Hypoxia prevention safety devices

1. What is hypoxic device?
2. Which safety device is most likely to detect a hypoxic mixture created by a vaporizer leak?
3. What are the alarms common to all anaesthetic machines?

What is hypoxic device?

Hypoxic guard systems are one of the safety systems in anesthesia machines that are designed to avoid the risk of delivering a hypoxic gas mixture to the patient during general anesthesia.

Which safety device is most likely to detect a hypoxic mixture created by a vaporizer leak?

Flowmeter inaccuracy or a small leak from a cracked O₂ flowmeter can cause the anesthesia machine to dispense a hypoxic gas mixture into the breathing circuit. The O₂ analyzer in the latter is designed to detect such an occurrence. Other flowmeter problems are not liable to lead to patient injury.

What are the alarms common to all anaesthetic machines?

The oxygen supply pressure failure alarm sounds an audible alarm in case of oxygen supply pressure loss. Usually this feature is combined with the low oxygen pressure cutoff feature, so that the alarm sounds and the flow of gases stop at about the same tune.