Gas Man

Gas Man is a computer program for teaching, simulating and experimenting with anaesthesia uptake and distribution. It combines a tutorial text with easy-to-use software. The 230-page tutorial provides a comprehensive review of the pharmacokinetics of inhalation anaesthetics, organized in series of clear, easy-to-follow exercises. Each concept taught by Gas Man is fully documented and further explained in the tutorial. The software is organized around two main screens: The Picture and The Graph. Samples are available on the Internet. The Gas Man computer model graphically simulates the pharmacokinetics of anaesthesia administration. It shows the time course of anaesthesia uptake in each compartment of the body : lungs, heart, brain - as well as the breathing circuit and vapourizer. The topics included in the tutorial are: The one compartment model and its step response or wash-in. Two sequential compartments and additive delays. The alveolar tension curve: the initial rise: alveolar wash-in and its determinants (inspired tension, alveolar ventilation, alveolar volume (FRC)); the knee: equilibration with blood (alveolar ventilation, cardiac output, blood/gas solubility); the tail: augmentation by venous return (tissue blood flows, tissue volumes, tissue blood solubilities, return of mixed venous blood). Blood/gas solubility determines plateau height. The concentration effect. The second gas effect. The effect of patient size. Optimal anaesthesia course for clinical anaesthesia. Low flow anaesthesia. Closed-circuit anaesthesia with liquid injection. Wake up. Analyzing cost of anaesthetic agents and techniques. Graphical comparison of performance, techniques, circuits, costs and more.

Comments & References: Gas Man is used by practising anaesthesiologists and medical and veterinary teaching programs around the world. Instructors can easily use Gas Man output in spreadsheets or computer slide presentations. System requirements for Windows version (Gas Man version 2.1): Windows 95, Windows 3.1, WFWG 3.1 or Windows/NT, 386 processor, 486 or better recommended, 4MB RAM. System requirements for Macintosh (Gas Man version 3.0): Any non-Power Mac Macintosh, System 7 or compatible, 4MB RAM. Release 2.1 for Windows features the ability to scale the patient weight from 0.1 to 500 kg. This feature makes Gas Man directly applicable to veterinary practice.

Computer type: IBM, Macintosh

Price: Windows 2.1 or Macintosh 3.0 versions: Site license (to be used by hospital or school anaesthesia departments, permitting an unlimited number of users), including 5 textbooks: US$995.00, plus US$35.00 in shipping in USA and US$60.00 outside USA; Individual License (single user), including 1 textbook: US$345.00, plus US$15.00 in shipping in USA and US$35.00 outside USA

Version: IBM: 2.1; Macintosh: 3.0, 1997