Variation in the amount of leakage containing inhalational anaesthetics in the breathing circuits of anaesthesia machines.

This article discusses the variation in the amount of leakage containing inhalational anaesthetics in the breathing circuits of anaesthesia machines. The authors challenge the claim made by Mulier et al. that leak is constant, arguing that the amount of leak is actually proportional to the pressure difference between the interior and exterior of the breathing circuit. They conducted an experiment using a high-fidelity simulator and found that leaks seldom occur during low-flow anaesthesia if the leak level is below 300 ml.min-1. They also note that modern anaesthesia machines with automatic leak testing and pressure-regulated ventilation modes should have negligible system leaks. [Extracted from the article]