Anesthesia Breathing Systems

Excerpt

Anesthesia breathing systems serve as a conduit to deliver anesthetic and other gases to a patient. Various designs of breathing systems have been created to serve this function. One method of classifying anesthesia breathing systems is based on how gas flows: open, semi-open, semi-closed, and closed systems. This classification method is dictated by the physical characteristics of each system. This article will review this classification method, the various anesthesia breathing systems, and the clinical significance of each system.