Image gallery
The respirator bag valve mask
Anesthesia machine
Oxygen mask
Laryngoscope
Tracheostomy tube
Tuohy needle
Flexible Endoscope
Syringe
Epidural catheter
Spinal needles
Following is a list of instruments used in the practice of anesthesia
| Instrument | Uses [1] [2] |
|---|---|
| Continuous-flow anaesthetic machine | used to provide a measured and continuous supply of gases (oxygen, nitrous oxide, etc.), mixed with a required concentration of anesthetic vapor to the patient at a required pressure and rate; video link |
| Anesthetic vaporizers | vaporizes the anesthetic |
| Oxygen mask | to deliver oxygen and/or to administer aerosolized medications |
| Nasal oxygen set | to deliver oxygen |
| Guedel airways [3] | hard part of the airway maintenance that connects the mouth part to the pharyngeal part |
| Yankauer suction tip | Suction catheters used to remove secretions from the mouth, oropharynx, trachea and bronchi |
| Peripheral venous catheter | |
| Water & sand weight bag | |
| Artificial resuscitator (Bag valve mask) | manual ventilation |
| Bain circuit | respiratory maintenance circuit |
| Laryngoscope | used to view larynx including the vocal cords, the glottis, etc. |
| Endotracheal tube | a tube introduced into the patient's trachea to maintain a patient to ensure that air reaches the lungs for respiration |
| Laryngeal mask airway (LMA) | a less stimulating alternative to an endotracheal tube |
| Endoscope | to look inside the larynx, trachea, bronchi |
| Eschmann stylet or Gum elastic bougie | a flexible device introduced through the mouth during some intubation procedures; if the stylet is in the trachea, while passing in, gives a sensation of bumps and then finally stops going in at a point, it indicates that it was gliding over tracheal rings and has stopped at one of the bronchi (the patient may even cough during this time); if it goes into the esophagus, it will not bump and neither will it stop going in; used to judge where the endotracheal tube has gone in [4] |
| HEPA Filter | to filter out dust particles from the gas being given to the patient |
| Hypodermic needle | for injections, infusions, etc. |
| Tuohy needle | for epidural catheter insertion |
| Spinal needle | used for puncturing the spinal canal for injection of medications in spinal anaesthesia |
| Epidural catheter | used to administer medications into the epidural space |
| Syringe | to inject medications |
| Mucus sucker | to aspirate any fluid specially mucus from the respiratory passage |
| Variable performance devices | |
| Fixed performance devices | |
| Peripheral Nerve Stimulator | to locate the nerve during regional anesthesia |
| TOF Monitor | to decide the repeat / reverse the anesthesia effect |
General anesthesia does not always require the anesthetic machine, tested daily, as basic equipment. Anesthesia machines may differ in appearance, size and degree of sophistication but generally speaking, they consist of sections for:
It is imperative that essential medical pipeline gas supply, e.g. oxygen], nitrous oxide and air, are secured firmly to the machine, and readily available without any obstructions, defects or pressure leaks. They should also be checked in between cases, ensuring that the breathing apparatus and breathing circuit are fully patent, for the safe anesthesia of patients. Major manufacturers of anesthetic machines are General Electric (GE), Larsen & Toubro Limited, Draeger and MAQUET.
Anesthesia is a state of controlled, temporary loss of sensation or awareness that is induced for medical purposes. It may include some or all of analgesia, paralysis, amnesia, and unconsciousness. A person under the effects of anesthetic drugs is referred to as being anesthetized.
Tracheal intubation, usually simply referred to as intubation, is the placement of a flexible plastic tube into the trachea (windpipe) to maintain an open airway or to serve as a conduit through which to administer certain drugs. It is frequently performed in critically injured, ill, or anesthetized patients to facilitate ventilation of the lungs, including mechanical ventilation, and to prevent the possibility of asphyxiation or airway obstruction.
A local anesthetic (LA) is a medication that causes absence of pain sensation. In the context of surgery, a local anesthetic creates an absence of pain in a specific location of the body without a loss of consciousness, as opposed to a general anesthetic. When it is used on specific nerve pathways, paralysis also can be achieved.
In medicine, venipuncture or venepuncture is the process of obtaining intravenous access for the purpose of venous blood sampling or intravenous therapy. In healthcare, this procedure is performed by medical laboratory scientists, medical practitioners, some EMTs, paramedics, phlebotomists, dialysis technicians, and other nursing staff. In veterinary medicine, the procedure is performed by veterinarians and veterinary technicians.
