What the Sales Guy Won't Tell You. Why You Won't Save $200,000 in Anesthetic Agent

In a previous post "How to Save $200,000 in Anesthetic Agent" I demonstrated how one anesthesia department could save close to a quarter of a million dollars by changing efficiency. I presented this many times using a mathematical modeling tool (Anesthesia Agent Analysis. S. Richey & R. Hazlett)  a colleague and myself created. 

Anesthesia Companies have used this same modeling in their marketing and device claims in regards to saving anesthetic agent. 

Example 1: Draeger Medicals "Low Flow Wizard" 
This is a decision support tool to help practitioners feel comfortable with using low to minimal flow anesthesia. 

Example 2: GE Healthcare's "ecoFlow"
This is GE's product to compete with & similar to the Low Flow Wizard (Draeger's was released first).

ecoFlow

However, these tools are not novel. 

Dr. James H. Philip, the creator of "Gas Man" [1] has been a advocate, and teacher of minimal flow & closed system anesthesia for almost two decades. 
Dr. Philips software & courses demonstrate that one can provide minimal flow anesthesia using any modern day anesthesia delivery system, not just the Draeger Apollo or GE Avance with ecoFlow. 

The key factor in minimal flow anesthesia is patient safety, which translates to patient monitoring, which is not accomplished by the Low Flow Wizard or ecoFlow. These tools only look at the anesthesia device (gas uptake & system leaks) not hemodynamic status, metabolic demand, SpO2, EtCo2, rebreathed gas, etc. 

Additionally, the medical device companies marketing claims provide a false prediction of actual cost savings related to decreased anesthetic agent usage. 

In the following post I will present why you will not obtain these savings.