• nexAir Now
  • Gases You See in Healthcare Applications

    Gases you see in Healthcare Applications

    Gases you see in Healthcare Applications

    National healthcare in the US in 2021 amounted to $4.3 trillion — that’s an average of $12,914 for each person. And it’s projected to become a $6.2 trillion market by 2028. The Commonwealth Fund reports that the US spent as much as 16.8% of its GDP on national healthcare in 2019, with Germany coming in second at 11.7% and Switzerland at 11.3%.

    Given this information, it’s clear that U.S. healthcare costs more on average than most countries. Healthcare expenditure is also expected to reach $12 trillion by 2040 — that’s approximately 26% of the GDP. So for your healthcare facility to thrive in the long run, expertise KnowHow™ is needed to truly understand what you’re investing in.

    Considering how important gases are in healthcare and medical services, nexAir provides a helpful guide to the gases commonly used in healthcare applications.

    For Patient Health and Recuperation

    Here are the four most common types of medical gases used in hospitals and healthcare facilities for patient care:

    • Medical Air
      Medical air is typically administered for patient respiration in the ICU, NICU and other patient care areas through a specialized air compressor. The compressed air is free of any odors, particles, and contamination because surgeons use it to keep patients comfortably breathing in the operating room.
    • Oxygen
      Oxygen is crucial in hospitals, medical clinics, and all other healthcare settings. This medical gas has various uses, from inhalation therapy to resuscitation. It’s used to assist with various conditions like carbon monoxide poisoning, hemorrhage, shock, trauma, cardiovascular arrest, and life support.
    • Carbon Dioxide
      Carbon dioxide is commonly used in less invasive surgeries such as arthroscopy, cryotherapy, endoscopy, and laparoscopy. It effectively enlarges and stabilizes the body cavity so surgeons can have easier access and greater visibility of surgical areas. It also assists oxygen with respiratory stimulation after anesthesia.
    • Nitrous Oxide
      Nitrous oxide is often used as an analgesic and anesthetic during surgical procedures. It is sometimes referred to as “laughing gas.”

    For Medical Machines and Tools

    Medical gases are just as often used for machines and tools as they are for patient care. Here are the most commonly used gases and their various applications:

    • Nitrogen
      This medical support gas can power surgical tools and other specialized medical equipment. Meanwhile, liquid nitrogen is an essential gas for preserving bone marrow, cell lines, sperm, and other biological materials.
    • Liquid Helium
      While helium gas is commonly used as a carrier gas for gas chromatography, liquid helium plays an instrumental role in MRI scans. It has a notably low boiling point, so it can efficiently cool NMR and MRI magnets to bring down their electrical resistance to a virtually non-existent level.
    • Dry Ice
      Dry ice is mostly used for genetic engineering and DNA research purposes rather than for direct medical applications. It’s instrumental in preserving and storing various types of biological product samples, such as vaccines.

    Explore Your Medical Gas Options at nexAir

    At nexAir, you gain access to all the medical gases needed to boost client trust, profitability, and Forge Forward. Contact us today for questions and queries.

    Looking out for your future

    Get your career going on the right track with nexAir

    Industry Knowledge and Expertise

    Find out how nexAir KnowHow has impacted businesses all over the Southeast

    nexAir in the news

    Our expertise makes us more than a valuable partner, it makes us headlines

    nexAir is always open!

    Don't see what you're looking for?

    Everything we offer is a click away and it will arrive before you know it.

    Manufacturing downtime costs American companies billions annually. When production lines halt due to gas supply issues, every minute translates to lost revenue, missed deadlines, and frustrated customers. At nexAir, we've spent decades developing solutions that keep manufacturing operations running smoothly.

    The Hidden Costs of Gas-Related Downtime

    When manufacturers calculate downtime costs, they typically focus on labor and lost production. However, gas supply disruptions create cascading effects that multiply these losses:

    • Production rescheduling that disrupts carefully optimized sequences
    • Rush shipping fees to meet customer deadlines despite delays
    • Quality inconsistencies when processes restart after interruptions
    • Overtime costs to catch up after unplanned stoppages
    • Reputation damage when delivery commitments are missed

    For a typical mid-sized manufacturer, each hour of downtime represents $5,000-$10,000 in direct and indirect costs. Our analysis shows that gas-related issues cause 7-12% of total manufacturing downtime - a substantial opportunity for improvement.

