DIYbanter - View Single Post - Can welding Oxygen be used in place of medical oxygen?

Ed Pawlowski[_3_]

On 4/19/2020 8:32 PM, wrote:
On Sun, 19 Apr 2020 10:53:00 -0700 (PDT), "
wrote:

I am typing this comment in 2020 during the COVID-19 crisis in the United States.
My wife and I are in the age group that is told that people our age are more susceptible to serious health complications if we are victims of this virus. One symptom of getting COVID-19 is that the lungs lose their ability to provide enough oxygen to the critical organs in the body.
After reading many informed comments on several group discussions, I sought and assembled what I think are the necessary attachments for my welding oxygen tank.
I purchased a quality pressure valve that attaches to my oxygen tank that has an outlet that fits on a medical oxygen hose. This regulator has a pressure gauge monitoring the tank pressure and a regulator valve that controls the volume of oxygen being delivered to the patient.
Because I am concerned about some comments about possible buildup of contamination in an older steel tank, I purchased a small engine gas filter that fits on the oxygen line and a medical bacteria filter for placement in the oxygen line.
Because I became aware that oxygen from my tank would be too dry for a medical emergency use, I purchased a hospital quality humidifier bottle that will contain distilled water and is made for the purpose of humidifying medical oxygen. I put the humidifier bottle in the oxygen tube after the small engine filter and before the bacteria filter. This humidifying bottle also has a filter in it.
Because some comments mentioned that the patient shouldn't breath just the pure oxygen, I am not using a face mask to administer the oxygen but am using the small tube that has two nozzles that are placed under the nose. This will allow the patient to inhale the pure oxygen and the natural room air at the same time.
I consulted with a doctor who thinks my setup should be helpful if needed.
I'm open for comments and criticism.

If you are worried I suppose you could put in a filter but oxygen
tends to be a pretty clean gas anyway, even if it doesn't have the
tracking a medical bottle does, simply because so many things you
might mix with it goes boom.
I think once you get up into the 150 and larger, they are all medical
grade.

Just about every supplier uses the same source to fill tanks. Main
difference is Medical comes with a certification.

Using a cannula you want to supply about 2 liters per minute, but even
half that helps. Use of a humidifier depends on your situation with
ambient air. Yes, the O2 is dry but you also do not want too much
moisture in the lungs. You can also buy an oximeter to check her
saturation so you can see what her typical is and if it goes low.

Problem with your tank is the supply limit. OK for a while but an H
tank has about 7000 liters. That will give you about 55 hours.

If you can get a hold of liquid O2 you can get a week out of a fill.