NELLORE: Acute shortage of liquid medical oxygen clubbed with an unprecedented increase in number of Covid patients requiring oxygen has left people on tenterhooks, including patients, hospital staff and authorities mobilising oxygen for hospitals.
With the emerging wide gap between demand and supply, medical professionals are trying to find judicious ways of using oxygen and preventing wastage.
Noted physician Dr C. V. Subhramanyam has suggested that government authorities consider using oxygen concentrators also with regular oxygen supply to save on precious oxygen. He said while patients with low oxygen saturations could be given regular oxygen, those with better levels but still requiring oxygen could be supported through oxygen concentrators, which can produce only about 5–10 litres of oxygen per minute.
Dr Subhramanyam advised district authorities to take technical assistance in this regard from Visakhapatnam’s Naval Dockyard teams camping in various districts. “If concentrators are used exclusively for people with low oxygen requirement, precious oxygen can be saved,” he observed. He suggested that monitoring oxygen regulators and keeping a tab on patients on oxygen can definitely help save oxygen.
If concentrators are made available on temporary basis, whether by way or charity or rent, patients could be given oxygen even in home isolation. This will automatically save regular oxygen and also spare beds for patients fighting for their life,” Dr. Subhramanyam underlined.
The senior physician pointed out that Seva Bharati of RSS and SEWA International are providing oxygen concentrators to needy in home isolation. "They are given without any rental charges in Bengaluru. NGOs can do the same in AP also for the benefit of Covid patients," Dr Subhramanyam remarked.
He further suggested that officials could examine the possibility of adding Bains system with BPAP mask, which anaesthetists use regularly. Bains system is available for Rs 675 on Amazon. This can also help reduce oxygen requirement among patients, he added.
