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Dial difficult to turn.
Cause: Control Valves
stick and adhere to its articulating surface.
To avoid this problem,
Vaporizers that have metal-on-metal flat valves routinely need to have surfaces
cleaned in order to avoid dirt buildup. This may be found in the
Cyprane Tec 2,
Ohmeda Tec 3, Ohmeda Tec 4 and
Ohmeda Tec 5 vaporizers.
Dial turns freely with no output.
Cause: Control
Valve is "hung-up" unable to move up or down.
Picking up the vaporizer by the Dial can create this with manufactures that
use cone-type control valves. This may be found in some of the
Drager 19 series and
Drager Vapor vaporizers.
Dial turns and exceeds min/max dial markings.
Cause:
Dial Stop is broken and needs replacement.
Some operators use "heavy
hands" on Dials that require releases before turning. In most cases, the
vaporizer is violated by force and the Dial Stop breaks. This may be found
Ohmeda Tec 3, Ohio 100 and
Drager 19 series.
Profound odor around and above the Dial.
Cause:
Seal needs to be replaced.
Output and depth of anesthesia is usually
affected. This may happen in all vaporizers.
Agent is lost when vaporizer is not in use. Suspect leak.
Cause:
Determine if it's a gas or liquid leak. .
Gas leaks can occur if the
dial is left on, even without oxygen flow. An open Dial is like removing a cap
form an anesthetic bottle. Gas will evaporate to the anesthesia machine and
eventually to atmosphere and agent disappears from the canister fill window. All
vaporizers are susceptible to this operator error.
Cause: Seal failure
in the upper Canister could likely be the cause of another gas leak.
Routinely,
these should be replaced in all vaporizers. Loss of expensive anesthetic is non
acceptable anywhere.
Cause: Liquid leaks are found in the Canister.
Vaporizers, such as Ohio 100, could have as
many as 6 to 10 seals submerged under liquid agent. Some are articulating seals
that require periodic replacement. Check joints and components. Liquid leaks
often leave stains around the leak site.
Yellowish-brown agent in the Fill sight glass.
Cause:
Agent discoloration in a vaporizer is a clear signal for service. Components,
regardless of the agent, can stain and discolor agent.
Some, such as
the Ohio 100, require component material changes.
Others, such the Ohmeda Tec 3, require wick assembly
replacement. Cyprane Tec 2 and Cyprane
Drawover may have a chemical stabilizer, Thymol, built up in the Canister
deposited by Halothane. All vaporizers are susceptible to outside foreign
substances by funnel deposits washed in during filling. Continual vaporizer use
keeps agent moving and show no sign of discoloration but with time, and an idle
vaporizer, the problem could happen.
I was told this vaporizer doesn't need service if it's in
calibration.
Cause: Vaporizers share similar technology in
order to get the job done. They have ports, passages, valves and sumps.
Eventually all vaporizers require some sort of service and calibration in order
to be a precision dispenser.
Vaporizers, regardless of the make,
require internal gas passages and small openings in which corrosive gases move
around. Service cleans out the passages and replaces the damaged parts from
corrosion. Automatic controllers are sensitive to gases and loose their
adjustment in which service makes those changes. In our opinion, vaporizers,
regardless of make, require service depending on calibration and time/usage.
Manufactures' provide suggested time intervals and we forward this information
to the end-users, however, service needs depend on time/usage. The loss of
calibration often means there's a problem and it may be costly.