ABSTRACT
Oxygen is an essential lifesaving medicine used for several indications at all levels of health care. The COVID-19 pandemic and its recent second wave have resulted in a surge in demand for necessary resources, including trained staf, hospital beds, and medical supplies like oxygen. Limited availability of these resources resulted in added risk of adverse outcomes. Also, the widespread unregulated use of oxygen by the general public in household settings poses safety concerns. This review focuses on sources of medical oxygen like cryogenic oxygen plants, pressure swing adsorption, oxygen concentrators, and oxygen cylinders. Their specifcations, storage, distribution within healthcare settings, regulation, and safety concerns have been considered. Resources needed for calculating oxygen demand, surge planning, identifying the suitable source, and distribution systems for diferent settings have been detailed. This review aims to help the hospital administrators, biomedical engineers, and clinicians plan and rationalize oxygen usage in low- and middle-income countries during the COVID-19 pandemic.
ABSTRACT
The vehicle-mouted medical PSA oxygen generation system for driver on plateau is developed independently,according to the environment characteristics of high altitude and low air pressure on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,aiming at the actual vehicles support work of plateau troops,through two years' research and experiment again and again.By system workflow design,tests under various conditions,and applicability analysis,especially,the tests conducted on the simulation plateau artificial environment and the vehicle loading tests under five typical environments of Qinghai-Tibet Route at different altitudes,the system is proved to be reliable,satisfied and can meet the requirements of national standard for medical oxygen.