{{Unreferenced, date=March 2009
A scavenger system is a
medical device
A medical device is any device intended to be used for medical purposes. Significant potential for hazards are inherent when using a device for medical purposes and thus medical devices must be proved safe and effective with reasonable assura ...
used in hospitals. It is used to gather
gas
Gas is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being solid, liquid, and plasma).
A pure gas may be made up of individual atoms (e.g. a noble gas like neon), elemental molecules made from one type of atom (e.g. oxygen), or ...
or
aerosol
An aerosol is a suspension (chemistry), suspension of fine solid particles or liquid Drop (liquid), droplets in air or another gas. Aerosols can be natural or Human impact on the environment, anthropogenic. Examples of natural aerosols are fog o ...
ized medication after it is exhaled from the patient or left the area of the patient. Often used to collect
anesthesia
Anesthesia is a state of controlled, temporary loss of sensation or awareness that is induced for medical or veterinary purposes. It may include some or all of analgesia (relief from or prevention of pain), paralysis (muscle relaxation), ...
, it can also be used to collect any type of gas or aerosolized medicine that is intended only for the patient and should not be breathed in by any other medical personnel.
In the Operating Room the Anaesthetic Gas Scavenging System collects and removes waste gases from the patient breathing circuit and the patient ventilation circuit. In most jurisdictions, there is a legal requirement to scavenge waste gases to maintain the level of waste gases in the Operating Room below the legally acceptable limit. For example, in the UK the limits are typically 100ppm for
nitrous oxide
Nitrous oxide (dinitrogen oxide or dinitrogen monoxide), commonly known as laughing gas, nitrous, or nos, is a chemical compound, an oxide of nitrogen with the formula . At room temperature, it is a colourless non-flammable gas, and has a ...
and 50ppm for halogenated volatile anaesthetic agents (except halothane which is 10ppm). Other jurisdictions have different requirements for local environmental contamination, for example, nitrous oxide maximum 25ppm and halogenated volatile gases maximum 2ppm. In addition to the legal requirement there is an Occupational Health requirement to maintain a safe workplace and limit exposure to potentially harmful gases.
The basic functional components of an Anaesthetic Gas Scavenging System are as follows:
# A collecting assembly / shroud with a relief valve by which the waste gas leaves the breathing or ventilation circuit.
# A transfer system of tubing to conduct waste gases to the Scavenging Interface.
# The Scavenging Interface, and
# A Disposal line to conduct the waste gas to a passive evacuation system, or a
Waste Anaesthetic Gas Disposal/
Medical Vacuum system via a
station outlet.
Medical equipment