Every day, medical-grade gases like oxygen and nitrous oxide make life easier for countless people. Oxygen, in particular, is invaluable for those who rely on it for their very breath. Nitrous oxide is appreciated by those sitting in the dentist’s chair. Patients inhale these gases in a process known as oxygen therapy.
Medical-grade gases are manufactured in accordance with strict legislative and industrial standards. These gases may be either a pure gas or a compound, but are filtered to the highest level possible. In addition to the use of these gases by patients, they are also used during the manufacturing process of products that must be kept very clean or sterile.
Applications for Medical-Grade Gases
These gases are used in the following applications:
1. In oxygen or gas therapy, as an anaesthetic, as a treatment for an illness, or as an agent to deliver a drug;
2. To produce pharmaceutical medicines and Medical Supplies;
3. To calibrate medical devices or as a diagnostic aid;
4. To provide a controlled atmosphere;
5. As a pneumatic power source for either dental or surgical implements.
The History of Oxygen Therapy
Most people today can’t remember a time when hospitals didn’t have oxygen readily available for their patients. However, researchers had been working to develop a reliable way to deliver these essential gases to patients since 1775. That was the year when pure oxygen was discovered by Joseph Priestley, an English theologian and chemist.
During the 1800s, oxygen therapy was little more than an expensive curiosity. Oxygen bars were set up in Berlin and New York where someone would pay about $10 for five minutes of oxygen therapy. The delivery method was little more than waving over a bucket to direct the released oxygen in the general direction of the patient. The first continuous delivery of oxygen was not achieved until the late 1800s, but it only delivered a very light dose.
The use of poison gas in the First World War triggered the development of today’s oxygen therapy. Pure oxygen was desperately needed to treat soldiers whose lungs had been damaged by the poison gas. However, it was not until 1962 that oxygen therapy became an accepted treatment.
A-Welders & Medical Supply has over 30 years of experience in providing high-quality Medical Supplies and gases to Knoxville area hospitals, doctors, dentists and veterinarians. Anyone in need of exceptional medical-grade gases can visit their website.
