1.Types of medical gases
Medical gases are gases used in medical procedures. Some are used for treatment, some for anesthesia, and some for driving medical devices and tools.
There are 7 kinds of gases commonly used: oxygen, nitrogen, nitrous oxide, argon, helium, carbon dioxide, and compressed air.
The medical gas system also includes vacuum suction system and anesthesia gas scavenging system.
2.Medical gas properties and uses
(1) Oxygen
Oxygen is the most basic gas for life, and it is used medically to supplement oxygen to oxygen-deficient patients. Direct inhalation of high purity oxygen is harmful to the human body. Long-term use of oxygen concentration generally does not exceed 30-40%. Ordinary patients breathe oxygen through oxygen flowmeter; critically ill patients breathe oxygen through the ventilator.
Oxygen is also used in high-pressure tanks to treat diving, gas poisoning, and for drug nebulization.
(2) Nitrous oxide
Inhalation of a small amount of nitrous oxide has an anesthetic and analgesic effect, but a large amount of inhalation can suffocate people. Medically, a mixture of nitrous oxide and oxygen is used as an anesthetic agent, and anesthesia is inhaled by the patient through a closed manner or a ventilator.
(3) Carbon dioxide
Medically, carbon dioxide is used to inflate the abdominal cavity and colon for laparoscopy and colonoscopy. In addition, it is also used for laboratory culture of bacteria (anaerobic bacteria).
Carbon dioxide can be made into dry ice by applying pressure (5.2 atmospheres) and cooling (-56.6°C below). Medical dry ice is used for cryotherapy to treat cataracts and vascular diseases.
(4) Argon, Helium
They are colorless, odorless, non-toxic inert gas. Medically used for argon gas knife, gas knife, and other surgical instruments.
(5) Compressed air
Compressed air is used to deliver power to oral surgical instruments, orthopedic instruments, and ventilators.
(6) Nitrogen
Nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, non-toxic, non-flammable gas. It is inactive at room temperature and does not react chemically with ordinary metals. Medically used to drive medical equipment and tools. Liquid nitrogen is commonly used in cryosurgery in surgery, stomatology, gynecology, and ophthalmology.
3.Department of medical gas use in hospitals
The departments that use medical gases in hospitals include operating rooms, pre-communicators, recovery rooms, debridement rooms, obstetrics and gynecology wards, ICU wards, and general wards.