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Healthcare & Medical Air Compressed Air Solutions

Every application requires a different solution and Warthog Air Compressor Store is here to help you find the correct solution for your industry. 

Medical Air

There's No Air in Healthcare

When it comes to medical-grade air, there is nothing cleaner. It is pure, high-quality compressed air that has had everything from dust and oil to odors and gasses removed from the airstream. It seems pretty straightforward, but to get the air to that level of cleanliness, it has to go through a lot. The air around us is filled with particulates; they are just too spaced out to be a problem, but what happens when a bunch of air is compressed into a very small volume? It pushes those tiny little particles together, which causes them to combine and form more prominent groups. Even most anesthesiologists are unaware of the complexity of the systems used to produce the medical air they use.

 As United States Pharmacopoeia considers medical air to be a manufactured drug, anesthesiologists should be aware of the quality of the medical air produced in their facility and delivered to their patients. Although this information is helpful for understanding just how little the professionals know about compressed air, it doesn’t even scratch the surface for the general population.

Most individuals in our society cannot identify an air compressor if it is sitting right in front of them, let alone explain the inner workings of these machines, and that is okay, and that’s why we are here to help you understand just how compressed air is used in Healthcare and the medical field. These machines are incredibly crucial to modern medicine. Their ability to produce clean air through intense filtration is unmatched, allowing patients to trust the process of administering anesthetics, power the tools, and even be administered oxygen. 

Isn't Oxygen Compressed Air?

You might have noticed I referenced compressed air moving oxygen, and it’s logical to think they are the same thing. Contrary to the logical assumption, these two gasses are entirely different. When oxygen is used in a hospital, it is created by turning the stored liquid oxygen into a gas. This gas is only oxygen, and the air we breathe is a mix of all the different gasses that make up our atmosphere. This pure oxygen is too much for humans and can have harmful consequences. 

Both types of gas are crucial to the medical field and patient treatment; however, correctly labeling them is very important as they are both treatment specific. A mix-up could be life or death for a patient. Oxygen is considered a manufactured gas, and this is because the liquid oxygen has to be shipped in while compressed air is made on-site. Minor distinctions can be the basis of understanding the differences between the two. It is also important to remember that oxygen and medical air differ from the air around us. 

Air In Healthcare, What Is It Doing?

Compressed air, the one made of nitrogen and oxygen that is odorless, non-flammable, and free of particulates and other nasty things, plays a crucial role in the administration of medicine and all aspects of patient care. Quality compressed air is responsible for multiple processes in healthcare. These processes include but are not limited to the following:

  • Clean Air For Ventilators And Incubators
  • Diffusion of Oxygen for Breathing Assistance
  • Carrying Medium for Anesthetics
  • Powering Surgical Tools

 

This top-quality compressed air is used in various ways due to its sanitary nature. Everything that could harm the patient or cause problems is removed from the airstream before the point of use. This makes compressed air an unrivaled utility for the healthcare industry.

Ventilation and Incubators

The air quality in ventilators is often an afterthought: it is an expectation rather than a concern. This mindset creates a need for the incredible performance by the filtration system. The efficiency needs to go above and beyond standard applications; it is vital that nothing but the highest quality compressed air is passed manufactured. If the air being delivered is not clean and controlled, the health and safety of the patient are at risk. 

Regarding incubation, air quality is crucial to the baby’s health. During the first few hours of breathing, especially if there were complications during birth, the cleanest air possible is needed for babies. Not only is the quality of the air being used by these machines essential, but so is the pressure at which it is being administered. Suppose there is too much variability in the force. In that case, a rapid pressure spike or drop occurs, or any variability in the pressure can be incredibly detrimental to the patient as each individual will have a different rate of administration. 

