Portable Field Anesthesia Machine

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The need for a reliable and safe field anesthesia machine that is portable, lightweight, tippable, does not require compressed gas, easy to setup and maintain, insensitive to shock, and cost effective, has been expressed repeatedly by physicians devoted to civilian and military healthcare in the field. This is amplified by the growing trend towards ambulatory surgery, the global war against terrorism and requirements for appropriate medical devices to facilitate military and civilian casualty care, as well as healthcare needs in remote environments where physicians are constrained by the absence of suitable anesthesia equipment. Studies of combat and civilian surgical care shows that existing devices have not evolved to address the unique requirements of surgery outside of the traditional operating room. Evidence suggests that hemorrhage is the biggest cause of death in the battlefield, and that it can be minimized by stabilizing the patient prior to evacuation. The situations encountered in the field are austere and require anesthesia systems that will function reliably in extreme environmental conditions. In addition, since the last 32 years, there has been over a 50% increase in the number of surgeries performed on an outpatient basis, yet there are no anesthesia machines specifically designed for these surgical settings. Studies of patient trauma cases show that vaporizers are the second biggest contributor to patient trauma, second only to breathing circuits. They are unreliable if tipped or agitated and can deliver unsafe concentration of anesthetic gas to patients. We have invented a vaporizer that overcomes these drawbacks and propose to optimize it for potential commercialization through further development. Preliminary results are promising. Tests will be conducted on optimized prototypes under simulated physiologic conditions that mimic field operational environments.