Which statement about vaporizer use is true?

Which statement about vaporizer use is true?

• A. They measure gas flow
• B. They regulate temperature of gases
• C. They allow setting the anesthetic concentration
• D. They monitor the patient

Answer: (C)

Vaporizers are designed to add a controlled amount of volatile anesthetic to the carrier gas so the patient receives a precise concentration of anesthesia. The setting you adjust on the vaporizer determines how much anesthetic vapor mixes with the carrier gas, producing a specific concentration (usually expressed as a percent) in the breathing circuit. This concentration, not the gas flow rate or the temperature of the gas, is what sets the depth of anesthesia. Flow is measured by flowmeters elsewhere in the machine, and patient monitoring is done by dedicated monitors, not by the vaporizer itself.

Vaporizers are designed to add a controlled amount of volatile anesthetic to the carrier gas so the patient receives a precise concentration of anesthesia. The setting you adjust on the vaporizer determines how much anesthetic vapor mixes with the carrier gas, producing a specific concentration (usually expressed as a percent) in the breathing circuit. This concentration, not the gas flow rate or the temperature of the gas, is what sets the depth of anesthesia. Flow is measured by flowmeters elsewhere in the machine, and patient monitoring is done by dedicated monitors, not by the vaporizer itself.