Without compressed air and pressure-compensated flow control, medical tools and practices like endotracheal tubes, hyperbaric chambers, face masks, and medical air into ventilators would not be possible. Even a trace amount of bacteria or a virus is too much for these procedures and equipment to work correctly. Quality cannot be sacrificed when the air is being used internally. The individuals receiving the medical air depend on it to keep them breathing and alive while receiving treatment or as their treatment. 

Moving Oxygen For Breathing Assistance

As we all know, oxygen is crucial for survival, but too much oxygen can be harmful. The air we breathe around us consists of oxygen and a few other gasses; this dilutes the oxygen concentration in the air and makes it easier for humans to live. If you were to breathe in pure oxygen, it would be harmful to your body’s fats, proteins, and DNA. So, for the oxygen stored on-site as a liquid, it needs to be diluted by compressed air so that there is no excess oxygen inside the patient.

By transporting and diluting the pure oxygen, the compressed medical air delivers safe breathing for patients who are under sedation, struggle to breathe on their own, or just are receiving treatment for their breathing. Consistent air delivery ensures steady breathing for the patient and is vital to the treatment process for surgery, broken bones, and other applications. 

Administering Anesthetics

Inhaled medications and anesthetics must be moved into our bodies on some medium. Compressed medical air is a crucial ingredient for administering these medications. Most anesthetics are mixed with medical air so the doses can be controlled more quickly and efficiently during administration. This benefits patients who may be sensitive to oxygen toxicity as medical air flows can keep oxygen levels controlled and precise for delicate cases.

Anesthetics play a vital role during surgical procedures and other life-saving operations. Medical compressed air can perform functions that other energy sources and mediums cannot. The unique combination of cleanliness and consistency makes it undeniable how crucial compressed air is to our healthcare system. Without anesthetics, surgeries would be a lot more painful and invasive for the patients.

Powering Tools

In healthcare, if a power source can be contaminant-free, it is almost a given that it will be used. Medical compressed air can also be used to power the surgical tools in an operating room, in a dentist’s office, and in your primary care facilities. Whether it be the drill for your teeth, a bone saw during surgery, or a piece of equipment for puncturing, drilling, sawing, etc. These equipment run on the cleanest power source possible because they are being used inside human beings, and if the inside of our body becomes contaminated, we are in trouble.

Pneumatic medical equipment is all powered by compressed medical air, and you might be wondering what more of the applications might be:

  • Oral surgical instruments
  • Surgical saws and drills
  • Orthopedic instruments
  • Clean and sterilize medical equipment 

How They Maintain Air Quality

High-quality air is a requirement for many industries, but by far, the highest standards are medical air. This air needs to be the definition of pure and contaminant free; it is used inside a human being. Potential contaminants can be the difference between a patient being perfectly healthy and a patient never being able to recover. Errors carry a heavy toll in this industry, and the compressed air quality has no room for mistakes. That is why filtration is non-negotiable, and nothing less than the best will be accepted.   

Maintaining this quality is no easy feat and requires consistent monitoring and maintenance. Each piece of equipment needs to be checked, and performance monitored to ensure the quality of the air being used. Each component must be properly fitted and sized for the system to minimize pressure drops and maximize efficiency. Some key areas to pay attention to in the maintenance of medical air are air dryers, aftercooler drains, and faulty seals. 

These areas are highly susceptible to sending contaminants and moisture downstream when they are damaged or faulty. Air dryers can become insufficient with water removal, damaged aftercoolers can allow moisture to slip downstream, and faulty liquid ring seals can become worn down and let contaminants and even more moisture into the medical system. Any of these potential problems occurring would be a disaster for the patient and the system, and they should be avoided at all costs with routine care and maintenance.

When it comes to compressed medical air, it is just as crucial as oxygen. It’s used all over healthcare, from dentists to ORs. Medical compressed air is the best energy source available to them. Air can reach a purity and quality that other forms of power cannot compete with. After proper filtration, this power source can still run things and is okay to use on a human simultaneously. It should still be noted that both compressed medical air and pure oxygen are two different gasses and cannot be used interchangeably. 

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