matter, this should be done quickly in order to minimize the time the circuit is out of service. Generally, the absorbent canisters are also replaced before the next use. Thus, efficiency and convenience favor cleaning the circuit at that time rather than waiting until later or leaving the circuit disassembled. It is also preferable for practical reasons to accomplish these tasks in or near the operating room rather than transporting the circuit to a remote cleaning facility. It is also desirable to avoid the inconvenience of immersing the whole circuit in a cleaning tank, although certain components may be removed and dealt with separately. What is needed is an efficient, rapid way of cleaning and drying the absorber circuit without transporting it to a remote location and without providing a cleaning tank in which to immerse the circuit. What is especially needed is a way of doing so which is performed locally and does not require expensive cleaning facilities.