applications of liquid medical oxygen

Liquid Medical Oxygen-Patient Education

Oxygen accounts for about 65% of the human body, playing an essential role in respiration – the transference of energy from glucose into cells via respiration. Every cell needs Oxygen. As we breathe, oxygen molecules pass into our lungs, travelling along their walls before entering our bloodstream.

The disease can affect lung function, so Oxygen is essential for patients with severe COVID-19. Patients with severe COVID-19 often experience shortness of breath or breathing difficulties. This also affects the oxygen supply to different parts of the body. Medical Oxygen is needed to provide oxygen therapy.

Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO), one method of providing Oxygen, has become one of the primary ways of delivering medical oxygen treatment and was specifically created for use within human bodies.

Features of Liquid Medical Oxygen
Liquid medical Oxygen boasts several key features that make it indispensable in healthcare facilities:
Purity: Liquid medical Oxygen is exceptionally pure, with minimal impurities, ensuring safe and effective patient delivery.
High Density: Liquid Oxygen has a high density, allowing for compact storage and efficient transportation.
Stability: Liquid medical Oxygen remains stable at cryogenic temperatures, maintaining its efficacy over extended periods.
Readily Available: Liquid Oxygen is readily available and can be quickly replenished to meet the demands of healthcare facilities. With an oxygen concentration of around 99.5%, LMO is ideal for medical applications, delivering essential Oxygen to needy patients.

Applications of Liquid Medical Oxygen

• Respiratory Support: LMO is a primary tool in providing oxygen therapy to patients with respiratory illnesses, ensuring adequate oxygenation and improved breathing.
Respiratory diseases like asthma represent common scenarios of hypoxia resulting from intake disorders, profoundly impacting daily life, academic performance, and professional productivity. Moreover, environments lacking adequate oxygen supply, such as poorly ventilated basements or indoor spaces during winter, pose external obstacles to oxygen intake. Adopting poor postures like hunching or chest constriction limits lung expansion during breathing, exacerbating hypoxia. Such limitations stem from inadequate pulmonary ventilation, hindering the smooth intake of Oxygen.

• Anesthesia and Surgical Procedures: Vital for maintaining oxygen levels during surgeries, LMO plays a crucial role in anaesthesia delivery systems.
Oxygen primarily travels throughout the body via the bloodstream. Any impediment to this blood transport can result in tissue hypoxia, leading to pathological changes. Coronary heart disease, characterized by myocardial hypoxia due to stenotic coronary artery disease, is a notable example. Atherosclerosis, marked by arterial wall thickening and narrowing, also contributes to tissue hypoxia by impeding blood circulation. Cerebrovascular disease, including cerebral vascular embolism, induces brain tissue hypoxia and subsequent tissue damage. Similarly, anaemia, characterized by insufficient red blood cells or haemoglobin, hampers oxygen delivery, exacerbating tissue hypoxia.

• Emergency Medicine: In critical situations, such as cardiac arrest or respiratory failure, LMO provides immediate oxygen therapy, stabilizing patients before further treatment.

• Home Oxygen Therapy: LMO extends its benefits beyond hospital settings, allowing patients to receive oxygen therapy in the comfort of their homes, enhancing their quality of life.

Prolonged mental exertion can lead to brain hypoxia, resulting in learning difficulties, decreased productivity, delayed responses, and nighttime sleep disturbances. Additionally, inadequate oxygen supply causes the body to produce lactic acid, leading to fatigue and soreness. In such cases, exercise or inhalation of medical oxygen may supplement physical energy and enhance brain vitality.

How is liquid medical Oxygen produced?

Liquid medical Oxygen is typically produced using air separation units (ASUs), which separate gases like Oxygen and nitrogen from atmospheric air. The process involves fractional distillation, where air is cooled to around -181°C, causing Oxygen to liquefy while nitrogen remains gaseous. Other gases present in the air are also separated. The resulting mixture contains liquid Oxygen and argon, which are further processed to remove impurities. This ensures the final product meets medical purity standards.

Judicious use of oxygen therapy

During public health emergencies, it’s essential for citizens to use Oxygen responsibly. Hoarding or misusing Oxygen can create panic and fuel black market activities. If your oxygen saturation level is 94% or higher, your body has an adequate oxygen supply, and there’s no cause for alarm. However, misuse of medical Oxygen by individuals with normal oxygen saturation levels deprives those with levels below 90%, who are in greater need of oxygen therapy.

What type of equipment is available?

The three types of oxygen systems currently available are:
Compressed gas systems
Portable oxygen concentrators (POCs)
Liquid oxygen systems

The compressed gas system includes a fixed concentrator for home use and a small oxygen tank for outdoor use. In contrast, the liquid oxygen system comprises a stationary concentrator at home and a portable tank for outdoor use. In some cases, a portable oxygen concentrator can function as both a mobile device and a stationary concentrator.

Portable Oxygen Equipment

While portable and ambulatory oxygen equipment are often used interchangeably, there is a significant difference. In 1999, the 5th Oxygen Consensus Conference differentiated between mobile and ambulatory oxygen systems.

Oxygen Conserving Device (OCD)

The oxygen-conserving device (OCD) on your small compressed gas tank makes the oxygen supply last longer. By only dispensing Oxygen when you breathe in, OCDs do not deliver as much Oxygen as continuous flow systems. Hence, it is essential that oxygen saturation testing be conducted both restively and dynamically while using an OCD to make sure you’re getting sufficient levels.

Responsible Use of Liquid Medical Oxygen:

• Judicious Utilization: The responsible use of LMO is paramount to preventing panic and ensuring equitable distribution to those in need during public health emergencies.
• Monitoring Oxygen Saturation: Patients should regularly monitor their oxygen saturation levels to avoid unnecessary consumption and ensure adequate supply for those with critical needs.
• Portable Oxygen Equipment: Utilization of appropriate oxygen equipment, including compressed gas systems, portable oxygen concentrators, and liquid oxygen systems, is essential for effective and efficient oxygen therapy.