What types of medical anesthesia breathing circuits are there?

Medical Anesthesia Breathing Circuits are devices that administer medical gases to a patient during the induction of anesthesia. These devices provide an inhalation and exhalation route. They may be equipped with a connector, adaptor, or Y-piece. These devices fall under Class I (general controls) and are not subject to pre-market notification procedures. For this reason, they are not subject to regulatory review.

The reusability of Medical Anesthesia Breathing Circuits is possible due to advances in technology. The use of a filtration system called a Filta-Therm (r) filter has greatly reduced the costs of a breathing circuit. It has also helped save money because breathing circuits can be reused twice. However, further studies are needed to confirm whether the re-usability of these devices is safe.

Two different types of breathing circuits are available. One type eliminates CO2 from the patient's system after exhalation. The other type, the circle circuit, allows the patient to breathe in gasses that were previously exhaled. Both systems can deliver essential anesthetic gases, but both require higher gas flow rates than the non-rebreathing circuits. The Ayre's T-piece is usually used for pediatric anaesthesia. The latter has a low resistance to spontaneous breathing, but a high gas flow rate.