Building Your SomnoFlo® Anesthesia Setup

The SomnoFlo® is the core of a complete low-flow isoflurane anesthesia workflow for mice and rats. Every setup follows the same gas path — from gas source, through the vaporizer, to the animal, and out through scavenging — but the accessories you bolt on depend on the procedure. The schematic below shows the full system and how the pieces connect.

The gas path in six steps

1. Gas source. Use ambient room air via the internal compressor, or connect a regulated compressed-gas line. Sources above 15 psi require the SOMNO-7305 preset pressure reducer (100→15 psi).
2. SomnoFlo electronic vaporizer (KENT-SF-01). Touch-screen control. Auto-calculates flow rate from animal weight. Delivers 0.05–1 LPM with typical isoflurane consumption under 1 mL/hour. No annual calibration required.
3. Isoflurane bottle (250 mL). Connects directly via the integrated anti-spill, anti-vapor bottle-top adapter — no syringe pump, no manual fill.
4. 2-accessory adapter (10-4500-09). Splits the vaporizer output to two destinations — typically an induction chamber and a maintenance nose cone — so you can induce and transfer without disconnecting tubing.
5. Animal interface — chamber and/or mask. Induction chamber sized to species (mouse: 0.47–1 L; rat: 2–5.4 L). Maintenance mask sized to body weight (X-Small weanling mice through X-Large for rats >350 g). Mask variants are available MRI compatible.
6. Waste anesthetic gas (WAG) scavenging. Expired gas is captured by the activated-charcoal canister supplied with the SomnoFlo. Replace per Kent's gravimetric guidance to meet institutional ACGIH limits.

Why low-flow? Compared with traditional precision vaporizers running at 0.5–1 L/min, the SomnoFlo cuts isoflurane consumption by up to 90 %, reduces waste-gas exposure for the operator, and removes the annual calibration certificate from the facility-inspection checklist.

Configure Your Setup by Application

The SomnoFlo platform supports three common workflow families. Each starts from the same base (vaporizer + bottle + WAG scavenging) and adds the accessories the procedure needs. Use the matrix below to scope a complete system, then contact NBT to confirm chamber volume, mask size and ancillary equipment against your protocol.

Surgery & Survival Procedures

Induction → maintenance → recovery.

Core build:

• SomnoFlo vaporizer — KENT-SF-01
• Induction chamber sized to species — SOMNO-0705 (0.47, 1.0, 2.0 or 3.0 L)
• Anesthesia mask sized to body weight — SOMNO-0304 (X-Small to X-Large)
• 2-accessory adapter (chamber + mask) — 10-4500-09
• WAG charcoal canister — included with SomnoFlo

Recommended add-ons:

• Far-infrared warming pad — RightTemp Jr.
• Pulse oximetry + heart-rate monitor — MouseSTAT Jr.

Imaging (MRI / CT / Optical)

Vaporizer outside the bore, animal inside.

Core build:

• SomnoFlo vaporizer — KENT-SF-01 (kept in the control room)
• Induction chamber outside the scanner — SOMNO-0705
• Low-profile MRI-compatible mask — SOMNO-0801
• Extended tubing — specify length when ordering (custom for MRI applications)
• WAG charcoal canister — included with SomnoFlo

Recommended add-ons:

• MRI-compatible warming (specified per scanner site)
• Compressed-gas line + SOMNO-7305 pressure reducer for facilities without ambient-air supply at the magnet

Note: the SomnoFlo unit itself is not MRI-safe — it stays in the control room. Only the mask and tubing enter the bore.

Stereotaxic & Electrophysiology

Anesthesia under a head-fixed frame.

Core build:

• SomnoFlo vaporizer — KENT-SF-01
• Induction chamber — SOMNO-0705
• Stereotaxic adapter kit — 10-4500-18
• Low-profile mask for ear-bar clearance — SOMNO-0801
• WAG charcoal canister — included with SomnoFlo

Recommended add-ons:

• Far-infrared warming pad — RightTemp Jr.
• Pulse ox + HR — MouseSTAT Jr.
• Multi-animal output for parallel rigs — 3-accessory connector 10-1000-185

Choosing chamber and mask sizes

Specifying your build: NBT's clinical specialists confirm chamber volume, mask size, scavenging capacity and ancillary equipment against your protocol before quoting. Use the Request Quote form below with your animal model, procedure type, and any imaging or rig integration requirements.