Narkomed 2A

WLMD ID: aqky

North American Dräger (NAD) was co-founded in 1968 by engineer Peter J. Schreiber in Telford, Pennsylvania, with financial backing from the West German company, Dräger. NAD's anesthesia machines for clinical use incorporated Dräger components. Mr. Schreiber was a member of the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) from its inception in 1985. In 2004, the Society for Technology in Anesthesia awarded him the J. S. Gravenstein Award for lifetime achievement in that field.

NAD's Narkomed 2A was produced from 1982 through 1988. It built on the strengths of the earlier Narkomed 2. In the 2A, the central alarm panel of the model 2 was reconfigured with a digital display. The 2A added an electronic respiratory monitor and oxygen analyzer. Other new safety features included a sphygmomanometer, oxygen ratio monitor, inspiratory-expiratory phase/time ratio (I:E) control and a respiratory frequency (breaths per minute) control. The machine could administer nitrous oxide, oxygen, air, and any one of three volatile anesthetics. The example shown here has only one vaporizer attached, calibrated for isoflurane. The Narkomed 2A was followed by the Narkomed 3 in 1986. The Narkomed 2B was introduced in 1987.

 

 

Catalog Record: Narkomed 2A Narkomed 2A

Access Key: aqky

Accession No.: 2007-05-10-2 L

Title: Narkomed 2A / North American Dräger.

Corporate Author: North American Dräger.

Publisher: Telford, PA: North American Dräger, [between 1982 and 1988].

Physical Description: 1 anesthesia machine : metals, plastic, rubber, glass ; 153 x 110 x 110 cm.

Subject: Anesthesia, Inhalation – instrumentation.
Subject: Anesthesia Machines.
Subject: Isoflurane.
Subject: Monitoring, Intraoperative – instrumentation.
Subject: Vaporizers.
Subject: Ventilators, Mechanical.

Note Type: General
Notes: The title is taken from the object. The date range is based on the dates of manufacture supplied by Cicman et al.

Note Type: With
Notes: One Dräger Vapor 19.1 isoflurane vaporizer is mounted on the back bar.

Note Type: Citation
Notes: Andrews JJ. The anatomy of modern anesthesia machines. In: Barash, Paul G., ed. ASA Refresher Courses in Anesthesiology, Vol. 18. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1990: 1-17.

Note Type: Citation
Notes: Cicman J, Himmelwright C, Skibo V, Yoder J. Operating Principles of Narkomed Anesthesia Systems. Telford, PA: North American Dräger, 1993.

Note Type: Citation
Notes: North American Dräger Company File. Archives. Located at Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology, Schaumburg, Illinois.

Note Type: Citation
Notes: Petty C. The Anesthesia Machine. New York: Churchill Livingstone, 1987.

Note Type: Citation
Notes: Rung GW, Schneider AJL. Oxygen flowmeter failure on the North American Drager Narkomed 2a anesthesia machine. Anesth Analg. February, 1986;65(2):211-212.

Note Type: Physical Description
Notes: One anesthesia machine; The dimensions given in the short physical description omit the power cord; At full extension, the length of the cord is approximately 448 centimeters; The cabinet is made of blue and black metal, with stainless steel tabletop; Mounted on four wheels; Both front wheels have brake pedals; Mounted on the front of the machine there are three drawers; Near the top edge on this side are two black metal handles, an oxygen flush button and a blood pressure jack;

A flowmeter bank occupies a third of the tabletop at the left; This bank holds (from left to right) two nitrous oxide flowmeter tubes, two air flowmeter tubes and two oxygen flowmeter tubes; Below the pair of tubes for nitrous oxide are one control knob, one gauge for that gas administered from a cylinder, and one for that gas administered from a pipeline; Below the pair of tubes for air is one control knob, one gauge for gas administered from a pipeline; Below the pair of tubes for oxygen oxide are one control knob, one gauge for that gas administered from a cylinder, and one for that gas administered from a pipeline; All three of these control knobs are set under a bar (called the Flowmeter Control Knob Protection Assembly);

A horizontal bank is mounted above the flowmeter bank and extends to the right; This bank is comprised of two sections, one above the other; The upper section holds a group of digital monitors, including oxygen percentage, tidal volume, breaths per minute and minute volume; The components in the lower section include a flow gauge marked, from left to right: “Low Medium High”, as well as a button to silence the audible alarms, a 60-second delay switch, an inspiratory-expiratory phase/time ratio (I:E) control and a respiratory frequency (breaths per minute) control; On top of this bank there is a stainless steel shelf intended to hold additional monitors; Attached to this right side of this bank, facing forward, is a device marked “Emergency Anesthesia Call Box”, with call three buttons marked, from top to bottom, “Doctor”, “Nurse” and “Tech”; Below this bank, to the right of the flowmeter bank, there is a back bar that can hold as many as three vaporizers; One Draeger Vapor 19.1 vaporizer for isoflurane is attached;

