Methods to produce calibration mixtures for anesthetic gas monitors and how to perform volumetric calculations on anesthetic gases.

A simple procedure for making calibration mixtures of oxygen and the anesthetic gases isoflurane, enflurane, and halothane is described. One to ten grams of the anesthetic substance is evaporated in a closed, 11,361-cc glass bottle filled with oxygen gas at atmospheric pressure. The carefully mixed gas is used to calibrate anesthetic gas monitors. By comparison of calculated and measured volumetric results it is shown that at atmospheric conditions the volumetric behavior of anesthetic gas mixtures can be described with reasonable accuracy using the ideal gas law. A procedure is described for calculating the deviation from ideal gas behavior in cases in which this is needed.