title: The hazards of bulk oxygen delivery systems.
abstract: Many hospitals throughout the world obtain oxygen from a supply of bulk liquid oxygen which is delivered throughout the hospital via pipelines. An incident in which, through a series of malfunctions, dangerously high pressure developed in the hospital oxygen pipeline is described. The oxygen delivery systen described lacked a relief valve to vent excessive pressures. In North America such a relief valve is required on all oxygen delivery systems. An alarm system is also required which detects rises in pipeline pressures. Regulations in the U.K. do not provide for pressure-relief valves on liquid oxygen pipeline systems. In the U.K. there is also no regulation on alarms to warn of high pipeline pressures. High-pressure accidents are a real threat to patients and hospital staff unless proper safeguards are built into oxygen delivery systems.
mesh_terms: D000056:Accident Prevention; D000769:Anesthesia, Inhalation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D001900:Boston; D002495:Central Supply, Hospital; D004865:Equipment and Supplies, Hospital; D008365:Manometry / Q000295:instrumentation; D010100:Oxygen / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D011312:Pressure; D011482:Protective Devices
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen