How Is Medical Gas Produced?

The Origins of a Valuable Tool

Medical gases play an essential role in the healthcare industry, used in a wide range of treatments from anesthesia and respiratory therapy to surgical procedures. Common medical gases include oxygen, nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, and medical air. Each gas is produced, purified, and stored in strict compliance with regulations to ensure patient safety.

Let’s explore how these medical gases are produced and what makes them suitable for clinical use.

Oxygen (O₂) Production

Oxygen is one of the most widely used medical gases, essential in emergency care, surgery, and for patients with respiratory conditions. The production of medical-grade oxygen usually involves cryogenic distillation.

Here’s how oxygen production works:

• Cryogenic Air Separation: Atmospheric air is first compressed and cooled to extremely low temperatures, converting it into a liquid form. Then, through fractional distillation, the components of air are separated. Oxygen boils at a higher temperature than nitrogen, allowing oxygen to be isolated as the liquid nitrogen evaporates off.
• Purification: The resulting liquid oxygen undergoes rigorous purification processes to remove impurities like water vapor, carbon dioxide, and hydrocarbons.
• Storage: Once purified, oxygen is converted back into a gas or kept as a liquid in cryogenic tanks for transportation and storage. Medical oxygen must meet stringent purity standards, typically 99.5% or higher.

Nitrous Oxide (N₂O) Production

Commonly known as laughing gas, nitrous oxide is used as an anesthetic and analgesic, particularly in dental procedures. It is produced by heating ammonium nitrate, which decomposes into nitrous oxide and water vapor

Here’s how nitrous oxide production works:

• Heating and Collection: The heated ammonium nitrate releases nitrous oxide gas, which is collected.
• Purification: The gas is cooled and passed through water to remove ammonia and other by-products. It is then purified further to meet medical-grade standards.
• Storage: Nitrous oxide is typically stored in high-pressure gas cylinders and delivered as needed.

Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) Production

Carbon dioxide is used in medical applications like laparoscopic surgery, where it inflates body cavities to improve visibility. Medical-grade CO₂ is typically produced as a by-product of other industrial processes, such as the fermentation of ethanol or combustion of natural gas:

Here’s how carbon dioxide production works:

• Collection: The CO₂ gas is captured from industrial processes.
• Purification: It undergoes multiple filtration and purification steps to remove impurities and achieve medical-grade standards.
• Storage: CO₂ is stored in pressurized cylinders or tanks for easy transportation and delivery.

Medical Air Production

Medical air is a mixture of oxygen and nitrogen and is essentially filtered, compressed air that meets specific purity standards. It is often used in respiratory therapy and as a carrier gas for anesthesia.

Here’s how medical air production works:

• Compression: Ambient air is compressed and dried to remove water vapor.
• Filtration: The air is passed through filters to remove particles, oil, and other contaminants.
• Storage: It is stored in pressurized cylinders or delivered directly via pipelines in healthcare facilities.

Medical Gas Production

Producing medical gases is a highly regulated and meticulous process, ensuring that each gas is pure, safe, and suitable for clinical use. Whether it’s the life-saving oxygen or anesthetic nitrous oxide, the production of medical gases relies on advanced technologies and stringent quality control to maintain patient safety across healthcare systems.

Medical Gases from James Oxygen & Supply

James Oxygen & Supply has years of experience and expertise supplying medical gases to medical facilities and practices throughout Western North Carolina. Let us put our extensive experience and expertise to work for you. We have the medical gases you’re looking for. And we’ll ensure that they’re delivered safely.

If you have a medical practice or facility in or around Winston-Salem, NC, you can trust James Oxygen & Supply to take care of your medical gas needs reliably and safely. We offer a variety of medical-grade gases that can be used in a clinic, doctor’s office, or any medical facility. We can also manage the installation and setup of your medical gas system.

Here are the medical-grade gases James Oxygen & Supply offers:

• blood gas mixtures
• carbon dioxide USP
• helium USP
• medical air
• medical device mixtures
• medical drug mixtures
• nitrous oxide USP
• oxygen USP

In addition to the gases listed above, James Oxygen & Supply also offers cryogenic gases delivery and service. We also supply portable oxygen tanks for in-home use.

The same way your patients trust you to offer them exemplary care, you can trust James Oxygen & Supply to provide safe and professional delivery of your medical gases.

Your medical facility can also count on us to provide on-site training for all of your employees in the safe and appropriate handling of your medical gases.

Whatever your medical gas needs are, contact James Oxygen & Supply today to learn more about what we can do for you.