Kent Scientific’s SomnoSuite Low Flow Anesthesia System not only uses a fraction of the isoflurane while maintaining stable levels of anesthesia for mice and rats, it has another, less well-known benefit: it does not require compressed gas in order to operate.
With the high-flow canister-style vaporizers traditionally used for inhalant anesthesia for small animal research and surgical procedures, the carrier gas must be pressurized in order to deliver it through the vaporizer properly. Usually, a mixture of compressed gas is supplied via a centralized delivery system or tanks of O2 to mix with the isoflurane anesthetic.
SomnoSuite gives researchers and technicians the option of using non-pressurized room air instead of a separate canister. The SomnoSuite is equipped with an internal pump that compresses available room air and delivers anesthesia to the animal at the optimal low flow rate. Because the SomnoSuite requires less anesthetic gas, the high flow rates requiring a separate compressed gas source are unnecessary.
In addition to the convenience and cost-savings of not having to use compressed gas, the SomnoSuite reduces the risk of excessive O2 exposure (hyperoxia) and hypothermia in the animal, which can cause inflammation, damage to the respiratory tract, pulmonary edema, cell damage, and a number of other problems.
Recent studies have shown that the use of room air for inhalant anesthesia delivery has less adverse impact on animals, and for some research, such as lung studies, the use of room air may be preferable.
Related Posts
RFID Microchips for Mice and Rats: A Guide to Rodent Identification
Laboratory Animal Management: Building Better Rodent Research Workflows
CODA vs. Other Rodent Blood Pressure Systems: How to Compare Tail-Cuff Options
Rat as a Model Organism: Advantages, Limitations, and When to Use Rats in Research
Tail-Cuff vs. Telemetry: How to Choose Based on Study Design
How to Reduce Waste Anesthetic Gas in Rodent Workflows
Guide to Green Anesthesia in Research Labs
Traditional vs. Integrated Digital: How to choose Anesthetic Vaporizers
Research Workflows: What to Consider When Choosing Between Rats and Mice?
Guide to Waste Anesthesia Gas Leakage and Compliance
Building a Preclinical Procedure Station: Anesthesia, Oxygen, Monitoring, and Surgical Tools
Waste Anesthetic Gas’ Impacts on the Environment
Important Note: The content on this blog is general educational material. It is not a protocol, regulatory guidance, veterinary recommendation, clinical directive, or safety instruction for any specific laboratory, study, animal model, institution, species, procedure, or equipment configuration.
Do not apply any information from this blog to your research without first independently confirming that it is appropriate for your specific protocol, species, model, equipment configuration, firmware version, institutional requirements, IACUC or ethical review approvals, safety policies, and applicable regulations. To the extent any content on this blog addresses Kent Scientific or other specific products, it does not replace, modify, or supplement the official User Manual or product labeling for those products.
Kent Scientific assumes no liability for any outcome resulting from reliance on blog content. Every research environment is different, and the suitability of any approach described here for your specific circumstances can only be determined by qualified personnel with knowledge of your particular setup, protocol, and regulatory obligations. Always consult your institutional veterinarian, IACUC, facility leadership, safety officer, and official product documentation before implementing any change to your procedures.