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Devices that continuously or intermittently administer a mixture of gases (e.g., oxygen, nitrous oxide, the vapor of a volatile liquid such as halogenated hydrocarbons), varying the proportion of gases in order to control a lung-breathing animal\'s level of consciousness. These devices are also designed to facilitate spontaneous, controlled, or assisted ventilation with these gas mixtures. An animal anesthesia unit is typically comprised of four basic subunits: a gas supply and control circuit, a breathing and ventilation circuit, a gas scavenging system to help prevent the escape of exhaled gases, and a set of function and breathing circuit monitors (e.g., inspired oxygen concentration, breathing circuit integrity). The breathing circuit is usually in the form of a sealed see-through chamber to hold one or more animals to receive the anesthesia or in some cases it may be a nose-cone face mask. Also included in some anesthesia units are a number of monitors and alarms that indicate levels and variations of several physiologic variables and parameters associated with cardiopulmonary function and/or gas and agent concentrations in breathed-gas mixtures. Some animal anesthesia units are designed specifically for use in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) environments (i.e., MRI-compatible animal anesthesia units) and are made from nonmagnetic materials so that they can be safely used in an MRI suite. Animal anesthesia units can also be used to administer a lethal level of gas to one or more animals to euthanize the animals.
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