Isoflurane in pregnancy and passive scavenging

RE: Isoflurane in pregnancy and passive scavenging

Sal the 1st — Fri, 21 Aug 2015 11:23:52 GMT

[quote user="Anon RVN"]

I don't feel I can suggest iso monitoring at present without raising suspicions as I am usually one of the worst for adhering to H&S policies so I think they'd instantly smell a rat!

[/quote]

I appreciate your concerns but that bit of your post had me concerned.

RE: Isoflurane in pregnancy and passive scavenging

Louise Royle RVN CertCFVHNut — Fri, 21 Aug 2015 10:10:01 GMT

Don't forget about the risks of breathing in iso from patients in recovery, yes you have them intubated and cuffed whilst under GA and i would hope they receive fresh o2 for 5mins before being removed from the circuit but there is still a risk of breathing in expired iso whilst waiting to extubate the patient. This was a risk we found when we performed a pregnancy risk assessment in practice and led to the pregnant nurse opting to not be involved in any anaesthetics at all...

RE: Isoflurane in pregnancy and passive scavenging

Anon RVN — Thu, 20 Aug 2015 20:35:00 GMT

Many thanks for the replies, you've both really helped to put my mind at rest. I actually work with a really great team and I'm sure they would be supportive if the situation arose, we've just never had a pregnancy at the practice before and being quite a small team, I'm not sure how we could manage it with minimal disruption. To be honest it is probably more me worrying about being a bit of a burden on the team than anything else, as I realise legally they couldn't force me to do anything I wasn't comfortable with and I'm sure they wouldn't anyway. You have both helped ease my anxieties about cuffed/tubed anaesthetics which was my main concern as I think I could safely manage the other risks with minimal disruption to the practice. I will however try and (subtly!) suggest we do some iso monitoring ASAP to check everything is ok with our equipment etc. Many thanks again for taking the time to reply, it has really helped and is very much appreciated :-)

RE: Isoflurane in pregnancy and passive scavenging

Katie Mack — Thu, 20 Aug 2015 19:47:15 GMT

I would suggest not putting yourself at any risk because your job isn't as important as things like starting a family etc. If you feel your practice aren't abiding to health and safety standards, then I would suggest getting them to conform or getting out.

I come from a very understanding practice which is going through a spate of pregnancies. Anybody preggers doesnt undertake masked anaesthesia but still do tubed anaesthesia with both active and passive scavenge. I found that an understanding and supportive team made pregnabcy in practice much easier.... Couldn't imagine how it would be without that support network!

Good luck :-)

RE: Isoflurane in pregnancy and passive scavenging

sarahjune84 — Thu, 20 Aug 2015 08:59:38 GMT

Morning,

I currently have a pregnant vet and just had a nurse go on maternity. Both decided to keep being involved with GAs, your practice would have to do a risk assessment as soon as you told them. I thought Iso had to legally be checked yearly

'COSHH Regulations oblige any organisation using Anaesthetic Agent to regularly check that waste gas levels are within specified limits when based on an 8 Hour Time Weighted Average'.

If you want to get this done without them smelling a rat, can't you say you read on this site/ from another nurse friend that its meant to be tested and can cause big problems if you haven't got the paperwork saying its been done?

With regards to daily GAs, we just make sure that the animal had a correct tube and cuffed, the iso is not turned on until tube connected and emptied before being disconnected from the animal. We do not use a mask or gas box and they are not in the room when the iso is topped up. Are savaging is just a pipe outside too.

I hope that helps and remember if your worried about getting pregnant and telling them, they can't dismiss you for being pregnant as you can sue them to high heaven! are you a member of bvna? It might be a good idea to investigate and fully understand what your employer has to do for you so you can make sure they do it, like you have to be allowed paid time for antenatal class

https://www.gov.uk/working-when-pregnant-your-rights

good luck