title: Inhalational anaesthesia with low fresh gas flow.
abstract: During the inhalation of anaesthesia use of low fresh gas flow (0.35-1 L/min) has some important advantages. There are three areas of benefit: pulmonary - anaesthesia with low fresh gas flow improves the dynamics of inhaled anaesthesia gas, increases mucociliary clearance, maintains body temperature and reduces water loss. Economic - reduction of anaesthesia gas consumption resulting in significant savings of > 75% and Ecological - reduction in nitrous oxide consumption, which is an important ozone-depleting and heat-trapping greenhouse gas that is emitted. Nevertheless, anaesthesia with high fresh gas flows of 2-6 L/min is still performed, a technique in which rebreathing is practically negligible. This special article describes the clinical use of conventional plenum vaporizers, connected to the fresh gas supply to easily perform low (1 L/min), minimal (0.5 L/min) or metabolic flow anaesthesia (0.35 L/min) with conventional Primus Draeger(®) anaesthesia machines in routine clinical practice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesia and Operative Intensive Care Medicine, St. Marienhospital Vechta, Catholic Clinics Oldenburger Münsterland, Marienstraβe 6-8, 49377 Vechta, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hönemann
authors.forename: Olaf
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hagemann
authors.forename: Dietrich
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Doll
keywords: Closed-circuit anaesthesia; inhalation anaesthesia; quantitative closed circuit anaesthesia