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.