CO2 in Surgery

The delivery of Carbon Dioxide gas from the TEMED Gas Diffuser. The CO2 can be seen as it is being filmed using a FLIR GF343 Optical Gas Imaging Camera. The camera is able to detect CO2­ owing to having a spectral range that is 4.2 – 4.4 µm. CO2 absorbs infrared radiation at 4.3 µm.

In the first image the CO2 is not being delivered. You can see a CO2 sensor and a TEMED Gas Diffuser.

CO2 flow has been initiated. CO2 is not visible to the naked eye. The camera is able to show it due to the spectral range in which the camera operates.

One should view these images and have in mind the simple candle films which show how if carbon dioxide is delivered gently in a diffuse way one can create a stable CO2 atmosphere.

You can see from the candle films that not all methods of CO2 delivery can achieve a stable CO2 atmosphere.

As the concentration of CO2 increases the line containing the CO2 sensor becomes more difficult to see; as does the TEMED Gas Diffuser which is delivering the CO2.

You can see from these images why it is difficult to create a stable 100 percent CO2 atmosphere if you use something like an open ended tube which will deliver the CO2 as a jet.

In the final image it is almost impossible to see the TEMED Gas Diffuser as there is a 100 percent CO2 atmosphere.

Below is a film showing in a practical way what happens when two different CO2 delivery methods are used.

We will leave it up to you to determine which method of delivery is more effective.

Using a CheckMate3 Gas Analyser one is able to test the atmosphere in the model. The CO2 was first tested at source and gave a reading of 98 percent. Therefore when the model reached 98 percent this was extrapolated as meaning the model had reached a 100 percent CO2 atmosphere.