Evaluation: GE Healthcare Aisys CS2 Anesthesia Unit for General-Purpose and Low-Acuity/Ambulatory Surgery Applications
November 30, 2020 | Evaluations & Guidance
Preview
- The Aisys CS2 is used for general anesthesia during surgery for the entire range of patients (neonates through adults).
- The unit can also be used to provide supplemental oxygen (O2—typically via a nasal cannula or loose-fitting mask) and capnography during monitored anesthesia care (MAC).
- Major components and features:
- Minimum dimensions (D × W): 89 × 94 cm (35 × 37 in)
- Ventilator and breathing system
- 1,500 mL ascending bellows
- Uses fresh gas compensation to prevent changes in fresh gas flow from affecting delivered tidal volumes
- Automatically compensates for breathing circuit compliance (breathing circuit compliance must be measured at the start of each case or if the circuit is changed during a case)
- Bellows are located in the back of the breathing system assembly on the left side of the unit.
- Volume during manual ventilation: 1.63 L (including absorber canister and optional condenser)
- Volume during automatic ventilation: 3.145 L (including absorber canister, optional condenser, and bellows)
- Fresh gas controls
- Electronic controls on main display for balance gas (air or nitrous oxide; O2 is always the primary gas), total fresh gas flow rate, and O2 concentration
- Fresh gas flow settings are off (when unit is in standby) or 0.15 to 15 L/min.
- Fresh gas controls do not work when the device experiences a total electrical failure. Emergency O2 controls (see below) allow delivery of O2 (without agent) in such circumstances.
- Alternate O2
- Since this unit has an electronic mixer, a physical control for O2 is needed in the event of a total electrical failure.
- Alternate O2 is a physical flow valve and meter that provides 0.5 to 13 L/min of O2 when activated.
- In the event of a total electrical failure, Alternate O2 bypasses the vaporizers, so agent is not delivered. If Alternate O2 is activated by the user or activates automatically in certain electronic mixer failures, the electronic vaporizer is not bypassed and can still be used to deliver agent.
- User activation of Alternate O2 is performed by pressing the recessed button adjacent to the flow control (pressing the button also disables the electronic mixer). Automatic activation occurs in the event of an electronic mixer failure or total electrical failure.
- Controls are located on the right front of the unit above the power switch.
- Vaporizers
- The Aisys CS2 accommodates only Aladin and Aladin 2 electronically controlled vaporizer cassettes.
- Because the vaporizers are electronic, the anesthesia provider selects the agent and concentration on the main display. Also, the fill level of the active vaporizer is shown graphically on the main display, and the unit alarms for low vaporizer fill level.
- The Aisys CS2 has one active cassette bay above the main work surface.
- The unit also has two cassette storage bays underneath the main work surface or above the vaporizer bay, depending on the user-preferred trolley configuration.
- Absorber
- EZchange disposable canister
- A bypass valve allows absorbent to be changed during a case without introducing a leak into the breathing system.
- The canister is located under the main work surface on the left side of the unit.
- Illumination
- The unit has a light that shines onto the work surface.
- It offers two levels of brightness.
- The light is controlled with a switch on the right side of the unit, near the monitoring module bays.
- Auxiliary O2
- Delivers a metered flow of pure O2 (0 to 10 L/min) separate from the normal fresh gas flow path
- Auxiliary O2 is typically used with a nasal cannula or loose-fitting mask.
- Physical flow valve and tube are located on the left front of unit, near the bellows.
- Work surface
- Main work surface (D × W): 33 × 47 cm (13 × 18.5 in)
- Foldable shelf (D × W): Approximately 34 × 27 cm (13.5 × 10.5 in), located on the right side of the unit
- Drawers—three drawers:
- Top drawer (H × D × W): 9 × 38 × 38 cm (3.5 × 15 × 15 in), has a lock
- Middle drawer (H × D × W): 9 × 38 × 38 cm (3.5 × 15 × 15 in)
- Bottom drawer (H × D × W): 14 × 38 × 38 cm (5.5 × 15 × 15 in)
- Two- and four-drawer trolley configurations are also available.
- Auxiliary power outlets
- One 3 A outlet and three 2 A outlets protected by circuit breakers on the lower left of the back of the unit
- The outlets work when the unit is powered off.
- Backup cylinder yokes
- Three pin-indexed yokes on the back of the unit
- These yokes can be configured so that two are for O2, which is useful since O2 is both used as a drive gas to power the bellows and delivered to the patient as fresh gas.