medical air
| 07:08 Aug 8, 2008 |
| English language (monolingual) [Non-PRO] Medical - Medical: Instruments | ||||
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| SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED | ||||
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| 5 +1 | compressed air used for medical purposes |
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| 5 | see explanation |
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| Discussion entries: 1 | |
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Answers
3 mins confidence: 
peer agreement (net): +1
peer agreement (net): +1compressed air used for medical purposes Explanation: Specification of medical air Medical grade air should be free from toxic products, flammable or toxic vapours, and odours at all points in the pipeline system. Although it is not sterile medical grade air is clean and at STP(standard temperature and pressure) should not contain more than: 0.5mg of particulate oil mist /cubic metre of air 5.5mg of carbon monoxide/ cubic metre of air 900 mg carbon dioxide/ cubic metre of air no moisture no bacterial contamination Surgical instruments require compressed air at 7.2bar or 105psi Anaesthetic ventilators require compressed air at 4.1 bar or 60psi Uses of Medical Air: Compressed air is required in hospitals to operate surgical instruments such as pneumatic drills and saws. Air is also used to run ventilators and may be used as a carrier gas in anaesthesia. Although oxygen may also be used it is very expensive. In small hospitals oxygen concentrators with air compressors are used which are capable of driving ventilators. The amount of compressed air produced is however insufficient for use in larger hospitals. -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 2 hrs (2008-08-08 09:59:10 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- Medical air is used for a variety of patient applications. Many patients sensitive to oxygen toxicity are delivered air to lower their exposure to oxygen. Many of these patients have extremely delicate respiratory systems or processes which rely on a pure, accurate concentration of medical air. Some examples of patients dependent on a reliable, quality air supply would be neonates and those patients suffering from adult respiratory depression syndrome. Medical air is also used during anesthesia as a substitute for nitrous oxide to reduce the high concentration of oxygen exposure. While the source of medical air may be a manifold with a bank of compressed air cylinders, most hospitals use a compressor system. Reference: http://www.nda.ox.ac.uk/wfsa/html/u13/u1302_01.htm |
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