Testing Gas Supply and Suction
Outlets
- check each bed space
- labeling
- colour coding
- sleeve index system
- in a level 3 unit: 3 O2, 2 air and 3 suction outlets
Gas
- correct gas for outlet
- purity of gas
- check oxygen concentrations at all outlets (this will distinguish between O2, air and other gases)
- sniff test for objectionable odours at medical air outlets only
- if a non-respirable gas present -> testing should be performed by an anaesthetist
Flow rate and Pressure
- using a device that fits the outlet (pressure manometer, variable flow restrictor and a flow meter)
- air and O2: static pressure 415kPa, then set flow rate to 40L/min -> change in pressure should be less than 10kPa
- suction: static pressure -60kPa -> change flow rate to 40L/min -> change in pressure should be less than 15kPa.
Testing of Alarms
- turn off the isolating valve for each supplied gas in turn -> ensure that visible and audible alarms activate.
Critical Care
Compendium
Chris is an Intensivist and ECMO specialist at the Alfred ICU in Melbourne. He is also a Clinical Adjunct Associate Professor at Monash University. He is a co-founder of the Australia and New Zealand Clinician Educator Network (ANZCEN) and is the Lead for the ANZCEN Clinician Educator Incubator programme. He is on the Board of Directors for the Intensive Care Foundation and is a First Part Examiner for the College of Intensive Care Medicine. He is an internationally recognised Clinician Educator with a passion for helping clinicians learn and for improving the clinical performance of individuals and collectives.
After finishing his medical degree at the University of Auckland, he continued post-graduate training in New Zealand as well as Australia’s Northern Territory, Perth and Melbourne. He has completed fellowship training in both intensive care medicine and emergency medicine, as well as post-graduate training in biochemistry, clinical toxicology, clinical epidemiology, and health professional education.
He is actively involved in in using translational simulation to improve patient care and the design of processes and systems at Alfred Health. He coordinates the Alfred ICU’s education and simulation programmes and runs the unit’s education website, INTENSIVE. He created the ‘Critically Ill Airway’ course and teaches on numerous courses around the world. He is one of the founders of the FOAM movement (Free Open-Access Medical education) and is co-creator of litfl.com, the RAGE podcast, the Resuscitology course, and the SMACC conference.
His one great achievement is being the father of three amazing children.
On Twitter, he is @precordialthump.
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