Veterinary Anesthesia Ventilators

A mechanical ventilator takes over the breathing effort for patients who cannot maintain adequate tidal volume on their own. It improves safety during longer procedures, complex surgeries, and any case where consistent manual bagging is not practical. We supply veterinary anesthesia ventilators and back them with our own service and repair to keep them calibrated and ready.

When to use a mechanical ventilator

Manual ventilation works well for short, routine procedures. A mechanical ventilator becomes the better choice when:

• The procedure is long enough that consistent manual bagging is impractical
• Your patient has respiratory compromise, such as trauma, thoracic disease, or obesity
• Deep anesthesia is required and respiratory depression is expected
• The surgeon needs both hands free, or the anesthetist is monitoring several parameters at once
• Capnography shows that CO2 elimination is inadequate

A mechanical ventilator delivers a set tidal volume or pressure at a controlled rate. It removes variability from ventilation and frees your team to focus on monitoring. Our anesthesia team explains the clinical case for it in Clinical Importance of Mechanical Ventilation.

The Moduflex insPurr

The Moduflex insPurr is a small-animal anesthesia ventilator by Dispomed, compatible with all major anesthesia machine brands, not only the Moduflex line. Setup is as simple as entering the patient’s weight, or you can control it fully by hand. Its turbine mechanism draws no oxygen to drive the bellows, so it works with a small oxygen concentrator, unlike traditional ventilators that consume 10 to 20 liters per minute. A single bellows covers your full patient range, and a large screen tracks each breath. Whether your machine is a Dream, a Moduflex, or another manufacturer’s unit, the insPurr connects to the standard fresh gas outlet and pop-off port.

Choosing a veterinary anesthesia ventilator

The main variables to match are patient size range, drive mechanism, and machine compatibility.

• Patient size: small-animal ventilators handle tidal volumes in roughly the 50 to 500 mL range. Confirm the range fits your caseload.
• Drive mechanism: turbine and pneumatic units differ in oxygen use and control. The turbine-driven insPurr, for example, uses no oxygen to drive the bellows.
• Machine compatibility: the ventilator must connect to your fresh gas outlet and pop-off valve without adding dead space. Our team can confirm the fit for your setup.

Service and calibration

Like vaporizers, ventilators need periodic verification. Tidal volume delivery, rate accuracy, and pressure limits should be checked during annual preventative maintenance. Our veterinary ventilator service covers inspection, calibration, and repair for the insPurr and other major brands, so you have a trusted partner keeping your ventilator accurate and the peace of mind of knowing it will perform when your patient depends on it.

Works with the rest of your anesthesia system

• Anesthesia machines: the platform the ventilator connects to
• Breathing circuits: the ventilator drives gas through the same circuit used for manual ventilation
• Ventilator service: calibration and repair to keep your unit accurate
• Veterinary anesthesia equipment: explore the full range

Resources from our anesthesia team

• Using a Mechanical Ventilator: How, When and What
• A Guide to Short Term Mechanical Ventilation
• Ventilation in the Peri-Anesthetic Period

Frequently asked questions

When should I use a mechanical ventilator instead of manual bagging?

For procedures under 30 to 45 minutes on a healthy patient, manual bagging is generally adequate. For longer procedures, patients with respiratory compromise, or any case where your team cannot reliably monitor bagging rate and volume, a mechanical ventilator is the safer choice. Many practices also use one routinely to standardize ventilation across every patient.

What size patients can a small-animal ventilator handle?

Most small-animal veterinary ventilators handle patients from roughly 2 to 100 kg, with a tidal volume range of about 50 to 500 mL. Below 2 kg, the precision required exceeds what most standard units deliver, and above 80 to 100 kg you move into large-animal territory. Check the tidal volume specifications against your typical patient range before you buy.

Is the Moduflex insPurr compatible with my anesthesia machine?

Yes. The insPurr by Dispomed is compatible with all major anesthesia machine brands, including Dream, Moduflex, and most others. It connects to the standard fresh gas outlet and pop-off port. Contact our team with your machine model if you would like us to confirm the connection before you order.