A reply

Abstract

Thank you for the opportunity to reply to Drs Croinin and Keogh's letter. They report that is possible to switch hoses on 17-mm and 19-mm manifold connections. An attempt to switch hoses on a Mod II Plus was performed. The 17-mm hose would go onto the 19-mm fitting with additional force applied. The 19-mm hose (0225-0807-700) that we supply with our Scavinging assembly would not stay on the 17-mm fitting. In the O & M manual, pre-operative checkout procedures figs 4–9 and 4–10 show the correct connections for the 17-mm and 19-mm hoses. If the pre-operative check procedures are performed with the 17-mm and 19-mm switched on, the manifold failures will be encountered. A failure will be noted on page 4–16 step 12 where the reading will be lower than the 3.3–4.3 l specified, and no up and down movement of the bellows will be visible. On page 4–19 and 4–20 steps 15 and 16 will also fail. If the Ohmeda pre-operative check procedures are completed this condition would be detected. The Checklist for Anaesthetic Apparatus published by the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland states: ‘It is not intended to supplant any pre-anaesthetic checking procedures issued by manufacturers, but should be used in conjunction with them’. The connection installed into the manifold (0236-0478-700) was changed from 19 mm to 30 mm on ECO 96-3500. Standards were being drafted calling for a 30-mm conical connector for Anaesthetic Gas Scavenging Systems.