Portable hydrolic combine spreader and cutter Some of the many uses of these tools are: Extrication EMS

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Automated external defibrillator

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An automated external defibrillator, open and ready for pads to be attached An automated external defibrillator or AED is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses the potentially life threatening cardiac arrhythmias of ventricular fibrillation and

ventricular tachycardia in a patient,[1] and is able to treat them through defibrillation, the application of electrical therapy which stops the arrhythmia, allowing the heart to reestablish an effective rhythm. The first AED was originally designed and created by American biomedical engineer Joshua L. Koelker and Italian emergency medical professional Jordan M. Blondino to allow defibrillation in common public places. AEDs are designed to be simple to use for the layman, and the use of AEDs is taught in many first aid, first responder, and basic life support (BLS) level CPR classes.
[2]

Contents
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1 Usage o 1.1 Conditions that the Device Treats o 1.2 Effect of Delayed Treatment o 1.3 Requirements for use 2 Placement and Availability 3 Preparation for operation 4 Mechanism of operation 5 Simplicity of use 6 Liability 7 References 8 External links 9 See also

[edit] Usage

[edit] Conditions that the Device Treats

An automated external defibrillator is used in cases of life threatening cardiac arrhythmias which lead to cardiac arrest. The rhythms that the device will treat are usually limited to:

1. Pulseless Ventricular tachycardia (shortened to VT or V-Tach)[1] 2. Ventricular fibrillation (shortened to VF or V-Fib) In each of these two types of shockable cardiac arrhythmia, the heart is active, but in a lifethreatening, dysfunctional pattern. In ventricular tachycardia, the heart beats too fast to effectively pump blood. Ultimately, ventricular tachycardia leads to ventricular fibrillation. In ventricular fibrillation, the electrical activity of the heart becomes chaotic, preventing the ventricle from effectively pumping blood. The fibrillation in the heart decreases over time, and will eventually reach asystole. AEDs, like all defibrillators, are not designed to shock asystole ('flat line' patterns) as this will not have a positive clinical outcome. The asystolic patient only has a chance of survival if, through a combination of CPR and cardiac stimulant drugs, one of the shockable rhythms can be established, which makes it imperative for CPR to be carried out prior to the arrival of a defibrillator.

[edit] Effect of Delayed Treatment

Uncorrected, these cardiac conditions (ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, asystole) rapidly lead to irreversible brain damage and death. After approximately three to five minutes,[3] irreversible brain/tissue damage may begin to occur. For every minute that a person in cardiac arrest goes without being successfully treated (by defibrillation), the chance of survival decreases by 7 percent per minute in the first minutes, and decreases by 10 percent per minute as time advances beyond ~3 minutes.[4]

[edit] Requirements for use

AEDs are designed to be used by laypersons who ideally should have received AED training. This is in contrast to more sophisticated manual and semi-automatic defibrillators used by health professionals, which can act as a pacemaker if the heart rate is too slow (bradycardia) and perform other functions which require a skilled operator able to read electrocardiograms. Bras with a metal underwire and piercings on the torso must be removed before using the AED on someone to avoid interference.[5][6]American TV show Mythbusters found evidence that use of a defibrillator on a woman wearing an underwire bra can lead to arcing or fire but only in unusual and unlikely circumstances. A study analyzed the effects of having AEDs immediately present during Chicago's Heart Start program over a two year period. Of 22 individuals 18 were in a cardiac arrhythmia which AEDs can treat (Vfib or Vtach). Of these 18, 11 survived. Of these 11 patients, 6 were treated by good Samaritan bystanders with absolutely no previous training in AED use.[7][8]

[edit] Placement and Availability

An AED at a railway station in Japan.

Automated external defibrillators are generally either held by trained personnel who will attend events or are public access units which can be found in places including corporate and government offices, shopping centres, airports, restaurants, casinos, hotels, sports stadiums, schools and universities, community centers, fitness centers, health clubs, workplaces and any other location where people may congregate. Maimonides Medical Center in Borough Park, Brooklyn was the first hospital in the United States to implement fully automated external defibrillators at the bedside.[9] The location of a public access AED should take in to account where large groups of people gather, regardless of age or activity. Children as well as adults may fall victim to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) In many areas, emergency vehicles are likely to carry AEDs, with some ambulances carrying an AED in addition to manual defibrillators. Police or fire vehicles often carry an AED for first responder use. Some areas have dedicated community first responders, who are volunteers tasked with keeping an AED and taking it to any victims in their area. AEDs are also increasingly common on commercial airliners, cruise ships, and other transportation facilities. High-rise buildings are densely populated, but are more difficult to access by emergency crews facing heavy traffic and security barriers. It has been suggested that AEDs carried on elevators could save critical minutes for cardiac arrest victims, and reduce their deployment cost.

