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LETTER TO EDITOR
Year : 2017 | Volume
: 11
| Issue : 4 | Page : 506-507
Using angle connector? Be careful: A hazard note
Akshaya Narayan Shetti
Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Rural Medical College, Loni, Maharashtra, India
Correspondence Address:
Akshaya Narayan Shetti
Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Rural Medical College, Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences, Loni Budruk, Maharashtra
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/sja.SJA_226_17
| Date of Web Publication | 22-Sep-2017 |
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How to cite this article:
Shetti AN. Using angle connector? Be careful: A hazard note. Saudi J Anaesth 2017;11:506-7 |
Sir,
Various problems associated with breathing circuit such as leakage, obstruction or kinking, condensation of water, and oxygen delivery devices have been reported earlier.[1],[2],[3],[4] It is important to have a random check of lifesaving equipment supplied in the hospital. Although the supplied materials fulfill the country's rules and regulations, as an end user, quality has to be reconfirmed. The angle connector with side port is most commonly used in operation theater for end-tidal CO2 monitoring. This is also used in case of critical care areas to avoid repeated arterial sampling for the assessment of carbon dioxide levels. In our case, during a routine inspection, the angle connector of breathing system was normal in appearance externally [Figure 1]a, but a plastic projection was found inside the lumen [Figure 1]b. This could be mainly due to the improper manufacturing or lack of quality check. If at all it is used on patient, the problems that may occur are increase in airway resistance and aspiration of the dislodged plastic projection leading to obstruction of airways and collapse of pulmonary segments. Such conditions may lead to life-threatening complications and are rare to diagnose. Rising competition in pricing of medical equipment may lead to compromised or low-quality production. As an end user, we should have a high index of suspicion to identify such problems and should make a habit of quality checking of the materials supplied. | Figure 1: Angle connector (a) normal external appearance (b) inside view - plastic projection (arrow)
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Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
| References | |  |
| 1. | Punj J, Batra M, Darlong V, Pandey R. Leak in circuit: An unusual cause! J Anaesthesiol Clin Pharmacol 2012;28:133-4.  |
| 2. | Desai S, Torgal S, Rao R. Breathing circuit obstruction caused by kink in the reinforced kink-resistant circle system tube. Indian J Anaesth 2013;57:96-7. [ PUBMED] [Full text] |
| 3. | Chellam S, Dalal KS, Toal PV. Use of filters in anaesthesia: Is it warranted? Indian J Anaesth 2014;58:475-7. [ PUBMED] [Full text] |
| 4. | Shetti AN, Dhulkhed VK, Roshansingh D, Khyadi S. Mechanical errors in oxygen humidifier. Saudi J Anaesth 2014;8:302-3. [ PUBMED] [Full text] |
[Figure 1]
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