Oxygen has been onerous to search out and very costly in international locations which have been hit onerous by COVID-19.
Medical oxygen has change into one of the essential life-saving commodities within the combat in opposition to COVID-19 throughout which sufferers develop pneumonia and hypoxaemia – a low blood oxygen degree.
Dozens of COVID-19 sufferers in India have died because of the acute scarcity of oxygen, bringing the manufacturing and provide of this crucial medical merchandise into the worldwide highlight.
When is medical oxygen used? How is it administered? Which international locations produce essentially the most of it? And the way is it produced? We reply these questions in 4 graphics.
The influence of COVID-19 on the lungs
The Sars CoV-2 virus in lots of instances targets the respiratory system, resulting in an irritation of the lungs. In extreme instances, this will result in hypoxaemia, which is the main explanation for demise amongst COVID-19 sufferers.
A blood oxygen saturation degree (SpO2) above 95 % is a wholesome vary for kids and adults. Oxygen saturation ranges beneath 90 % are thought of harmful. In accordance with the World Well being Organisation (WHO), about 20 % of COVID sufferers would require oxygen remedy to stop respiratory failure.
Sorts of oxygen remedy
Oxygen could be administered in quite a lot of methods. For low to reasonable oxygen deficiencies, sufferers could be placed on both a nasal cannula – a medical tube that goes by means of each nostrils – or on a easy or reservoir face masks. In these instances, one to fifteen litres (3.3 gallons) of oxygen per minute is delivered to complement a affected person’s common respiration.
If larger volumes of oxygen are required, sufferers might then be positioned on a high-flow nasal cannula, a Steady Constructive Airway Strain (CPAP) machine, or a ventilator. In these instances, as much as 100% of the oxygen an individual inhales comes from the oxygen cylinder. Within the case of a ventilator, a steady provide of oxygen could also be required to maintain a affected person alive.
The place does medical oxygen come from?
A number of international locations, significantly these with low to center incomes, are going through oxygen shortages. In India, which has seen a file variety of instances previously a number of weeks, an estimated 17 million cubic metres (600 million cubic ft) of oxygen is required day by day.
In accordance with the Indian Ministry of Well being, solely about seven million cubic metres of oxygen is being produced. This shortfall has meant that hundreds of individuals in crucial want of oxygen have been turned away and have died in consequence.
In 2019, in keeping with the World Financial institution, out of 102 international locations which are a part of the medical oxygen export-import buying and selling chain, 10 international locations exported as much as 80 %. Belgium was the main internet exporter at $23.6m, adopted by France with 14 %, then Portugal with 8 %.
How is medical oxygen produced?
The air we breathe is about 78 % nitrogen, 21 % oxygen and 1 % different gases, together with carbon dioxide. Medical oxygen is at the very least 82-percent pure oxygen and is produced at industrial services earlier than being delivered to hospitals in pressurised fuel cylinders or in liquid type in giant tanks. Over the previous 30 years, most medical oxygen has been produced utilizing the economical Strain Swing Absorption (PSA) course of which consists of three major phases:
Pressurisation: Air from the environment is compressed and saved in a high-pressure vessel.
Adsorption: Air passes by means of molecular sieves the place the nitrogen is absorbed by aluminium and silicon compounds often called zeolite. The remaining air is distributed by means of an air buffer tank.
Depressurisation: Air passes by means of alternating tanks in a sequence of cycles to take away undesirable gases. The ensuing fuel is as much as 96-percent pure oxygen. This oxygen is saved in a tank and might then be delivered in oxygen cylinders.