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The use of unique pin indexed outlet connections on all sizes of bottled medical oxygen Small medical oxygen bottles have unique pin indexed outlet connections, but large medical oxygen bottles use industrial outlet connections that are shared by other gases, including argon, helium and industrial oxygen. At best this situation is a nuisance because equipment that uses bottled medical oxygen has to be configured for either large or small bottles, but not both. At worst this situation is dangerous because a patient could be given argon or helium (which are used with medical lasers) to breathe, instead of oxygen. A Standards Australia committee (https://committees.standards.org.au/COMMITTEES/ME_002/) and ANZIGA (The Australia and New Zealand Industrial Gas Association) are considering the use of unique pin_indexed outlet connections on all sizes of bottled medical oxygen. A study is being conducted by ANZIGA, into the costs and feasibility of making this change. If the medical community doesn't have any input to ANZIGA's study, it may only see the gas industry's perspective. Please give consideration to making a submission to this study. Submissions to ANZIGA can be made to: ANZIGA's office: 1 Rivett Road, North Ryde NSW 2113
Australia To allow Standards Australia to consider submissions as well, copies could also be sent to:- Committee ME 002_05: The Secretary https://committees.standards.org.au/ and click on the link to "Standards Development contact point" Some of the advantages of changing the outlet connections on large medical oxygen cylinders to the pin_indexed type include: * Remove the risk of giving the wrong gas to a patient * Enable both large and small medical oxygen cylinders to be used on the same piece of equipment * Comply with a 2004 NT Deputy coroner's recommendation, "That the configuration of medical gas cylinders be reviewed to ensure that inappropriate gases such as carbon dioxide cannot be connected to equipment used for resuscitation such as face masks."
* Large hospitals typically use banks of multiple
medical oxygen bottles as a back up supply, plumbed
into the building by only a few connections, this
enables only a few industrial oxygen bottles to be
connected in place of many medical oxygen bottles in an emergency.
Therefore it is pointless to keep using industrial
connections on medical oxygen on the premise that industrial oxygen can be used
in an emergency * Some obsolete gas regulators could be removed from service when connections on bottles are changed. Submitted by: |
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