Using Oxygen

In this video, we're just going to briefly look about how to actually use oxygen. And this is an oxygen cylinder, it's a standard BOC cylinder, so you've got the cylinder at the bottom, in the middle, there is the identification tank, and at the top, you got the regulator. The regulator itself has a contents gauge, the main on-off button, and also there's a hinged cover here which opens up to show the barbed outlet where the oxygen connects to. Finally, at the very top, you've got the control knob.

So, with oxygen itself, you need to deliver it, but the cylinder is not enough, so you also need the mask. This is a standard non-rebreather mask. This mask will go over the patient's back of their head. You've got a securing clip at the top, which actually just holds around the nose, and then the main bag. So, what you do with this, to start with, is the oxygen itself you need to first turn on the cylinder. So, on the black knob here, and you literally turn it anticlockwise. And you just turn it around, until it's fully open, and then turn it half a turn back. The reason for that is just so that if it's on the floor and the temperature changes, sometimes it can be quite hot, then just close the valve off.

Now, the regulator is now being primed with oxygen. So, the next thing to do is to connect it up to the non-rebreather mask. They're all push fit, so you just got the standard fitting on the end of the pipe, push that over the pipe, and you'll see it holds in place. And we're not looking at massive pressure here, so just that friction grip there is more than enough.

The next thing you'll need to do is just turn on to the end, and you'll see this is where the main control knob is and this little window there that says the flow rate, so you turn that on, round, and start with it or stay on to 15 litres a minute. As that's on, the mask itself bag inflates, and then this mask can be put straight over the patient. To turn it off, take the knob at the top, just wind that down to zero.

The next thing you'll need to do is to de-pressurize the regulator. So, take the main knob, twist it around clockwise this time, so that it locks it fully off. Once that's off, and then we need to de-pressurize the regulator, so you just turn the oxygen on, and then it will hiss, just to let the last pressure out. Once the hissing stops, the oxygen is all out of the system, so you can then revert that back to the zero position. So that when we're storing it, the top valve is shut on zero and also this one here is on zero. To remove the mask, just pull the oxygen pipe off, and then close the cover over.

Once you've used this oxygen cylinder you need to make sure how much you've got in it if you need to replace it. So, there you'll see this gauge on it, so a general rule is that if you've got less than half a cylinder there, then you'd need to replace it, but depends on what your local policies and procedures are with using oxygen. If it's in many cases, they may say as soon as one cylinder has been used, then we may well need to just replace that cylinder. You always want to have the maximum amount of oxygen when you need it.

And finally, oxygen is part of the fire triangle. It is potentially an explosive gas, so you need to be very careful. So, try and avoid using it in very enclosed rooms, if you do have to then open the window. Don't put it anywhere near any dirt or oils, because that can cause problems as well. And also, make sure that it's checked regularly to make sure that there has not been any leaks on it, and also when you are transporting it, make sure you don't drop it. So always try to lay it down when you're using it rather than standing it up onto its end.