MEDICAL AIR USED IN HOSPITAL

 Medical air differs from oxygen and ordinary air.

 Medical air should be ultra-clean, dry, purified, colorless, odorless, non-inflammable gas.
 Medical air consists of nitrogen, oxygen, argon and trace element of inert gases.
 Medical air consists of o2 in the range of 19.5-23.5% by volume while nitrogen has higher
percentage and argon has least
 Medical air should be free of
 Odor
 Carbon dioxide: Pass 1000±50mLthrough a carbon dioxide detector tube at the rate
specified for the tube: the indicator change corresponds to not more than 0.05%.With
CO2 being the most prevalent off-specification contaminant, special attention must be
paid to this known asphyxiant. Exposure to concentrations of >8% or more can cause
death, unconsciousness, or convulsions. In terms of human physiology, we also know
that normal CO2 levels in blood are essential to pH regulation and alveolar gas exchange.
From a therapeutic perspective, in small controlled doses CO 2 is an effective respiratory
stimulant. Co2 can trigger bolus in pipe line due to high density.
 Knowing that CO2 is a “sticky” molecule (i.e., higher density than oxygen or
nitrogen), we wondered how far a bolus could travel intact through a pipeline.
Further study confirmed a 1 L release of CO 2 can travel beyond a kilometer
within a half-inch copper pipeline and cause an oxygen deficient atmosphere
(i.e., O2 < 18% volume/volume percent) upon exiting. The bolus depicted
in Figure 1 occurred after a brief shut-down and restart of the Medical Air plant.
The sudden spike in CO2 lasted a few minutes and very likely resulted in oxygen
deficient Medical Air at one or more wall outlets.


 Carbon monoxide:  Pass 1000±50mLthrough a carbon monoxide detector tube at the
rate specified for the tube: the indicator change corresponds to not more than 0.001%.
 Nitric oxide & nitrogen dioxide:  Pass 550±50mLthrough a nitric oxide–nitrogen dioxide
detector tube at the rate specified for the tube: the indicator change corresponds to not
more than 2.5ppm.
 Sulphur dioxide: Pass 1050±50mLthrough a sulfur dioxide detector tube at the rate
specified for the tube: the indicator change corresponds to not more than 5ppm.
 Water: It is the most common contaminant found in medical air lines. It can cause
damage to machines such as ventilator and anesthesia and also effect patient health.
Water can contribute in bacterial growth in the pipe system and can cause copper
oxidation hampering patient health. Water located in medical air lines which are
subjected to low temperatures can freeze and occlude gas flow
 MEDICAL AIR USED IN HOSPITAL
Reference

 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6591798/
 http://www.newdruginfo.com/pharmacopeia/usp28/v28230/usp28nf23s0_m1000.htm#:~:text=
»Medical%20Air%20is%20a%20natural,by%20volume%2Cof%20O2.
 Allen M, Edwards P. Medical air white paper. 2014. Available at: www.aeralin.com data on file.
 >Health Canada Drug Data Base Available at: https://health-products.canada.ca/dpd-
bdpp/dispatch-repartition.do
 >Canadian Standards Association 2017. Z7396.1-17 – Medical gas pipeline systems – Part 1:
Pipelines for medical gases, medical vacuum, medical support gases, and anaesthetic gas
scavenging systems. (CAN/CSA Z7396.1). Available
at: http://shop.csa.ca/en/canada/perioperative-safety/z73961-17/invt/27025122017
 Medical air: A risk assessment, Rev 1.0; August 2017. Available
at: https://www.vitalaire.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Medical-Air-Risk-Assessment-rev-
2.1-Final.pdf
 Edwards P, Therriault P, Katz I. Onsite production of medical air: Is purity a problem?  Available
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