Closed-Circuit System and Other Innovations in Anaesthesia

This volume contains the lectures and discussion papers presented at the II. In- ternational Symposium on Innovations in Management, Technology and Phar- macology held on 26-28 May 1984 in Liidenscheid. This symposium delt with fur- ther developments in the sector of the closed-circuit system; non-invasive mea- surement and monitoring systems; new aspects of cardiovascular and pulmonary physiology; oxygen-transporting substances; and particular questions in pharma- cology. The purpose of this meeting was to allow a mutual international exchange of news on interesting new developments, particularly as these relate to the closed-circuit system, and the encouragement of further scientific developments. It must be made clear that the large-scale introduction of the closed-circuit sys- tem has to be the occasion of completely new quality standards both in anesthesia and in all related technological sectors, combined with the highest demands in terms of precision and measuring techniques. The conventional and still quite crude clinical anesthetic procedures will have to make way for much more phys- iological, micromolecular precision techniques, which will compare with our present methods rather in the same way as a microelectrode to a spear and will allow new levels of achievement in anesthesiology. All our tasks will need to be rethought and thoroughly understood from these aspects. Some anesthesists, physiologists and engineers already see the closed-circuit system as a challenge, while for others this system will still mean a great deal of work and creativity be- fore the problems are finally solved in the future.