Warm O2

mikie

mikie

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I was reading through my states protocol book (just moved here, gotta learn em')...

For hypothermia (BLS) protocol...
a) Remove the patient from the cold environment.
b) Avoid further heat loss by removing wet clothing, replacing with dry
blankets and insulating material. Use a thermal type blanket and special
attention to covering the patient’s head.
c) PASSIVELY re-warm patient within a warm environment.
d) If available, administer warmed oxygen.
Click to expand...

I haven't heard of warmed O2. I have heard of humidified O2 (and haven't heard much benefit for pre-hospital use (BLS at least))

How would one get warmed O2? Do you use it? Have you used it before?

Thanks!
 
light a match? smoke a cigarrette? The resulting explosion will warm oxygen and kill everyone in 10 feet.
 
weird stuff, that.
I actually went back and reread my local protocols to make sure they did not include anything funky...
If you do figure out what they mean, let us know.
 
firecoins said:
light a match? smoke a cigarrette? The resulting explosion will warm oxygen and kill everyone in 10 feet.
Click to expand...

Guess it's a good thing that oxygen isn't explosive.
 
The warm O2 will be humidied since hot gas is not good for the lung tissue. The trick is to have adequate heater temperature to maintain proper temperature at the airways. Thus, temperature will be monitored as close as possible to the airway and at the heater. The relative humidity will also play a factor in this process.

The chances of doing this on an ambulance are slim since there would be no way to adequately control the temperature. O2 via NC or even a mask will suffice until the patient arrives in the ED.

Oxygen supports combustion which is why it is dangerous near flame or sparks. Metal O2 keys have also fallen out of favor with their potential to create a spark which can be dangerous if the is an oil based product such as grease, vaseline or some hand lotion in contact with it.
 
Now lets see here -refers to protocol book to make sure- hmm, we aren't suppose to use "warmed oxygen" however it does say use "humidified oxygen (if available)" I personally have never used "warmed" O2..
 
Vent hit it on the head.

O2 is not explosive, it is not flammable. O2 is an oxidizer. It will enhance combustion.
A cigarette will not set it off, it will make the cigarette burn faster. An open flame will grow bigger in the presence of O2. This is where you get your flash fires from.

If you fill a room with O2 and light a match. The fire from the match will grow to match the fuel area.
 
Its a joke. Some people take themselves too seriously. You really do....seriously.
 
firecoins said:
Its a joke. Some people take themselves too seriously. You really do....seriously.
Click to expand...

It is definitely not a joke if you have ever seen the victim of a house fire started by a cigarette and O2. Often the person will take off their NC and lay it in the bed clothes. This person will forget about it, fall asleep and drop the cigarette into the O2 saturated linen. That is when combustion is supported.

It has always been a legal debate as to whether a person that continues to smokes be sent home with O2. Often they won't if their O2 qualifiers are borderline.
 
Take your coat off, wrap the hose around your core, put coat on.
Administer Oxygen.
 
Microwave your humidifier first?

Or make sure it isn't frozen solid when you leave the rig in an unheated garage, which might rupture the water vessel anyway.

Metal cylinder keys are ok if made from aluminum, brass, or bronze as far as impact sparking, but they (or the wrong plastic wrench) can conduct a "static" electric spark. So can your nylon jacket sleeve or even your finger. The danger from a spark with O2 is somehow the spark wil find some tinder it would cause to ignite anyway (darn unlikely) and cause to flame up in the presence of high O2. Non-sparking is much more critical around gasoline vapors, or other flammable gasses and liquids.
 
As I recall, there was an interesting discussion some time ago that postulated that when bringing "warm" O2 onto a cold scene the warmth of the gas is quickly dissipated in the 5-6' of O2 tubing between the bottle and patient, so essentially its all moot.
I did dig up this topic about humidified O2 and its (mis-)use.
http://www.emtlife.com/showthread.php?t=4740
 
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