Anaesthesia disposables are goods used in conjunction with anaesthesia delivery units (ADUs) and anaesthesia monitors to administer general anaesthesia. Anaesthesia disposables are divided into four categories:

•  Anaesthesia circuits,
• Masks,
• Endotracheal tubes, and
• Laryngeal masks.

Anaesthesia circuits govern the flow of gases from the anaesthesia delivery unit to the patient and vice versa. The circuits regulate the flow of air and anaesthetic drugs into the patient and the evacuation of gas waste (iData Research Inc., 2023).

Anaesthesia masks are used to administer anaesthetics to patients through inhalation, and they normally cover both the nose and mouth. To ensure the medic’s safety, the anaesthetic gases must not leak from the area between the mask and the patient’s face. To address this issue, a smaller mask is often enclosed within a larger outer mask, with a minor vacuum between the masks. A bacterial filter is commonly employed between the anaesthesia circuit and the mask or endotracheal tube to prevent ventilator contamination and the escape of possibly infected air into the room (iData Research Inc., 2023).

Endotracheal tubes (ETTs) are disposable devices that are put into a patient’s trachea to provide anaesthesia to the lungs during surgery. They are the most commonly utilised approach for maintaining a stable airway throughout numerous surgical operations and in emergency cases requiring positive pressure breathing. Endotracheal tubes are used when the respiratory tract needs to be protected from aspiration of stomach contents, during surgical operations where the patient’s head or neck is not in a supine posture, or in cases of neuromuscular paralysis (iData Research Inc., 2023).