Is it Time for New Connectors?

To the Editor:

Cable A: System Power Interface; Cable B: System Signal Interface; Cable C: Serial Port – standard interface for external communication to electronic health record.

Source: Recurrent Intraoperative Anesthesia Machine Malfunctions, APSF Newsletter, Vol. 38, No. 6 https://dev2.apsf.org/article/recurrent-intraoperative-anesthesia-machine-malfunctions/

I am commenting on the Recurrent Intraoperative Anesthesia Machine Malfunctions article that appeared in the October issue of the APSF newsletter. Our anesthesia machines have become increasingly complex and reliant on electronics for both function and safety. Perhaps it would be appropriate to utilize more advanced connectors befitting the mission critical function of the modern anesthesia machine.

The current style of connectors originated in the 1980’s and was intended for computer use. A weak point is the relatively small size of the retention screws as compared to the overall size of the connector. This is evident in their accompanying photograph.

A better design in my view might be a circular connection with a circumferential ring lock. This would provide a far more secure link between the cable and the communication socket. These are readily available but would certainly be more expensive than the connectors depicted.

I have no commercial interests and I welcome any comments.

Samuel Tirer, MDCM (Retired)