Method of low flow anesthetic gas scavenging and dynamic collection apparatus therefor
First Claim
1. An apparatus (30) for collection of waste anesthetic gases comprising:
- a first chamber (32A) having an input and an output in fluid communication with each other, said input of said first chamber fluidly coupled to an exhaust of a first anesthetizing machine (12A) and arranged to receive a gas stream therefrom which includes a waste anesthetic gas component;
a first exhaust valve (34A) having a first end fluidly coupled to said output of said first chamber and having a second end adapted to be fluidly coupled to a vacuum manifold (16), said first exhaust valve designed and arranged to selectively isolate said first chamber from said vacuum manifold; and
a first detector (40A) coupled to said first chamber which is designed and arranged to detect said gas stream including said waste anesthetic gas component exiting said first anesthetizing machine by determining when said gas stream including said waste anesthetic gas component enters and is present in said first chamber, said first detector operatively coupled to said first exhaust valve for control thereof;
wherebywhen said first detector determines that said gas stream including said waste anesthetic gas component enters and is present in said first chamber, said first detector causes said first exhaust valve to open to fluidly connect said output of said first chamber to said vacuum manifold for evacuation of said gas stream including said waste anesthetic gas component from said first chamber into said vacuum manifold, andwhen said first detector detects that no gas stream including said waste anesthetic gas component is exiting said first anesthetizing machine, said first detector causes said first exhaust valve to be closed.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and system for removal of nitrous oxide and volatile halocarbon gas components from waste anesthetic gases using a low-flow scavenging or reclamation system preferably including an intelligent waste anesthetic gas collection unit fluidly coupled between each individual anesthetic machine and the waste gas evacuation manifold. Through a system including a collection chamber, a pressure detector, and a exhaust valve which is actuated based on the detected pressure in the collection chamber, the waste anesthetic gas collection unit allows flow to the waste suction manifold only in the presence of waste gas and interrupts all flow into the suction manifold when no waste gas is present.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An apparatus (30) for collection of waste anesthetic gases comprising:
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a first chamber (32A) having an input and an output in fluid communication with each other, said input of said first chamber fluidly coupled to an exhaust of a first anesthetizing machine (12A) and arranged to receive a gas stream therefrom which includes a waste anesthetic gas component; a first exhaust valve (34A) having a first end fluidly coupled to said output of said first chamber and having a second end adapted to be fluidly coupled to a vacuum manifold (16), said first exhaust valve designed and arranged to selectively isolate said first chamber from said vacuum manifold; and a first detector (40A) coupled to said first chamber which is designed and arranged to detect said gas stream including said waste anesthetic gas component exiting said first anesthetizing machine by determining when said gas stream including said waste anesthetic gas component enters and is present in said first chamber, said first detector operatively coupled to said first exhaust valve for control thereof;
wherebywhen said first detector determines that said gas stream including said waste anesthetic gas component enters and is present in said first chamber, said first detector causes said first exhaust valve to open to fluidly connect said output of said first chamber to said vacuum manifold for evacuation of said gas stream including said waste anesthetic gas component from said first chamber into said vacuum manifold, and when said first detector detects that no gas stream including said waste anesthetic gas component is exiting said first anesthetizing machine, said first detector causes said first exhaust valve to be closed. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 19, 20)
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10. A method for scavenging a waste anesthetic gas component from a gas stream from an anesthetizing machine (12) comprising the steps of:
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receiving said gas stream from said anesthetizing machine into a chamber (32); detecting a presence of said gas stream received in said chamber by determining when said gas stream enters and is present within said chamber; fluidly coupling said chamber to a vacuum manifold (16) by a selectively isolable flow path (34) in response to detection of said presence of said gas stream received in said chamber; transferring said gas stream received in said chamber into a waste anesthetic scavenging device (22, 24, 26, 20) through said selectively isolable flow path and said vacuum manifold; isolating said chamber from said vacuum manifold by said selectively isolable flow path when no gas stream presence is detected as being received in said chamber; and removing said waste anesthetic gas component from said gas stream by said waste anesthetic gas scavenging device;
wherebysaid chamber and said selectively isolable flow path cooperate to minimize ingress of an atmospheric gas into said vacuum manifold when no gas stream is exiting said anesthetizing machine. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. In a healthcare facility including an anesthetizing machine (12A, 12B, 12C) having an effluent port fluidly coupled by a vacuum manifold (16) to a waste anesthetic gas scavenging system (22, 24, 26, 20) which is designed and arranged to remove a waste anesthetic gas component from a gas stream, the improvement comprising:
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a chamber (32A, 32B, 32C) coupled between said anesthetizing machine and said vacuum manifold and designed and arranged to receive said gas stream exiting from said anesthetizing machine at said effluent port, said gas stream having said waste anesthetic gas component therein, a pressure sensor (40A, 40B, 40C) coupled to said chamber and designed and arranged to detect said gas stream being received into said chamber from said anesthetizing machine, and an exhaust valve (34A, 34B, 34C) coupled between said chamber and said vacuum manifold and designed and arranged to allow fluid communication therebetween only when and for as long as a pressure increase due to said gas stream exiting said anesthetizing machine at said effluent port and being received in said chamber is detected by said pressure sensor, said pressure sensor operatively coupled to said exhaust valve for control thereof. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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Specification