Drawbacks of oxygen cylinder

What are the drawbacks of oxygen cylinder used commonly in India?

1.Un opened Cylinders are found empty when needed.

Oxygen cylinders some times are with minor unnoticed leakage…and result of which it is found to be in empty stage when opened to start oxygen. This leakage may be at nozzle or in valve of it.

2.Once opened cylinder is found empty when needed second time.

Oxygen cylinders valves are closed tightly but no standardization of closing it once opened it…so chance of improper or incomplete closure…results into leakage of gas.

3.Faulty oxygen flow meters.

Flow meter having pressure gauze reader stops working after few days…and no standardization of it.

It is not possible to inspect the leakage from flow meter periodically.

4.How to open oxygen cylinder?

The process which I have learned by ward boy during my post graduation and practiced under his supervision.

You may be weak hearted person but to open oxygen cylinder you need to be strong handed.

Revise the knob / nozzle opens in anticlockwise rotational movement and closes in opposite of it.

Be fast to keep opener spanner into nozzle quickly…so it is must that you should know where it is.

After keeping or inserting opening spanner into nozzle in full complete depth…shout for a rod or any metal like rod or rod like object of any hard metal.

By one hand you fix opener spanner and by another hand stoke the spanner by rod like thing.

Cylinder does not open in one attempt as it is closed tightly after last use…so you have go on hitting it till it gets loosened.

Do not make to hit first stroke with full force in panicky…as this may result into sudden gush of oxygen…and the attached tube may give up…with large noise like blast due to pressured and forced gas come out…that can spoil your all connections including flow meter tubing.

So even in dam emergency need is to keep cool and to follow the rules.

Now you opened a main valve or nozzle.

Your job is not yet over. Start rotating wheel of flow meter in anticlockwise direction…looks for bubbles…rate of bubbles and the connect the rubber tubing or mask to patient.

All the steps are to be done in stepwise manner. You can have option of somebody helping you by putting rubber tube inside the nostrils of patient before you opened a cylinder. No…it can not be like that.

Now you are little bit relaxed and think of flow rate and regulate it according to your guidelines.

5.After use take care to close the main valve also…to avoid leakage…but do not hit hard…as that may damage the valve.