Beginners Guide to Medical Gauges
Many of today’s medical procedures and illnesses require a form of medical gas, such as Oxygen, Nitrous Oxide, Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen, and many others. Pressure gauges are used to measure the pressure of the gas within the cylinder, which indicates the amount of gas available. MIJA’s medical gauges can be found on anesthesia equipment, oxygen regulators, respiratory equipment, dental systems, and many more around the globe.
Oxygen Gauges
Oxygen is often described as the gas of li
fe, for its strong oxidizing and life-sustaining properties. It is used in medicine for therapeutic purposes and in the metals industry for steelmaking and metal-cutting applications.
Gauges used for oxygen are required to state USE NO OIL on the gauge per UL standards, as seen in Figure A. due to the potential of a combustion if the two are combined, whereas other medical gases such as Nitrogen or Carbon Dioxide do not require the gauge to state USE NO OIL.
Standards for Medical Gauges
Medical gauges must be manufactured with strict standards for precision due to the vital, life-saving role that medical gases play. UL standards require a max tolerance of only ± 3.5% variation based on the highest operating pressure (3000psi). For example, if the current gauge pressure reading is 1,000psi, the allowable operating pressure will be between 895psi and 1105psi. The strict standards and low tolerance are to ensure that the gauge is accurately indicating the amount of gas that is available.
Whereas a fire protection gauge tolerance varies from ± 4% at the charge pressure (black line in the green pie) up to ± 8% of the charge pressure at the outer edges of the red pie and ± 15% of the charge pressure at the overcharge.
Medical Gas Gauge Pressure
As many of us know and as stated before, pressure gauges are used to measure the amount of gas pressure within a cylinder. However, interpreting the actual meaning of the gas pressure is a different story. What does 1000psi mean in terms of time and available gas? Reading a pressure gauge can be difficult, especially for busy medical professionals and individuals. This is why MIJA has created an electronic product line of low-pressure alarms for medical gases. This has simplified the gauge reading by adding easy to interpret color-coded lights and audible alarm, which indicates when there is a safe amount of gas available and when the gas in the cylinder is getting low.
Questions?
Do you have questions regarding any of our products? Here at MIJA, we would be more than happy to answer any of your questions regarding our state of the art and easy to use medical gauges. Feel free to call us at 781-871-5750 or leave an inquiry here and our support staff will get back to you in a timely fashion!