In order to make them highly visible, public access AEDs are often brightly colored, and are mounted in protective cases near the entrance of a building. When these protective cases are opened or the defibrillator is removed, some will sound a buzzer to alert nearby staff to their removal, though this does not necessarily summon emergency services; trained AED operators should know to phone for an ambulance when sending for or using an AED. In September 2008, the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation issued a 'universal AED sign' to be adopted throughout the world to indicate the presence of an AED, and this is shown on the right.[10] A trend that is developing is the purchase of AEDs to be used in the home, particularly by those with known existing heart conditions.[11] The number of devices in the community has grown as prices have fallen to affordable levels. There has been some concern among medical professionals that these home users do not necessarily have appropriate training,[12] and many advocate the more widespread use of community responders, who can be appropriately trained and managed. Typically, an AED kit will contain a face shield for providing a barrier between patient and first aider during rescue breathing; a pair of nitrile rubber gloves; a pair of trauma shears for cutting through a patient's clothing to expose the chest; a small towel for wiping away any moisture on the chest, and a razor for shaving those with very hairy chests.[13]

[edit] Preparation for operation

Most manufacturers recommend checking the AED before every period of duty or on a regular basis for fixed units. Some units need to be switched on in order to perform a self check; other models have a self check system built in with a visible indicator.[citation needed] All manufacturers mark their electrode pads with an expiration date, and it is important to ensure that the pads are in date. This is usually marked on the outside of the pads. Some models are designed to make this date visible through a 'window', although others will require the opening of the case to find the date stamp.[citation needed] It is also important to ensure that the AED unit's batteries have not expired. The AED manufacturer will specify how often the batteries should be replaced.

[edit] Mechanism of operation

The use of easily visible status indicator and pad expiration date on one model of AED An AED is external because the operator applies the electrode pads to the bare chest of the victim, as opposed to internal defibrillators, which have electrodes surgically implanted inside the body of a patient. Automatic refers to the unit's ability to autonomously analyse the patient's condition, and to assist this, the vast majority of units have spoken prompts, and some may also have visual displays to instruct the user. When turned on or opened, the AED will instruct the user to connect the electrodes (pads) to the patient. Once the pads are attached, everyone should avoid touching the patient so as to avoid false readings by the unit. The pads allow the AED to examine the electrical output from the heart and determine if the patient is in a shockable rhythm (either ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia). If the device determines that a shock is warranted, it will use the battery to charge its internal capacitor in preparation to deliver the shock. This system is not only safer (charging only when required), but also allows for a faster delivery of the electrical current. When charged, the device instructs the user to ensure no one is touching the patient and then to press a button to deliver the shock; human intervention is usually required to deliver the shock to the patient in order to avoid the possibility of accidental injury to another person (which can result from a responder or bystander touching the patient at the time of the shock). Depending on the manufacturer and particular model, after the shock is delivered most devices will analyze the patient and either instruct CPR to be given, or administer another shock. Many AED units have an 'event memory' which store the ECG of the patient along with details of the time the unit was activated and the number and strength of any shocks delivered. Some units also have voice recording abilities[citation needed] to monitor the actions taken by the personnel in order to ascertain if these had any impact on the survival outcome. All this recorded data can be either downloaded to a computer or printed out so that the providing organisation or

responsible body is able to see the effectiveness of both CPR and defibrillation. Some AED units even provide feedback on the quality of the compressions provided by the rescuer [14] The first commercially available AEDs were all of a monophasic type, which gave a high-energy shock, up to 360 to 400 joules depending on the model. This caused increased cardiac injury and in some cases second and third-degree burns around the shock pad sites. Newer AEDs (manufactured after late 2003) have tended to utilise biphasic algorithms which give two sequential lower-energy shocks of 120 - 200 joules, with each shock moving in an opposite polarity between the pads. This lower-energy waveform has proven more effective in clinical tests, as well as offering a reduced rate of complications and reduced recovery time.[15]

