A respiratory aid system has a device arranged for connection to a living creature in order to facilitate, support and/or control the respiration of the living creature. The device can be a ventilator or a neuroelectrical stimulation device. For faster and more efficient and more accurate respiratory aid the system contains a respiration detector, devised to pick up neuroelectrical signals from the living creature, identify respiration-related signals and send a control signal, related to the identified signals, to the device.

An anaesthetic system, which can be switched between an open system and a rebreathing system, includes a breathing circuit, a setting unit and a switching unit. When the breathing circuit is connected as a rebreathing system and a change in anaesthetic concentration or a change of anaesthetic type is initiated via the setting unit, the switching unit automatically sets the breathing circuit as an open system for a predetermined period of time, at the end of which the breathing circuit is automatically reset as a rebreathing system.