Vacuum and AGSS
AGSS disposal system
An AGSS disposal system is the fixed, building part of an anaesthetic gas scavenging system: the powered extractor, pipework and terminal units that carry waste anaesthetic gases from the operating room to a discharge outside.
ISO 7396-2:2007, confirmed at its last review, covers AGS disposal systems connected through terminal units to ISO 9170-2 to the receiving system of the anaesthetic equipment. It aims at patient safety and at minimising exposure of operators and others to anaesthetic gases and vapours, and requires cross connections with medical gas and vacuum pipelines to be avoided. In HTM 02-01 (2026), the transfer and receiving systems belong to the anaesthetic breathing system, while the disposal system is the fixed installation.
HTM 02-01 covers only fully active systems, specified as either high-flow or low-flow: low-pressure systems powered by an electric pump or fan, with copper pipework ending in adjustable, gas-specific terminal units and a disposal hose to the receiving system. Each should be a duplex set, serve at most six terminal units in two theatres, stay separate from the vacuum system and discharge at roof level, away from air inlets.
ULTRASEG, the Ultra Controlo AGSS, is an active system that complies with EN ISO 7396-2: side channel pumps work at a suction level of −0.2 bar, its modular construction lets one pump run while the other stands by, and terminal units have an adjustable orifice to set the flow.
Sources
- ISO 7396-2:2007, Anaesthetic gas scavenging disposal systems (ISO summary)
- HTM 02-01 (2026) Part A, chapter 12, paragraphs 12.2 to 12.12, 12.23 to 12.26 and 12.48 (NHS England)
- ULTRASEG datasheet, pp. 2 and 3
Ultra Controlo figures come from its technical datasheets. Third-party facts were read at the source on the date shown.