    From Reactive to Proactive: The Supply Continuum

    Most facilities follow a predictable pattern in their gas management evolution:

    Stage 1: Reactive Management At this stage, facilities order gas when they notice supplies running low or, worse, after running out. Emergencies are common, and disruptions are accepted as "part of doing business." One automotive parts supplier operating this way experienced 14 production interruptions in a single quarter.

    Stage 2: Calendar-Based Management Facilities advance to scheduled deliveries based on estimated usage. While better than the reactive approach, this method still results in either excess inventory (tying up capital and space) or shortages when usage spikes occur. A plastics manufacturer following this model maintained 40% more cylinder inventory than necessary while still experiencing occasional stockouts.

    Stage 3: Consumption-Based Management Our telemetry systems monitor actual gas consumption, automatically triggering orders based on usage patterns rather than calendar dates. This approach virtually eliminates both stockouts and excess inventory. 

    Stage 4: Integrated Supply Management The most advanced approach connects gas management directly to production planning systems. Upcoming production requirements automatically adjust supply parameters, ensuring resources are precisely aligned with needs. A medical device manufacturer using this approach reports zero gas-related downtime for 27 consecutive months while operating with minimal inventory buffers.

    Our expert KnowHow™ in industrial gas applications allows us to guide customers through this evolution at a pace that makes sense for their operations.

    Customizing Solutions for Maximum Uptime

    Manufacturing environments vary dramatically in their gas requirements and operational constraints. We've developed flexible approaches that address these differences:

    • For high-volume, consistent usage operations, our bulk systems eliminate the cylinder handling that frequently causes supply disruptions. Bulk installations include telemetry monitoring and automated ordering to prevent outages.
    • For variable-demand environments, our microbulk delivery systems provide the benefits of bulk supply with lower volume commitments. These systems reduce handling requirements while maintaining the flexibility needed for changing production schedules.
    • For specialized applications requiring multiple gas types, our gas management programs combine cylinder tracking, usage monitoring, and automated replenishment. This comprehensive approach ensures that specialty gases are always available when needed, regardless of how infrequently they might be used.
    • For multi-site operations, our enterprise supply programs coordinate deliveries and optimize inventory across locations. By treating the organization's gas requirements holistically, we minimize both stockouts and excess inventory across the network.

    This consultative approach ensures that manufacturers receive solutions aligned with their specific operational patterns rather than generic "one-size-fits-all" systems.

    Beyond Traditional Supply: Integrated Services for Total Reliability

    Maximum uptime requires more than just reliable gas delivery. Our integrated services address the full spectrum of gas-related reliability factors:

    Equipment maintenance programs that prevent system failures before they impact production Technical gas specialists who resolve application issues that could otherwise cause production problems Safety training that prevents accidents leading to downtime events Emergency response capabilities that minimize impacts when unexpected events occur Supply chain redundancy that ensures continuity despite regional disruptions

    These services complement our supply solutions to form a comprehensive reliability strategy. By addressing both everyday operations and exceptional circumstances, we help manufacturers Forge Forward with confidence that gas-related disruptions won't derail their production targets.

    Measuring Success: The Results That Matter

    The ultimate measure of any downtime reduction strategy is its impact on production metrics. Our manufacturing customers consistently report significant improvements after implementing our comprehensive gas management solutions:

    Downtime reductions of 85-95% for gas-related issues Inventory cost decreases of 20-30% through optimized supply management Administrative time savings of 5-10 hours weekly through automated ordering and tracking Production schedule adherence improvements of 3-7% due to improved supply reliability

    These performance gains translate directly to bottom-line benefits that typically deliver ROI within months rather than years. More importantly, they allow manufacturers to confidently make delivery commitments, knowing that gas supply issues won't compromise their ability to perform.

    Don't let gas supply issues impact your productivity. Contact us today to explore our tailored solutions.

    Looking out for your future

    Get your career going on the right track with nexAir

    Industry Knowledge and Expertise

    Find out how nexAir KnowHow has impacted businesses all over the Southeast

    nexAir in the news

    Our expertise makes us more than a valuable partner, it makes us headlines

    nexAir is always open!