Central medical gas installation
A permanent piped installation distributing medical oxygen from a central source to outlets in both operating theatres.
What a medical gas outlet consists of
Click or hover over a part. The descriptions appear one after another.
- 2Oxygen quick-release connector
This is where the anaesthesia machine or an oxygen mask is connected, without carrying cylinders between rooms.
- 6Oxygen hose
A hose with a quick-release connector to the machine or mask; the two theatres have separate circuits, so a fault in one section does not cut off the other.
- 1Alarm indicator
Warns of a drop in pressure in the pipeline before the oxygen supply is interrupted.
- 3Pressure gauge
The pressure in the system on this section; each outlet has its own gauge.
- 4Flowmeter
Setting of the oxygen flow in litres per minute, matched to the patient.
- 5Humidifier
Humidifies oxygen given over a longer period, protecting the airways from drying out.
Illustrative diagram of an oxygen outlet. The arrangement of parts corresponds to our outlets in both operating theatres, but the appearance may differ.
Oxygen outlet: pressure gauge and quick-release connectorWhat it is and how it works
The practice has invested in building a central medical gas supply: a supply source connected by a fixed pipeline to outlets permanently installed in the walls of both operating theatres in the operating suite. Each outlet has its own pressure gauge and a quick-release connector to which the anaesthesia machine or an oxygen mask is connected, without carrying cylinders between rooms. The two theatres have separate circuits, so that a fault in, or maintenance of, one section does not cut off the oxygen supply in the other.
What it offers
An animal under anaesthesia has access to oxygen immediately, without waiting for someone to bring a cylinder from another part of the building. This is a difference measured in seconds, when every one of them counts.
A constant supply of oxygen, independent of portable cylinders, makes it possible to run anaesthesia in both operating theatres in parallel, without competing for the same portable tank.