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Discussion: CO2 AbsorbentReported This is a featured thread

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bapeters
bapeters
CO2 Absorbent
Jan 16 2011, 9:39 PM EST | Post edited: Jan 16 2011, 9:39 PM EST
How often do you change your CO2 absorbent?
Do you change both cannisters each time or do you rotate the bottom cannister to the top and put the new one on the bottom?

We used to only change one cannister and rotate the bottom to the top each Monday until about a year ago when our manager decided that we should change both cannisters every Monday. 1  out of 1 found this valuable. Do you?    
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aa.nelson
aa.nelson
1. RE: CO2 Absorbent
Jan 17 2011, 6:53 PM EST | Post edited: Jan 17 2011, 6:53 PM EST
"How often do you change your CO2 absorbent?
Do you change both cannisters each time or do you rotate the bottom cannister to the top and put the new one on the bottom?

We used to only change one cannister and rotate the bottom to the top each Monday until about a year ago when our manager decided that we should change both cannisters every Monday."
The current recommendation is to change them on Monday mornings. The rational behind this is the potential for the CO2 absorbent to dry out over the week-end. This can cause a dangerous environment to occur - excessive heat and the formation of compound A. Extra Credit for the first one to post a brief definition of compound A, don't forget to list your source!! Do you find this valuable?    

jkyranch
2. RE: CO2 Absorbent
Jan 18 2011, 8:02 PM EST | Post edited: Jan 18 2011, 8:08 PM EST
Ethyl violet color dye is compund A that is mixed with the soda sorb during manufactoring, found at: http://www.sodasorb.com/English/downloads/Sodasorb_Manual.pdf on page 20 paragraphs 1-4. PLEASE CORRECT ME if I'm wrong. Do you find this valuable?    
mfergy
mfergy
3. RE: CO2 Absorbent
Jan 19 2011, 12:22 PM EST | Post edited: Jan 19 2011, 12:22 PM EST
"The current recommendation is to change them on Monday mornings. The rational behind this is the potential for the CO2 absorbent to dry out over the week-end. This can cause a dangerous environment to occur - excessive heat and the formation of compound A. Extra Credit for the first one to post a brief definition of compound A, don't forget to list your source!! "
Sevoflurane is unstable in sodalime, producing Compound A, when Sevo is used, fresh gas flow must be maintained at a flow of at least 2L/m to reduce the risk of Compound A production, which can cause renal dysfunction.
http:/www.udmercy,edu/crna/agm/97.htm
Complications of Anesthesia http://booksgoogle.com Do you find this valuable?    
jimmydoug
jimmydoug
4. RE: CO2 Absorbent
Jan 19 2011, 2:34 PM EST | Post edited: Jan 19 2011, 2:39 PM EST
At my facility, we change the sodasorb in the main O.R.'s when the FICO2 reaches between 4-6 depending on the patient. This usually occurs when the canister is about 1/3 purple. We do not change our absorber every Monday because our O.R.'s typically run all weekend. It's not unusual for us to do between 8-15 cases on each w/e day.
Our anesthesia machines only have one canister. When we had machines with 2 canisters, We would change the top one and rotate the bottom one to the top. Do you find this valuable?    
bapeters
bapeters
5. RE: CO2 Absorbent
Jan 19 2011, 4:52 PM EST | Post edited: Jan 19 2011, 5:09 PM EST
According to the US National Library of Medicine at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12620947: Compound A is a vinyl ether which is a haloalkene and is formed by the degradation of sevoflurane by carbon dioxide absorbants such as soda lime and barium hydroxide Do you find this valuable?    
mfergy
mfergy
6. RE: CO2 Absorbent
Jan 19 2011, 8:22 PM EST | Post edited: Jan 19 2011, 8:22 PM EST
"Sevoflurane is unstable in sodalime, producing Compound A, when Sevo is used, fresh gas flow must be maintained at a flow of at least 2L/m to reduce the risk of Compound A production, which can cause renal dysfunction.
http:/www.udmercy,edu/crna/agm/97.htm
Complications of Anesthesia http://booksgoogle.com"
after consulting some Dr's at work about compound A, it is their understanding that Compound A causes renal dysfunction in lab rats but has not been proven to do so in humans. Does anyone have any other information on this Do you find this valuable?    
bapeters
bapeters
7. RE: CO2 Absorbent
Jan 19 2011, 9:08 PM EST | Post edited: Jan 19 2011, 9:08 PM EST
From what I read on the "PUBMED" website, it says about the same thing.
 Do you find this valuable?    
aa.nelson
aa.nelson
8. RE: CO2 Absorbent
Jan 20 2011, 12:23 PM EST | Post edited: Jan 20 2011, 12:23 PM EST
"after consulting some Dr's at work about compound A, it is their understanding that Compound A causes renal dysfunction in lab rats but has not been proven to do so in humans. Does anyone have any other information on this"
Aren't we all lab rats? =) Do you find this valuable?    

milo707
9. RE: CO2 Absorbent
Jan 20 2011, 1:32 PM EST | Post edited: Jan 20 2011, 1:32 PM EST
"Compound A (i.e., trifluoroethyl vinyl ether), which is produced from the breakdown of sevoflurane, and a simular compound produced from halothane have been shown to be nephrotoxic in animals after prolonged exposure." p81 Basics of Anesthesia fifth edition, Stoelting and Miller. Do you find this valuable?    

emlopz24
10. RE: CO2 Absorbent
Jan 22 2011, 5:40 PM EST | Post edited: Jan 22 2011, 5:40 PM EST
yeah we do the same just rotate the bottom to the top and a new one on the bottom we have been doing that for a while. 1  out of 1 found this valuable. Do you?    

