Q: I don’t know what is wrong, but my anesthesia machine is just not working as I think it should. Help.
 
Just call Eagle Eye Anesthesia (904) 739-4721 or (800) 760-6976. One of our helpful and friendly technicians will be more than happy to help.
 
Q: The patients are light during surgery and I have to turn the vaporizer up higher than usual to keep them down. What is going on?
 
There are a number of reasons for inadequate patient depth. Exhausted Co2 absorbent, vaporizer out of calibration, and leaks are among the most common. If your machine performs well when tested for leaks and the Co2 absorbent is fresh but you continue to experience lack of depth in your patients, call Eagle Eye Anesthesia for consultation and possibly to schedule a service call.
 
Q: I change the CO2 absorbent (Soda-sorb) when the color changes to blue or purple, is this correct?
 
Various agents are added to CO2 absorbents to give a visual clue (color change) as to when change out is needed.  The color change of some brands can revert back to white over time and provide a false indication. While these indicators may provide a good “guesstimate” of when to replace the absorbent, a more precise method may be to track surgery times. Generally 8 to 12 hours of surgery time before change is considered to be a good rule of thumb to follow.
 
Q: How often do you come to my area for service?
 
Eagle Eye Anesthesia services a large portion of the country. To accomplish this, regular service schedules must be employed. All clients in the areas serviced can expect us to be in their locality yearly, and, with minor variation, at the same times each year. Others in more heavily traveled areas can be serviced more often.
 
Q: How often should our equipment be serviced or calibrated?
 
It is an OSHA recommendation that anesthesia machines are serviced yearly to maintain safe and proper operation. Vaporizers should be checked yearly for correct calibration and proper operation.
 
Q: Lots of companies want me to send my vaporizers to them for service. Is this a good idea?
 
There are quite a few reasons why sending vaporizers  out for service may not be the best choice for you:
 
1. Anesthesia machines consist of many components, including a vaporizer.  Sending a vaporizer out for service does not address the rest of the machine.
2. Sending out a vaporizer takes your machine out of service for days.
3. Shipping of vaporizers (while sometimes unavoidable), can put your delicate equipment at risk.
4. Generally, the cost of shipping one vaporizer and service will more than pay for a 1 hour service call in your clinic.
 
Q: Does my staff need to do anything to the anesthesia machines between yearly service calls?
 
It is generally accepted that routines should be established and tests performed before every surgery day begins to insure that all components of an anesthesia system are both safe and working properly.
 
Q: What is the standard that vaporizers are calibrated to?
 
Eagle Eye Anesthesia uses standards that have long been regarded as the “norm” by most, if not all well known veterinary associations.
 
Q: I have some older anesthesia equipment. Can these be repaired and brought up to modern standards?
 
Eagle Eye Anesthesia has been rebuilding and repairing older anesthesia machines for over 40 years. Many older machines are prime candidates for modernization and an estimate of cost can be provided before any work is undertaken.
 
Q: Where do I find parts for my older anesthesia machines?
 
Eagle Eye Anesthesia maintains a vast inventory of new and used (refurbished) parts for older and out of production machines.
 
Q: I have some older halothane and ethrane vaporizers. Should I throw these out?
 
Eagle Eye Anesthesia can update these vaporizers for use with modern agents, i.e. sevo or iso.  We are also interested in purchasing used vaporizers if they are no longer of any use to you. Call for quote.
 
Q: How much will it cost for service on my anesthesia machines?
 
Please call us for pricing. We would be happy to to give you an estimate based on the type of  equipment, the make / model and number of machines, or special concerns you may have .

Q: The bag on my Millennium seems to be too full. What is wrong with the machine?
 
Many veterinarians and vet techs are un-nerved when they see a bag that is full. This is not necessarily a bad thing. If a check of the manometer shows that there is no pressure in the system, there is no need for concern and you can be assured that the machine is operating as designed. On the other hand, great care should be taken if the manometer shows pressure building within the system. As soon as possible contact us for service.
 
Q: When should I be using a non-rebreathing circuit?
 
Smaller patients, typically 20 lbs. and less will benefit from the use of a non-rebreathing circuit. Generally smaller patients don’t have the lung capacity or the tidal flow to “push” gas through a re-breathing system efficiently.
 
Q: My distributor wants to do the maintenance on all of the various pieces of equipment in my clinic. Will that save me money?
 
Some companies now offer various “maintenance plans” that offer to service and repair all the medical equipment in a veterinary practice, i.e. monitors, centrifuges, ventilators, microscopes, x-ray machines, anesthesia equipment, etc.  While this may sound great from a financial point of view, it may not prove to be so in practice.  In this day and age of specialization, it may be quite difficult to find technicians with the knowledge and experience to provide quality service to such a wide array of different technologies.  The service technicians at Eagle Eye Anesthesia focus solely on anesthesia equipment and nothing else.
 
Q: I can smell isoflurane, what do I do now?
 
Call Eagle Eye Anesthesia (904) 739-4721 or (800) 760-6976. In most cases this is not a big emergency but let us help you with this type of problem.
 
Q: I want an additional machine for my expanding clinic but money is tight. What would you suggest?
 
Eagle Eye Anesthesia is one of the country’s largest and most experienced providers of rebuilt anesthesia equipment. With well over 40 years of expertise, Eagle Eye Anesthesia can make available many previously owned machines in varied configurations and in most cases offer a multi (up to three) year warranty.