[edit] Simplicity of use

Usual placement of pads on chest Unlike regular defibrillators, an automated external defibrillator requires minimal training to use. It automatically diagnoses the heart rhythm and determines if a shock is needed. Automatic models will administer the shock without the user's command. Semi-automatic models will tell the user that a shock is needed, but the user must tell the machine to do so, usually by pressing a button. In most circumstances, the user cannot override a "no shock" advisory by an AED. Some AEDs may be used on children - those under 55 lbs (25 kg) in weight or under age 8. If a particular model of AED is approved for pediatric use, all that is required is the use of more appropriate pads. All AEDs approved for use in the United States use an electronic voice to prompt users through each step. Because the user of an AED may be hearing impaired, many AEDs now include visual prompts as well. Most units are designed for use by non-medical operators. Their ease of use has given rise to the notion of public access defibrillation (PAD), which experts agree has the potential to be the single greatest advance in the treatment of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest since the invention of CPR.[16]

[edit] Liability
Automated external defibrillators are now easy enough to use that most states in the United States include the "good faith" use of an AED by any person under Good Samaritan laws.[17] "Good faith" protection under a Good Samaritan law means that a volunteer responder (not acting as a part of one's occupation) cannot be held civilly liable for the harm or death of a victim by providing improper or inadequate care, given that the harm or death was not intentional and the responder was acting within the limits of their training and in good faith. In the United States,

Good Samaritan laws provide some protection for the use of AEDs by trained and untrained responders.[18] AEDs create little liability if used correctly;[19] NREMT-B and many state EMT training and many CPR classes incorporate or offer AED education as a part of their program. In addition to Good Samaritan laws, Ontario, Canada also has the "Chase McEachern Act (Heart Defibrillator Civil Liability), 2007 (Bill 171 Subsection N)", passed in June, 2007,[20] which protects individuals from liability for damages that may occur from their use of an AED to save someone's life at the immediate scene of an emergency unless damages are caused by gross negligence.

Cardiac event monitor

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from Cardiac monitor) A cardiac event monitor is a device used to monitor patients with transient cardiac symptoms. There are two broad classifications for cardiac event monitors: manual (or dumb) and automatic. Automatic ECG event monitors such have the ability to monitor the patient's ECG and make recordings of abnormal events without requiring patient intervention. Manual ECG event recorders require patient to be symptomatic and to activate the device to record an event; this makes these devices useless whilst, for example, the patient is sleeping. An example is the transtelephonic cardiac event monitor. This monitor contacts ECG technicians, via telephone, on a regular basis transmitting ECG rhythms for ongoing monitoring. The transtelephonic cardiac event monitor can normally store approximately five "cardiac events" usually lasting 3060 seconds.

[edit] Example

Pulse oximetry
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Pulse oximeter. (Discuss)
Proposed since May 2011.

Pulse oximeter Pulse oximetry is a non-invasive method allowing the monitoring of the oxygenation of a patient's hemoglobin. A sensor is placed on a thin part of the patient's body, usually a fingertip or earlobe, or in the case of an infant, across a foot. Light at red (660nm) and infrared (940nm) wavelengths is passed sequentially through the patient to a photodetector. The changing absorbance at each of the two wavelengths is measured, allowing determination of the absorbances due to the pulsing arterial blood alone, excluding venous blood, skin, bone, muscle, fat, and (in most cases) fingernail polish.[1] Based upon the ratio of changing absorbance of the red and infrared light caused by the difference in color between oxygen-bound (bright red) and oxygen-unbound (dark red or blue, in severe cases) blood hemoglobin, a measure of oxygenation (the percentage of hemoglobin molecules bound with oxygen molecules) can be made.

