Author: Vanessa  21 Mar. 2025     Category: Understanding Filtration

Ⅰ. Types and applications of medical gases: “Breathing atlas” of medical institutions

Medical gas is the invisible lifeline to maintain the operation of the modern medical system. It is mainly divided into therapeutic gas, instrument-driven gas and special-purpose gas:

  • 1. Oxygen (O₂): the core support for the treatment of respiratory diseases such as intensive care, surgical anesthesia, and COVID-19. The global demand surged by more than 500% during the epidemic.
  • 2. Laughing gas (N₂O): widely used in painless childbirth and dental sedation, but its greenhouse effect has prompted the EU to promote the development of alternative technologies.
  • 3. Compressed air: the key power source for driving ventilators and surgical instruments, the purity must meet the ISO 8573-1 Class 1 standard.
  • 4. Special gases: such as helium (He) for MRI superconducting cooling, and carbon dioxide (CO₂) to create operating space in laparoscopic surgery.

German hospitals generally adopt the “dual gas source + liquid oxygen reserve” system to ensure 72 hours of continuous oxygen supply in emergencies; Singapore General Hospital uses an intelligent gas management system to achieve on-demand distribution and reduce energy consumption by 30%.

Ⅱ. Medical gas engineering construction and quality control: life-and-death engineering

Medical gas engineering must follow the “design-construction-operation and maintenance” full-cycle control, and international standard systems

(such as ISO 7396-1, NFPA 99) provide a framework for it:

  • Design stage: plan the gas station capacity based on the scale of the hospital, adopt redundant pipeline design (such as the “ring network” recommended by the UK NHS), and reserve space for future expansion.
  • Construction materials: 316L stainless steel pipes have become the mainstream choice in Europe and the United States. Their corrosion resistance is more than 5 times that of copper pipes. China’s new version of “Medical Gas Engineering Technical Specifications” in 2023 will also include it in the mandatory standards.
  • Quality control nodes: Leakage warning is achieved through laser leak detectors (accuracy up to 0.01ppm) and 24/7 online monitoring platforms (such as the US AMICO system), and pressure fluctuations must be controlled within ±10%.

Ⅲ. Precautions for medical gas filtration: invisible “safety guards”

The medical gas filtration system is the “last barrier” to prevent hospital-acquired infections, and special attention should be paid to:

1. Multi-stage filtration architecture:

  • Pre-filter (5μm) intercepts particulate matter
  • Activated carbon layer adsorbs VOCs (volatile organic compounds)
  • Terminal HEPA filter (retention rate of 0.3μm particles ≥ 99.97%)

2. Comparison of international standards:

  • The US FDA requires that anesthetic gas must pass through a 0.01μm ultrafiltration membrane
  • The EU EN 12021 standard stipulates that the CO gas concentration is <5ppm

3. Operation and maintenance management:

  • The filter element replacement cycle needs to be combined with real-time pressure difference monitoring (such as Japan’s use of wireless sensor networks)
  • Infectious disease specialist hospitals need to be equipped with UV sterilization modules (such as Hong Kong Queen Mary Hospital’s experience in dealing with MERS)

Filter grade requirement sheet

Gas typeFiltration targetStandard requirements
Compressed air  Particulate matter, oil mist, microorganisms ISO 8573-1 Class 1
OxygenMoisture, hydrocarbonsHTM 02-01 (UK)
Vacuum system Pathogens, aerosolsEN 13328-1

IV. Challenges and collaboration under the global perspective

The 2020 Indian oxygen crisis exposed the vulnerability of the supply chain in developing countries, while developed countries also face the problem of renovating old pipelines:

  • Technological innovation: The “mobile oxygen production unit” developed by Air Liquide in France can autonomously supply oxygen for 8 hours in a power outage environment and has been deployed in 20 African countries.
  • Standard mutual recognition: The alignment of China’s GB 50751-2023 and ISO 7396-1 has accelerated the export of domestic equipment. In the 2023 Middle East medical project bidding, the winning rate of Chinese companies has increased to 37%.
  • Emergency collaboration: The “Global Reserve Program for Medical Gases” led by WHO has established regional centers in Geneva and Dubai, aiming to achieve 72-hour emergency assistance capabilities.

The quality of medical gas engineering directly determines the lower limit of medical safety – because behind every breath is the dual test of science and responsibility. From the century-old oxygen supply pipeline of the Royal Hospital in London to the digital twin gas management system of the Ruijin Hospital in Shanghai, medical gas engineering is making breakthroughs in the direction of intelligence and low carbonization. Contact Trenntech Filtration to protect medical gas engineering!

Vanessa

My name is Vanessa, and I am a content writer specializing in corporate content creation. With more than 10 years of writing experience, I am committed to providing companies with high-quality, impactful content to help them stand out in a competitive market. My background covers multiple industries, including technology, finance, marketing, etc. In the process, I have accumulated rich knowledge and skills, and can deeply understand the needs of audiences in different fields, so as to create more targeted articles and content. I am good at writing blog posts, white papers, case studies, product descriptions, etc., and I am familiar with SEO optimization strategies to ensure that the content gets good exposure in search engines. At the same time, I also have good project management skills and can complete high-quality works within a tight time frame. I believe that high-quality content can not only convey information, but also build customer trust and brand image.