Alert regarding appropriate rate for oxygen usage issued
With hospitals now treating a large proportion of inpatients for COVID19 infection, the draw of oxygen from the storage tank is exceptionally high and may result in some hospitals drawing more oxygen from their tanks than the maximum flow for which they are designed.
Source:
NHS England
SPS commentary:
The alert highlights that using oxygen at a higher than appropriate flow carries the risk of icing that could cause flow to drop unexpectedly, compromising supply to patients and/or permanent damage to the system. It is critical that only approved guidance is followed to achieve maximum sustainable flow from existing installations.