A SURVEY OF ANESTHETIC EQUIPMENT IN VETERINARY PRACTICES IN NEW-ZEALAND

Sixty-four anaesthetic machines and 89 breathing circuits were surveye d in New Zealand veterinary practices. Each machine and circuit was te sted for correct function. Sixty-six percent of machines checked were 10 years or older and vaporiser out-of-circuit machines totalled 72% o f machines surveyed. Twenty-five percent of the temperature compensate d vaporisers had been serviced within the previous 1 year, 33% service d between 1 and 10 years ago, while the remaining 42% had no service r ecord or had not been serviced for over 10 years. Sixty-six percent of machines had some type of scavenging device. Nineteen percent of mach ines had a leak in the high pressure system. Thirty percent of the ana esthetic machine low pressure systems leaked and 76% of the patient br eathing circuits leaked. Overall, 91% of all anaesthetic machines and breathing circuits showed malfunctions which could increase practice o perating costs, increase the exposure of practice personnel to anaesth etic agents, and increase patient morbidity.