Contents
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1 Indication 2 History 3 Limitations 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Indication
Pulse oximetry data is necessary whenever a patient's oxygenation may be unstable, as in intensive care, critical care, and emergency department areas of a hospital. Data can also be obtained from pilots in unpressurized aircraft,[2] and for assessment of any patient's oxygenation in primary care. It is also very commonly used in the evaluation of the need for and the efficiency of the treatment of sleep apnea using positive airway pressure.[3] A patient's need for oxygen is essential to life; no human life thrives in the absence of oxygen (cellular or gross). Although pulse oximetry is used to monitor oxygenation, it cannot determine the metabolism of

oxygen, or the amount of oxygen being used by a patient. For this purpose, it is necessary to also measure carbon dioxide (CO2) levels. It is possible that pulse oximetry can also be used to detect abnormalities in ventilation. However, detection of hypoventilation is impaired by the use of supplemental oxygen, as it is only when patients breathe room air that abnormalities in respiratory function can be detected reliably. Therefore, the routine administration of supplemental oxygen may be unwarranted if the patient is able to maintain adequate oxygenation in room air, since it can result in hypoventilation going undetected.[citation needed]

[edit] History
In 1935 Matthes developed the first 2-wavelength ear O2 saturation meter with red and green filters, later switched to red and infrared filters. This was the first device to measure O2 saturation.[4] In 1949 Wood added a pressure capsule to squeeze blood out of ear to obtain zero setting in an effort to obtain absolute O2 saturation value when blood was readmitted. The concept is similar to today's conventional pulse oximetry but was hard to implement because of unstable photocells and light sources. This method is not used clinically. In 1964 Shaw assembled the first absolute reading ear oximeter by using eight wavelengths of light. Commercialized by Hewlett Packard, its use was limited to pulmonary functions and sleep laboratories due to cost and size.[citation needed] Pulse oximetry was developed in 1974, by Takuo Aoyagi and Michio Kishi, bioengineers, at Nihon Kohden using the ratio of red to infrared light absorption of pulsating components at the measuring site. Susumu Nakajima, a surgeon, and his associates first tested the device in patients, reporting it in 1975.[5] It was commercialized by Biox in 1981 and Nellcor in 1983. Biox was founded in 1979, and introduced the first pulse oximeter to commercial distribution in 1981. Biox initially focused on respiratory care, but when the company discovered that their pulse oximeters were being used in operating rooms to monitor oxygen levels, Biox expanded its marketing resources to focus on operating rooms in late 1982. A competitor, Nellcor (now part of Covidien, Ltd.), began to compete with Biox for the US operating room market in 1983. Prior to its introduction, a patient's oxygenation could only be determined by arterial blood gas, a single-point measurement that takes a few minutes of processing by a laboratory. (In the absence of oxygenation, damage to the brain starts within 5 minutes with brain death ensuing within another 1015 minutes). In the US alone, approximately $2 billion was spent annually on this measurement. With the introduction of pulse oximetry, a non-invasive, continuous measure of patient's oxygenation was possible, revolutionizing the practice of anesthesia and greatly improving patient safety. Prior to its introduction, studies in anesthesia journals estimated US patient mortality as a consequence of undetected hypoxemia at 2,000 to 10,000 deaths per year, with no known estimate of patient morbidity.[citation needed] By 1987, the standard of care for the administration of a general anesthetic in the US included pulse oximetry. From the operating room, the use of pulse oximetry rapidly spread throughout the hospital, first to the recovery room, and then into the various intensive care units. Pulse oximetry was of particular value in the neonatal unit where the patients do not thrive with inadequate oxygenation, but also can be blinded with too much oxygen. Furthermore, obtaining an arterial blood gas from a neonatal patient is extremely difficult.[citation needed]

In 1995, Masimo introduced Signal Extraction Technology (SET) that could measure accurately during patient motion and low perfusion. Some have termed newer generation pulse oximetry technologies as high resolution pulse oximetry (HRPO).[6][7][8] One area of particular interest is the use of pulse oximetry in conducting portable and in-home sleep apnea screening and testing.
[6][9]

In 2009, the world's first Bluetooth-enabled fingertip pulse oximeter was introduced by Nonin Medical, enabling clinicians to remotely monitor patients pulses and oxygen saturation levels. It also allows patients to monitor their own health through online patient health records and home telemedicine system.[10]