Medical fetishism refers to a number of sexual fetishes in which participants derive sexual pleasure from medical scenarios including objects, practices, environments, and situations of a medical or clinical nature. In sexual roleplay, a hospital or medical scene involves the sex partners assuming the roles of doctors, nurses, surgeons and patients to act out specific or general medical fetishes. Medical fantasy is a genre in pornography, though the fantasy may not necessarily involve pornography or sexual activity.
An operating theater is a facility within a hospital where surgical operations are carried out in an aseptic environment.
A breathing gas is a mixture of gaseous chemical elements and compounds used for respiration. Air is the most common, and only natural, breathing gas. But other mixtures of gases, or pure oxygen, are also used in breathing equipment and enclosed habitats such as scuba equipment, surface supplied diving equipment, recompression chambers, high-altitude mountaineering, high-flying aircraft, submarines, space suits, spacecraft, medical life support and first aid equipment, and anaesthetic machines.
An anaesthetic machine or anesthesia machine is a medical device used to generate and mix a fresh gas flow of medical gases and inhalational anaesthetic agents for the purpose of inducing and maintaining anaesthesia.
Desflurane is a highly fluorinated methyl ethyl ether used for maintenance of general anesthesia. Like halothane, enflurane, and isoflurane, it is a racemic mixture of (R) and (S) optical isomers (enantiomers). Together with sevoflurane, it is gradually replacing isoflurane for human use, except in economically undeveloped areas, where its high cost precludes its use. It has the most rapid onset and offset of the volatile anesthetic drugs used for general anesthesia due to its low solubility in blood.
Epidural administration is a method of medication administration in which a medicine is injected into the epidural space around the spinal cord. The epidural route is used by physicians and nurse anesthetists to administer local anesthetic agents, analgesics, diagnostic medicines such as radiocontrast agents, and other medicines such as glucocorticoids. Epidural administration involves the placement of a catheter into the epidural space, which may remain in place for the duration of the treatment. The technique of intentional epidural administration of medication was first described in 1921 by Spanish military surgeon Fidel Pagés. In the United States, over 50% of childbirths involve the use of epidural anesthesia.
An oxygen mask provides a method to transfer breathing oxygen gas from a storage tank to the lungs. Oxygen masks may cover only the nose and mouth or the entire face. They may be made of plastic, silicone, or rubber. In certain circumstances, oxygen may be delivered via a nasal cannula instead of a mask.
Hypoxemia is an abnormally low level of oxygen in the blood. More specifically, it is oxygen deficiency in arterial blood. Hypoxemia has many causes, and often causes hypoxia as the blood is not supplying enough oxygen to the tissues of the body.
The Birmingham gauge is a wire gauge system, and is also used to specify thickness or diameter of hypodermic needles and tube products.
A urethrotomy is an operation which involves incision of the urethra, especially for relief of a stricture. It is most often performed in the outpatient setting, with the patient (usually) being discharged from the hospital or surgery center within six hours from the procedure's inception.
An anesthetic technician is an allied healthcare worker who performs a patient care role predominantly assisting with the administration and monitoring of anesthesia and has an extensive knowledge of anesthesia techniques, instruments, supplies and technology.
A medical procedure is a course of action intended to achieve a result in the delivery of healthcare.
An anesthetic vaporizer or anaesthetic vaporiser is a device generally attached to an anesthetic machine which delivers a given concentration of a volatile anesthetic agent. It works by controlling the vaporization of anesthetic agents from liquid, and then accurately controlling the concentration in which these are added to the fresh gas flow. The design of these devices takes account of varying: ambient temperature, fresh gas flow, and agent vapor pressure.
A breathing system or breathing circuit is a medical device used to deliver oxygen, remove carbon dioxide, and deliver inhalational anaesthetic agents to a patient. Originally developed for use in anaesthesiology, many variants of breathing system are in clinical use, but most comprise a source of fresh gas flow, a length of breathing tubing to direct the gas, an adjustable pressure limiting valve to control pressure within the system and direct waste away, and a reservoir bag to allow assisted ventilation.
Intercostal nerve block is a nerve block which temporarily or permanently interrupts the flow of signals along an intercostal nerve, usually performed to relieve pain.
Robert Marvin Epstein is an American anesthesiologist, a member of the National Academy of Medicine, and the Harold Carron Professor of Anesthesiology (emeritus) at the University of Virginia.
