Gas scavenging system

ASHEVILLE, North Carolina--Metropolitan Medical Services, an anesthesia sales and service supplier, has partnered with Anesthetic Gas Reclamation to offer a new scavenging system to replace traditional active scavenger interface systems,.The system is designed to reduce energy usage and operating costs while increasing vacuum pump life.The Dynamic Gas Scavenging System is a waste anesthetic gas scavenger interface that is designed to quickly and easily attach to any anesthesia machine, including GE, Drager and Spacelabs models. The major benefits of the device include a reduction in scavenging energy and maintenance costs of up to 90%. In addition, the device is intended to greatly increase the efficiency of the anesthesia machine, increasing the vacuum pump's life while helping eliminate the need to disconnect the scavenging vacuum at the end of the day. Perhaps the most important benefit of the DGSS is its role in reducing greenhouse emissions.Using general anesthesia, carbon compounds such as Isoflurane, Sevoflurane, and Desflurane are inhaled to produce general anesthesia for surgery. These potent greenhouse gases are exhausted into the environment outside the hospital or surgical facility.While the atmospheric effects of these discarded halogenated anesthetics don’t include ozone depletion, they do contribute to the production of acid rain and greenhouse effects, potentially aggravating global warming.In the U.S. alone, the total production of these emissions amount to an estimated 2,000 tons per year--the equivalent of almost 4,000,000 tons of excess CO2 release. Reduce stress and increase production with radio wave surgeryThe EPA (and other international environmental agencies) have systematically regulated or banned many HFCs and HFC-like compounds. State and federal legislation controlling the release of halogenated anesthetics is expected in the near future.Anesthetic Gas Reclamation, manufacturer of the DGSS, intends to reduce these impacts and save energy in the process. Its scavenging system is the first step of three components in its anesthetic gas recycling system. The next component (recapture) is expected to be available late in 2011, while the third (reuse) could receive FDA approval in the near future.Dr. James Berry, CEO of Anesthetic Gas Reclamation, is optimistic. “It is a rare opportunity to both help protect the environment and reduce healthcare costs,” he said.For more information, visit www.metropolitanmed.com.To comment on this product, go to community.pennwelldentalgroup.com/.