[edit] Limitations
Pulse oximetry measures solely of oxygenation, not ventilation, and it is not a substitute for blood gases checked in a laboratory because it gives no indication of base deficit, carbon dioxide levels, blood pH, or bicarbonate HCO3- concentration. The metabolism of oxygen can be readily measured by monitoring expired CO2. Saturation figures also give no information about blood oxygen content. Most of the oxygen in the blood is carried by hemoglobin. In severe anemia, the blood will carry less total oxygen, despite the hemoglobin being 100% saturated. Falsely low readings may be caused by hypoperfusion of the extremity being used for monitoring (often due to the part being cold or from vasoconstriction secondary to the use of vasopressor agents); incorrect sensor application; highly calloused skin; and movement (such as shivering), especially during hypoperfusion. To ensure accuracy, the sensor should return a steady pulse and/or pulse waveform. Falsely high or falsely low readings will occur when hemoglobin is bound to something other than oxygen. In cases of carbon monoxide poisoning, the falsely high reading may delay the recognition of hypoxemia (low blood oxygen level). Methemoglobinemia characteristically causes pulse oximetry readings in the mid-80s. Cyanide poisoning can also give a high reading because it reduces oxygen extraction from arterial blood (the reading is not false, as arterial blood oxygen is indeed high in early cyanide poisoning). Pulse oximetry only reads the percentage of bound hemoglobin. Hemoglobin can be bound to other gases such as carbon monoxide and still read high even though the patient is hypoxemic. The only noninvasive method that allows the continuous measurement of the dyshemoglobins is a pulse co-oximeter. Pulse co-oximetry was invented in 2005 by Masimo and currently allows clinicians to measure total hemoglobin levels in addition to carboxyhemoglobin, methemoglobin and PVI, which initial clinical studies have shown may provide clinicians with a new method for noninvasive and automatic assessment of patient fluid volume status.[11][12][13] Appropriate fluid levels are vital to reducing postoperative risks and improving patient outcomes as fluid volumes that are too low (under hydration) or too high (over hydration) have been shown to decrease wound healing, increase risk of infection and cardiac complications.

Infusion pump
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
(December 2009)

A type of infusion pump, manufactured by Fresenius. An infusion pump infuses fluids, medication or nutrients into a patient's circulatory system. It is generally used intravenously, although subcutaneous, arterial and epidural infusions are occasionally used. Infusion pumps can administer fluids in ways that would be impractically expensive or unreliable if performed manually by nursing staff. For example, they can administer as little as 0.1 mL per hour injections (too small for a drip), injections every minute, injections with repeated boluses requested by the patient, up to maximum number per hour (e.g. in patientcontrolled analgesia), or fluids whose volumes vary by the time of day. Because they can also produce quite high but controlled pressures, they can inject controlled amounts of fluids subcutaneously (beneath the skin), or epidurally (just within the surface of the central nervous system- a very popular local spinal anesthesia for childbirth).

Contents
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1 Types of infusion

2 Types of pump 3 Safety features available on some pumps 4 Safety issues 5 See also 6 References

[edit] Types of infusion

The user interface of pumps usually requests details on the type of infusion from the technician or nurse that sets them up:

Continuous infusion usually consists of small pulses of infusion, usually between 500 nanoliters and 10000 microliters, depending on the pump's design, with the rate of these pulses depending on the programmed infusion speed. Intermittent infusion has a "high" infusion rate, alternating with a low programmable infusion rate to keep the cannula open. The timings are programmable. This mode is often used to administer antibiotics, or other drugs that can irritate a blood vessel. Patient-controlled is infusion on-demand, usually with a preprogrammed ceiling to avoid intoxication. The rate is controlled by a pressure pad or button that can be activated by the patient. It is the method of choice for patient-controlled analgesia (PCA), in which repeated small doses of opioid analgesics are delivered, with the device coded to stop administration before a dose that may cause hazardous respiratory depression is reached. Total parenteral nutrition usually requires an infusion curve similar to normal mealtimes.

Some pumps offer modes in which the amounts can be scaled or controlled based on the time of day. This allows for circadian cycles which may be required for certain types of medication.

