Veterinary Clinics should check their Anaesthesia Machine daily before use. This includes a simple leak test, as well as a thorough inspection of all circuits, bags, soda lime & waste gas systems. Anything that appears damaged or broken should be replaced immediately & tested again. If the problem cannot be rectified, contact your Service Provider for assistance.

Your Anaesthesia Machine should be maintained professionally every 2 years by your service provider. This includes a full Leak & output test of your entire Anaesthesia System including the Vaporiser. Your service provider will use a portable Riken Gas Analyser to ensure the delivery of Anaesthetic Gases is at the correct dilution to the patient. You should also receive a Certificate to certify your machine is compliant. If you don’t receive a certificate, your service provider may not be doing the job properly. Ask for a certificate.

The Vaporiser on your machine must be maintained as per the manufacture’s recommendations. This will vary from 2 years to 10 years depending on the brand & style. This is extremely important as the Vaporiser can drift within the specified time & needs to be rebuilt & re calibrated at the designated intervals. This can not be done on site as a controlled environment is required. Anyone who tells you otherwise is misleading you. Vaporisers are considered “in spec.” if the output is within +- 15% of the dial setting. Recalibrated Vaporisers should be closer to +- 10% for drift allowances. Talk to your service provider about exchanging your vaporiser with a freshly calibrated one to save on downtime.

Leaks on your machine can lead to dilution of anaesthetic gases and pollute your workspace, not to mention increase your operating costs. Just because you have no problems keeping your animals under anaesthetic does not mean that your staff are not breathing harmful gases. Your staff demand a safe workplace & your clients expect you to provide a professional & humane hospitalisation visit. Your Anaesthetic Machine generates your income, so please ensure your machines are up to standard as is expected. It’s a small cost every 2 years for piece of mind & compliance.