Brackets mounted on the left wall of the machine hold a ventilator, absorber and other components; The ventilator contains an ascending bellows, and is marked, from top to bottom: “1600, 1400, 1200, 1000, 800, 600, 400, 200″‘; A detachable sphygmomanometer gauge is attached to side of machine near ventilator; The sphygmomanometer is marked: “Model: NAD-SPHYG [new line] Ser No: 7343″; A scavenger is mounted on the left wall of the cabinet; The scavenger is marked: ” Model: WGES [new line] Ser No: 7079″; A plate mounted on the left rear leg of the machine reads: “North American Dräger [new line] 148B Quarry Road [new line] Telford PA 18969 [new line] Model NARKOMED II [new line] Ser No A-26986 [new line] Made in USA”;

Below and to the left of the ventilator is a double-canister carbon dioxide absorber, mounted on swiveling arm; A dust collector is mounted at the bottom of the lower canister; Mounted on top of the absorber is a component marked: “Volume Sensor [new line] Model: 4106362 [new line] Ser No: 9994”; An expiratory valve is mounted above this sensor; A inspiratory valve is mounted on a separate bracket in front of the absorber; Mounted to the right of the absorber is a rectangular housing that contains a Positive End Expiratory Pressure valve, consisting of gauge and control knob; The knob is marked: “PEEP-ABS [new line] Ser No 4245”;

Note Type: Physical Description
Notes: Mounted on the back of the machine are one yoke for a nitrous oxide cylinder, a vacuum outlet, four accessory outlets (standard US/NEMA outlets), and a power cord with grounded standard US/NEMA 5 plug and IEC320 connector with lock; An adhesive label on the back of the machine reads: “Vaporizer Concentration Certification [new line] DATE 12-27-01″; Another adhesive label on the back of the machine reads: ” Mercury Medical – Preventive Maintenance Service [new line] Service Date 12-27-01 [new line] Next Date 3-02″; Mounted on the right side of the tabletop are a large handle, a vacuum outlet, and two yokes for oxygen cylinders.

Note Type: Reproduction
Notes: Photographed by Mr. Steve Donisch, June 22, 2017.

Note Type: Acquisition
Notes: Gift of Susan Dorsch, M.D. and Jerry Dorsch, M.D.

Note Type: Historical
Notes: North American Dräger (NAD) was founded in 1968 by engineer Peter J. Schreiber and two partners in rural Telford, Pennsylvania, with financial backing from the West German company, Dräger. Before immigrating to the U.S. in 1966, Schreiber designed anesthesia equipment for Dräger. The first products made by NAD were veterinary anesthesia machines; the company also sold equipment made by Dräger. In 1972 NAD introduced the first of its own line of anesthesia machines for human patients, the Narkomed Anesthesia System (later called the Narkomed 1.) These machines incorporated Dräger components.

The Narkomed 2A was produced from 1982 through 1988. The manufacturer stated that it was “the first anesthesia machine that linked monitors and a central alarm display by electronic communication” (Cicman, p. 1-2). In the model 2A, the central alarm panel of the Narkomed 2 was reconfigured with a digital display. Added features included a sphygmomanometer (blood pressure monitor), an oxygen ratio monitor, an Oxymed oxygen analyzer, Spiromed respiratory monitor, inspiratory-expiratory phase/time ratio (I:E) control and a respiratory frequency (breaths per minute) control. Another safety feature was the Flowmeter Control Knob Protection Assembly. This assembly sets the two gas control knobs under a horizontal bar, guarding the top of the knobs from casual contact.

The machine had both cylinder yokes and pipeline connections for nitrous oxide and oxygen, and a pipeline connection for air. It could also administer any of three liquid anesthetics. The cataloged object has only one vaporizer attached, calibrated for isoflurane. The Narkomed 2A was followed by the Narkomed 3 in 1986. The Narkomed 2B was introduced in 1987.

Mr. Schreiber became a driving force for the advancement of anesthesia machine design and patient safety. In addition to his patents, Schreiber authored papers in peer-reviewed journals as well as books on anesthesia machine design and safety. He was a member of the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) from its inception in 1985, and served on its Board of Directors in 1998. In 2004, the Society for Technology in Anesthesia awarded him the J. S. Gravenstein Award for lifetime achievement in that field.

Note Type: Exhibition
Notes: Selected for the WLM website.