Page 25 - Intersurgical Product Catalogue Edition14

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Breathing Filters, HMEs and HMEFs • Breathing Filters

Use of Breathing Filters

Breathing ilters provide an effective barrier that prevent cross Essential requirements
contamination between patients, respiratory breathing systems, The Intersurgical range of breathing ilters offers a choice of

equipment and the clinical environment. Their use is widely electrostatic and pleated mechanical ilters with a range of
recognised as beneicial and is recommended by a number of patient connections, providing a choice of products to meet

Anaesthetic Associations1.
various clinical situations.

The threat to patients
•
Independently validated Filtration Eficiency2
Patients who require an artiicial airway have their natural • Proven iltration against Mycobacterium tuberculosis and
physiological protection bypassed. This will increase the risk of Hepatitis C
•
cross contamination between patients and healthcare equipment. Proven eficiency not affected by anaesthetic agent
The cross contamination of patients via an anaesthetic system • Safe inert material
•
has been reported and documented areas of concern regarding Option of patient connections – conveniently packed and
infection includes Hepatitis C, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, blood ready for use
•
in sputum and the SARS virus.
Lightweight – reducing patient trauma
• Low compressible volume – reducing rebreathing of CO
Critically ill patients are commonly at risk of infection and • 2 Low resistance to low – over 24 hours
•
particularly from Ventilator Associated Pneumonia (V.A.P.). This Safe, secure ISO connectors
nosocomial infection increases morbity and potential mortality as • Compliance to all relevant international standards

well as the cost of treating the patient. The strategic use of an
eficient breathing ilter will provide an effective barrier between Filtration eficiency

patients, breathing systems and ventilatory equipment.
Filtration performance is determined by independent
microbiological testing against clinically relevant bacterial and
Proven eficiency
viral challenges. The level of breakthrough of the challenge

The Intersurgical range of breathing ilters has been designed for determines the eficiency. This eficiency is reported as a
the protection of the patient, breathing system and equipment. percentage based upon this break-through.

They have been independently tested and proven to be highly Number of
Number of
eficient in preventing the passage of bacteria and viruses.
organisms organisms passing Eficiency of the ilter
Clinically relevant testing is carried out on all products using challenging the ilter
through the ilter
Bacillus subtilis (1.0μm x 0.7μm) and Ø174 bacteriophage,
additional testing includes Mycobacterium tuberculosis (0.3μm 1,000
99%

x 1.0μm), Hepatitis C (0.03μm) and MS-2 coliphage (0.02μm). 99.9% 100
These tests provide you with clinically relevant information
100,000
99.99% 10
to allow evidence-based decisions to be made on the most
appropriate product to meet your clinical requirements.
99.999%
1

Potential infectious viruses
[Particle sizes μ microns]
Coliphage T1 [0.017μ]

HIV [0.11μ]
MS-2 coliphage [0.02μ]
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) [0.1μ]
Hepatitis C [0.03μ]
Orthomyxovirus [0.1μ]
Adenovirus [0.07μ]

Potential infectious bacteria [Particle sizes μ microns]

Mycobacterium tuberculosis
[0.3μ x 1.0μ smallest size]

Staphylococcus aureus [1.0μ]
Serratia marcescens [0.45μ]

Pseudomonas aeruginosa
[0.5μ]

Bacillus subtilis [1.0μ x 0.7μ]
Brevundimonas diminuta
[0.3μ]

References
1. Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland 1996. Danish Society of Anaesthetists 1998. French Society of Anaesthetists 1998.
2. All ilters are independently validated for iltration eficiency at the Health Protection Agency, Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire, U.K and Nelson laboratories Inc, USA.

info@intersurgical.com • www.intersurgical.com