Anaesthesia trainees at the Alfred Hospital will benefit from a specialist field anaesthesia machine, donated to the hospital by engineering company Ulco Medical.

The de-commissioned machine, once used by the Australian Defence Force in military hospital camps, was handed over to Alfred anaesthetist Dr Hugh Anderson.

Considered ideal for use in difficult circumstances, the machine was developed in 1984 and has been used in military hospitals in remote locations—the machine's compact design allowing clinicians greater flexibility for anaesthesia in very trying conditions.

The machines have been used in places such as Bougainville (Papua New Guinea), Rwanda, East Timor and, most recently, Banda Aceh following the 2004 tsunami disaster.

Dr Anderson used the machines in Hobart when he undertook a course in remote anaesthesia techniques.

When he learned Ulco had acquired the original field anaesthesia machines from the military and were donating them for humanitarian and teaching purposes he decided to put his hand up.

'This machine, although decommissioned and obsolete, will be a valuable teaching aid for the anaesthesia trainees at the Alfred, allowing them hands-on experience during tutorial sessions.'

Dr Anderson said the compact 'suitcase' design contained everything a clinician required, including a variety of face masks and connectors to create any number of different circuits.

'While not the size of the regular anaesthesia arrays used in operating theatres, the range of functions the machine is capable of will make it ideal for training situations.'

The machine is the first of three versions designed by Ulco, the most recent being the only deployed anaesthesia machine for the Australian military since 1993.