The Indispensable Role of Medical Oxygen in the COVID-19 Pandemic
Medical Oxygen has proven itself as a crucial element in patient care amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. However, its heightened need at health care facilities presents significant risks that need keen attention from healthcare personnel.
Understanding Risks Associated With Oxygen-Enriched Atmospheres
Therapies requiring large oxygen quantities can lead to oxygen-enriched atmospheres containing more than 23.5% oxygen in some health facilities. While oxygen is not combustible, it works as a strong supporting agent for combustion and can ignite materials easily.
Risks From Ignition Sources
Friction, open flames, heated surgical equipment, or electrical equipment are some common ignition sources that may result spark a fire in this enriched oxygen environments.
Safety Measures for Handling Oxygen and Oxygen-Enriched Atmospheres
Personnel handling and using these gases need to understand and adopt safety practices well-versed in dealing with oxygen and tools linked to it.
Promoting Safety In Health Care Facilities
The Compressed Gas Association (CGA) offers invaluable safety measures via a poster. This free resource outlines important steps health care facilities can apply to limit the incidences of medical oxygen fires.
Oxygen: A Comprehensive Product Information Guide
Oxygen, a life-supporting, colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas constitutes about a fifth of the atmosphere. Changes in temperature and atmospheric pressure affect its state.
Precautions in Handling Oxygen
Although nonflammable, oxygen supports and accelerates burnings. Specific safety measures must be adopted for its handling, focusing on precaution against ignition sources and safe control of valves during use.
CGA's Stance Against COVID-19 Pandemic and Their Initiatives
CGA proactively adapts to the changing oxygen demands due to COVID-19. The members continue to produce essential supplies, especially medical gases. CGA suggests close communication between medical oxygen suppliers and healthcare facilities to manage and distribute resources better according to demand peaks.
Free CGA Posters and Guidelines
CGA offers free posters carrying crucial steps supporting medical oxygen supply chains, and invites the industry to share these posters widely. CGA M-24, a free safety publication, is provided to adequately equip health facilities with safety measures against COVID-19.
Oxygen and Its Influence on Human Body
While oxygen is crucial to sustain life, its unregulated usage could lead to adverse health impacts. Its overexposure could lead to lung damage and complications in the central nervous system (CNS).
Oxygen's Effects: From Acute to Chronic Exposure
Continued oxygen treatment can result in irritation to mucous membranes, edema, and other respiratory issues. At high concentrations and in certain pressures, oxygen usage may lead to CNS toxicity. Thus, oxygen treatment must be administered responsibly and under professional supervision, focusing primarily on essential cases.
Orignal story posted at https://www.cganet.com/medical-oxygen-safety-supply/
Read more about this topic at
Oxygen Supplies in Disaster Management
Managing Hospital Oxygen Supplies
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