Great efforts have been made in the area of national and international standardization of anaesthetic equipment, but much remains to be done and much potentially hazardous equipment will remain in use for years to come. This book is designed to draw the user's attention to the hazards that are known to exist and to suggest how they can be minimized. It brings together published material as well as many instances that have been reported or observed.

A considerable number of these misadventures arise from inherent weaknesses in the construction of the equipment. Others result from confusing variations in the items abailable from different manufacturers and countries. Not only does the identification of vital parts and controls very, but parts which should be interchangeable often or not, whereas others are described as being interchangeable when, in fact, they should never be fitted together.

The subject is discussed in a gas flow sequence, starting with the source of anaesthetic gases as they are conveyed by pipelines to the anaesthetic machine and ending at the patient's trachea.

This unique and important book should be required reading for designers, manufacturers, and maintenance personnel as well as anaesthetists.

GORDON M. WYANT is Professor of Anaesthesia at the University os Saskatchewan. Since 1967 he has served as leader of the canadian delegation to the Technical Committee on Anaesthetic and Related Equpmant of the International Standards Organization.

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