Medical air is the only gas manufacture by Medical Gas Services and delivers to the patient for breathing purposes. Medical air is a prescribed drug by a doctor, and because of that, the air quality of the gas must meet the requirements.
The compressed air is sent through an after cooler to the receiver tank. On the way to the receiver tank, the medical air goes through a drier that removes moisture accumulated during compression.
As primary and backup oxygen sources are monitored, an alarm can indicate if gas is present and at the correct pressure and how much is in the primary and backup supply. This information is presented to facility managers in a primary alarm panel that overlaps the primary alarm panel, usually in a 24/7 supervised security office.
Medical Gas Manifolds are identified by their unique gas, colour, green, and label delivery combinations. They can be connected to the manifold and then to the main alarm, control valves, and pressure gauges. Some tissues use small liquid oxygen tanks known as Dewar or cryogenic agents. These act as large outdoor closets but can be in private spaces inside the building.
Waste Anesthetic Gas Disposal
The Waste Anesthetic Gas Disposal system is also considered a medical gas though it is a special vacuum system for surgery or procedure areas.
Exposure to even small amounts of these anesthesia gases over a long period can be harmful to the staff doing the surgery, so the Medical Oxygen Regulator uses vacuum pumps to draw the excess and exhaled gases.
The focus is to draw away from these excess gases and pump them outside the building, usually through a roof vent away from people and other air intakes.
Med Gas Outlets, tubing, and piping will be labelled and coloured purple. The only concern for this system is that the vacuum pressure is maintained at a level strong enough to pull the explosive mixture of anesthesia, nitrous, and oxygen.
The pigtail or cord connecting the gas cylinder to the manifold is usually checked and tested every 6 months to ensure no leaks. These fittings and hoses wear due to wear on the cylinders that carry the various gases and need to be replaced regularly.
Most oxygen-free pigtails are stainless steel-reinforced plastic that protects against twisting and bending between these bulky cylinders and tight spaces to tighten fittings with a wrench. The hose is checked for cracks and broken outer fibres. The replacement hose must fit the mounting of each type of gas.
The medical gas system in the health centre is a controlled drug. The molecule itself is supplied by an external supplier in liquid or gaseous form. Delivery systems are highly regulated, and the technology used to deliver and monitor the administration of these drugs is monitored at several levels by hospitals, industry, and government.
Medical gas systems must be built with a certified compound and validated before using specially trained testers. When the system is up and running, annual inspections ensure that patients and staff are properly protected and serviced.
The information in this summary is believed to be accurate at publication. Standards and rules are constantly evolving, and each facility may have special requirements that require adaptation.
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