AnaConDa®
The use of volatile anaesthetic agents like isofluraneand sevoflurane is today common practice for generalanaesthesia. To be able to administer the agentssafely anaesthesia machines are being used. Thesehave been developed to reduce the amount of volatileagents needed and to make them environmentallysafe by including a circle system with a carbon dioxideabsorber and a valve system that re-circulates theagents.
AnaConDa can because of its miniature vaporizerand conserving medium be combined with a normalventilator and a monitoring system to create a lowcost, low flow anaesthesia machine with the sameperformance characteristics (1) as a modernanaesthesia machine.
During the last decade several publications aresuggesting volatile agents as more optimal sedativedrugs in the ICU (2,3,4,5,6,7). The advantagessuggested are: shorter wake-up times, more reliableroute of administration, few side effects and nodevelopment of tolerance. Sedation with isofluraneor sevoflurane also makes the sedation level easy tocontrol. The limitation of use has been the possibilityto administer volatile anaesthetic agents in an easyway outside the operation room. AnaConDa iseliminating the last barrier to use volatile anaestheticagents wherever you want.
The high efficiency conserving media consists ofactive carbon with a very large surface. Its efficiencydepends on the tidal volume of the patient and thedesired concentration of the volatile agent. Withclinically relevant concentrations >90 % is reused.
The high capacity miniature vaporizer can becauseof its big surface and its place close to the patientusing the heat from the patient vaporize any clinicallyrelevant volume of anaesthetic agents.
Because of small volume in the AnaConDa, 100 ml,it is easy to change the concentration.
AnaConDa is a small compact unit and contains whenused very little anaesthetic agent making itenvironmentally safe.
It is easier and faster to regulate the concentrationwith an AnaConDa compared to a circle system inan anaesthesia machine since the volume in theAnaConDa is so small, 100 ml compared toapproximately 5 l.