Full Title Development of Units for Xenon Anesthesia Tech Area / Field

• BIO-PAB: Biotechnology and Life Sciences / Public Health

Brief Description of Technology
Since 1994, research on the evaluation of the possible use of xenon as an anesthetic in inhalation narcosis has been conducted throughout the world. The necessity to conduct this research was substantiated by the fact that practically all drugs currently used in anesthesiology, and in the first place, the most widely used agent nitrous oxide, lead to hazardous side effects both during surgery and the post-operative period. Experiments conducted over the last couple of years (including those conducted 1) at the Clinic of Anesthesiology of the University of Ulm, Germany, 2) by Prof. N.E. Burov at the Academy of Post-Graduate Training in Moscow, Russia, 3) at the Clinic of Anesthesiology of the University Hospital in Lund, Sweden and 4) at the Ekei Medical University in Tokyo, Japan) have proven that xenon, which possesses more pronounced narcotic properties than nitrous oxide due to its higher inertness, is in fact safer for patients. Due to its weaker solubility in blood, xenon is quickly eliminated from the body: upon stopping the gas supply, patient recovery is immediate. So far, no hazardous side effects from the use of xenon have been reported.

However, despite all of the advantages of xenon over the anesthetics currently used, the use of this inert gas is difficult due to its high price (the average retail price in Europe is about $ 10 US per liter) and the small volume of world production.

By the beginning of the 1990s, several medical centers (both in Russia and abroad) almost simultaneously approached a solution of this problem by developing equipment in which xenon is trapped during and after surgery and recycled for repeated use. Such a method would decrease the price of xenon anesthesia to a level equal to or only a bit higher than that of the currently available anesthetics.

Thus, as of today, it is necessary to develop special equipment for the regeneration of xenon for the combined use with anaesthetizing devices.

Legal Aspects
Patent studies have been conducted and the following applications for patents have been prepared:
- application No. 96114746/25 (021178) from 06.08.1996 for a patent of the Russian Federation on “The Unit for Purification of Inert Gas”;
- application No. 96114744/25 (021180) from 06.08.1996 for a patent of the Russian Federation on “Methods of Fine Purification of Inert Gases from Gas-Forming Admixtures”.

Special Facilities in Use and Their Specifications
A factory producing highly pure xenon is operating in the town of Zarechny near the RDIPE branch. Experimental works are in progress on the development of the technology and the equipment needed to trap and recycle xenon from expiratory mixtures in order to ensure its repeated use in surgical operations.

Scientific Papers
Scientific information and presentations at the Scientific-Technical Councils of the NIKIET and its Branch in Zarechny.

Дата добавления: 2015-07-20