[edit] Types of pump

A Baxter International Colleague CX infusion pump There are two basic classes of pumps. Large volume pumps can pump nutrient solutions large enough to feed a patient. Small-volume pumps infuse hormones, such as insulin, or other medicines, such as opiates. Within these classes, some pumps are designed to be portable, others are designed to be used in a hospital, and there are special systems for charity and battlefield use. Large-volume pumps usually use some form of peristaltic pump. Classically, they use computercontrolled rollers compressing a silicone-rubber tube through which the medicine flows. Another common form is a set of fingers that press on the tube in sequence. Small-volume pumps usually use a computer-controlled motor turning a screw that pushes the plunger on a syringe. The classic medical improvisation for an infusion pump is to place a blood pressure cuff around a bag of fluid. The battlefield equivalent is to place the bag under the patient. The pressure on the bag sets the infusion pressure. The pressure can actually be read-out at the cuff's indicator. The problem is that the flow varies dramatically with the patient's blood pressure (or weight), and the needed pressure varies with the administration route, potentially causing risk when attempted by an individual not trained in this method. Places that must provide the least-expensive care often use pressurized infusion systems. One common system has a purpose-designed plastic "pressure bottle" pressurized with a large disposable plastic syringe. A combined flow restrictor, air filter and drip chamber helps a nurse set the flow. The parts are reusable, mass-produced sterile plastic, and can be produced by the same machines that make plastic soft-drink bottles and caps. A pressure bottle, restrictor and chamber requires more nursing attention than electronically controlled pumps. In the areas where these are used, nurses are often volunteers, or very inexpensive.

The restrictor and high pressure helps control the flow better than the improvised schemes because the high pressure through the small restrictor orifice reduces the variation of flow caused by patients' blood pressures. An air filter is an essential safety device in a pressure infusor, to keep air out of the patients' veins: doctors estimate that 0.55 cm of air per kilogram of body weight is enough to kill (200 300 cm for adults) by filling the patient's heart. Small bubbles could cause harm in arteries, but in the veins they pass through the heart and leave in the patients' lungs. The air filter is just a membrane that passes gas but not fluid or pathogens. When a large air bubble reaches it, it bleeds off. Some of the smallest infusion pumps use osmotic power. Basically, a bag of salt solution absorbs water through a membrane, swelling its volume. The bag presses medicine out. The rate is precisely controlled by the salt concentrations and pump volume. Osmotic pumps are usually recharged with a syringe. Spring-powered clockwork infusion pumps have been developed, and are sometimes still used in veterinary work and for ambulatory small-volume pumps. They generally have one spring to power the infusion, and another for the alarm bell when the infusion completes. Battlefields often have a need to perfuse large amounts of fluid quickly, with dramatically changing blood pressures and patient condition. Specialized infusion pumps have been designed for this purpose, although they have not been deployed. Many infusion pumps are controlled by a small embedded system. They are carefully designed so that no single cause of failure can harm the patient. For example, most have batteries in case the wall-socket power fails. Additional hazards are uncontrolled flow causing an overdose, uncontrolled lack of flow, causing an underdose, reverse flow, which can siphon blood from a patient, and air in the line, which can cause an air embolism.

SUCTION MACHINE
Typical Number in Hospital: 100 Cost Bands: 3,4 References: 2 This usually refers to a portable suction apparatus used in wards and theatres for aspirating fluids and vomit from the mouth and airways, and from operation sites by sucking the material through a catheter into a bottle. The term could also apply to devices which operate from piped vacuum supplies or bottle gas cylinders but is more commonly used to mean electric suction units which contain a vacuum pump (piston, diaphragm, or rotary vane), bacterial filter, vacuum gauge, trap for moisture (or any debris accidentally drawn into the mechanism), a reservoir for the aspirated material, and a suction catheter or nozzle. They may be intended to provide high or low vacuum, and high and low flow rates. Low vacuum is used for post-operative wound drainage. The main reservoir is usually a glass bottle with volume marks up the side and sometimes this has a float valve so that the vacuum is cut off before the bottle becomes full enough to allow the

contents to be drawn into the pipework of the pumping mechanism. However, frothing of the contents can sometimes defeat the float valve mechanism. They may sometimes be described as high-grade or low-grade suction machines, which relates to the degree of vacuum achieved. High-grade suction machines are used for rapid aspiration of fluids and debris (such as vomit), whereas low-grade machines are used for post-operative wound drainage.

Aspirator (medical device)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia For other uses, see Aspirator (disambiguation). This article may need to be wikified to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please help by adding relevant internal links, or by improving the article's layout. (July 2011) Click [show] on right for more details.[show]

Potain's aspirator A medical aspirator is a small suction machine used to remove mucus and other bodily fluids from a patient. These machines are often designed to be portable for use in ambulances and nursing homes, and can run on AC/DC or battery power. Major manufacturers include Allied Healthcare (under the Gomco brand) and Impact. In the past manually operated aspirators were used such as Potain's aspirator.[1]