Medical Oxygen:
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Medical oxygen is high purity oxygen suitable for use in the human body.
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No other types of gases should be present in the medical oxygen cylinder to prevent contamination.
Applications in the medical field:
It’s applications are to:
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Provide a basis for virtually all modern anesthetic techniques.
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Restore tissue oxygen tension by improving oxygen availability in a wide range of conditions such as shock, severe haemorrhage, carbon monoxide poisoning, major trauma, cardiac/respiratory arrest
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Aid resuscitation (action or process of reviving someone from unconsciousness or apparent death)
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Provide life support for artificially ventilated patients etc.
Why is there a need for Medical Oxygen?
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During diseases such as Covid-19 oxygen levels go down. It results in low oxygen levels in the cells in the body, not sufficient to do their normal function.
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If the oxygen levels are low for a long time without any treatment then the cells themselves stop working completely and can actually die.
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This may impact the organs such as the brain, heart, lungs, and kidney which may start malfunctioning, Hence, it is useful as a life-saving treatment in these extreme cases.