Oxygen
Different industries, including health systems, use oxygen in regular basis. Oxygen in the market is available for industrial and medical use. Medical-use oxygen is very different from industrial oxygen in purity and quality. Thus, industrial and medical use are not interchangeable.
"Industrial oxygen is not intended for human use. Solely medicinal oxygen that was tested to meet authorized specifications for its identity, purity and content and that was produced, stored and distributed following appropriate practices should reach the patient. Uncertainties regarding the purity and content of industrial oxygen, the possible occurrence of particulate and microbial contamination, and production, storage and distribution processes that may not be appropriately planned, performed and controlled can result in unacceptable risks for patients."
Medical-use oxygen
Depending on the source and production method the medical oxygen has the following values:
Currently WHO has two open consultations related to medical oxygen. For further detail, visit the Health Products and policy Standards- Working documents in public consultation website. The consultations refer to:
Many levels of the health systems need medical oxygen. The units in the health system that use oxygen include:
This diagram illustrates examples of medical units that use oxygen. All levels in the health system require oxygen and pulse oximeters (to monitor oxygen saturation in patients). These different levels and scenarios meet different needs of oxygen systems.
Despite being an essential medicine, oxygen is a complex product. It needs to be produce by a medical device or Industrial plant. Oxygen also requires a whole system to safely reach patients. Oxygen systems consist of oxygen:
Oxygen systems need regular power supplies and maintenance to function adequately. The following diagram illustrates all the components of an oxygen system.
Due to their complexity, access to oxygen meets many challenges on:
In face of these challenges, the WHO continuously develops resources to overcome them. WHO latest efforts include the development of technical specifications. The purpose of technical specifications is to increase access to quality products. It also aims to ensure the supply of oxygen, in low-resource settings. These efforts also aim to support ministries of health by:
This document describes the medical devices required for the clinical management of COVID-19, selected and prioritized according to the...
Oxygen is an essential medicine required at all levels of the health care system; only high quality, medical-grade oxygen should be given to patients. ...
This guidance document is intended for clinicians caring for COVID-19 patients during all phases of their disease (i.e. screening to discharge). ...
This interim guidance on oxygen sources and distribution strategies for COVID-19 treatment has been adapted from WHO and UNICEF’s technical specifications...
The purpose of this interagency publication is to provide harmonized product specifications for a wide range of products for delivering basic oxygen therapy,...
Hypoxaemia is a major contributor to child deaths that occur worldwide each year; for a child with pneumonia hypoxaemia increases the risk of death by...
The purpose of this guidance document is for the appropriate selection, procurement, utilization and maintenance of oxygen concentrators. This document...
Documents
Risk mitigation when using medical oxygen
Medical equipment related to oxygen therapy
WHO developed a series of training videos for medical equipment related to oxygen therapy. The videos to date include three main steps:
The equipment in these videos include:
Webinars
Initiatives
Useful external resources
News
Multimedia
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