Seashepherd3
11. RE: CO2 Absorbent
Jan 22 2011, 7:59 PM EST | Post edited: Jan 22 2011, 7:59 PM EST
We change our CO2 absorbent systematically once a week generally on F because that is the slowest case volume day in our OR. In our high volume ORs we may change them even sooner depending on absorption and discoloration levels. We also change both canister levels as opposed to rotating the lower level canister to replace the upper. Do you find this valuable?    

terrell1978
12. RE: CO2 Absorbent
Jan 22 2011, 10:21 PM EST | Post edited: Jan 22 2011, 10:21 PM EST
"How often do you change your CO2 absorbent?
Do you change both cannisters each time or do you rotate the bottom cannister to the top and put the new one on the bottom?

We used to only change one cannister and rotate the bottom to the top each Monday until about a year ago when our manager decided that we should change both cannisters every Monday."
I change the CO2 absorbent when the anesthesiologist tell me to change it. On the old anesthesia machines, I would rotate the botoom canisters to the top and put the new CO2 absorbent to the bottom. Since we have the new machines, i don't need to do it anymore. Do you find this valuable?    
sbreault
sbreault
13. RE: CO2 Absorbent
Jan 23 2011, 2:28 PM EST | Post edited: Jan 23 2011, 2:28 PM EST
The O.R.'s at my facility generally have cases all weekend long. We have the new Drager Apollo machines and the facility has directed us to change the absorbent only when the machine or anesthetist indicates a change due to high CO2 levels. Do you find this valuable?    
jerichofamm
jerichofamm
14. RE: CO2 Absorbent
Feb 10 2011, 10:17 PM EST | Post edited: Feb 10 2011, 10:17 PM EST
And its not unusual for the FICO2 to be fine but the absorbant is purple and the doc request that it be changed. I have had this a few times. Do you find this valuable?    

mperva
15. RE: CO2 Absorbent
Mar 13 2011, 5:23 PM EDT | Post edited: Mar 13 2011, 5:23 PM EDT
At U of M we are only to change the Co2 absorbent when they ask for them in the OR on off-sites they are changed out every friday Do you find this valuable?    

jessika_berry
16. RE: CO2 Absorbent
Mar 27 2011, 7:05 PM EDT | Post edited: Mar 27 2011, 7:05 PM EDT
"How often do you change your CO2 absorbent?
Do you change both cannisters each time or do you rotate the bottom cannister to the top and put the new one on the bottom?

We used to only change one cannister and rotate the bottom to the top each Monday until about a year ago when our manager decided that we should change both cannisters every Monday."
In our facility we use the Drager Apollo machines and they only require one CO2 absorber. We do change them out about once a week depending on the usage of the machine and the discoloration it has gotten. Do you find this valuable?    
bearnskool
bearnskool
17. RE: CO2 Absorbent
Apr 23 2011, 1:32 AM EDT | Post edited: Apr 23 2011, 1:32 AM EDT
At one facility, the absorbents sched to be changed every friday, however, this varies sometimes like all things...the case load, in my opinion can really change the dynamics of how that works...if you work at a facility that schedules lots of "add-on" cases, they tend to run through the course of the night...appys ...gall bladders and depending on what the surgeon finds like adhesions and thing,..it can retire a canister quickly..I try to always examine the absorbent but at both of the facilities I work at. we rotate unless there are other factors involved in which case we change top and bottom and start fresh Do you find this valuable?    
puebla
puebla
18. RE: CO2 Absorbent
Apr 23 2011, 11:28 AM EDT | Post edited: Apr 23 2011, 11:28 AM EDT
We only have one canister on our Drager machine. We change it out if the anesthesiologist requests it or when its about half discolored. Generally, that means once a week for us. There was an absorber that we were using that would turn purple and then would turn white again after it sat for awhile. We had to switch brands. I cant believe a company can get away with making that product!! Do you find this valuable?    
bearnskool
bearnskool
19. RE: CO2 Absorbent
Apr 23 2011, 6:00 PM EDT | Post edited: Apr 23 2011, 6:00 PM EDT
"We only have one canister on our Drager machine. We change it out if the anesthesiologist requests it or when its about half discolored. Generally, that means once a week for us. There was an absorber that we were using that would turn purple and then would turn white again after it sat for awhile. We had to switch brands. I cant believe a company can get away with making that product!!"
Yes and with the amount of cases we do (we were forced to find an alternate absorbent), that can easily happen (turn back to original color)...i remember those days...We now use a pre filled canister and all we have to do is drop the new drum and canister into the slot...Less mess and time for us...More time to be efficient elsewhere... Do you find this valuable?    
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