At Pure-Line Plumbing, our team has extensive experience in the plumbing industry, and we work with both residential and commercial clients. In addition, we have the necessary experience to work on the specialized plumbing systems for medical facilities. Hospitals and other medical centers require dedicated plumbing infrastructure for things like oxygen, nitrogen, and medical air. In this article, we will focus on medical air, providing an overview of what it is and how it is used.
- What Is Medical Air? – Medical air shares the same basic composition of gases as the air in our atmosphere—about 79% nitrogen and 20% oxygen, with some traces of various other gases. However, unlike ordinary air, medical air is first treated to remove any contaminants or odors, and then it is compressed. Healthcare professionals use medical air during treatment instead of normal air because doing so prevents patients from having allergic reactions due to airborne particles.
- Applications of Medical Air – Medical air is used in various care settings. One common application of medical air is in ventilators and other assistive respiratory devices. Using clean air free of particulates helps ensure the patient does not choke or cough and can continue to receive an uninterrupted stream of air into their lungs. Medical air is also used as part of aerosol treatments, where medicine is given as tiny airborne particles that the patient inhales through a respirator mask. A third application for medical air is in anesthesia. The clean medical air is used as a carrier for anesthetic gases, so patients receive the effects of the anesthesia as they breathe in.