Managing the supply of medical oxygen for ships

-

 


All sick seafarers should be assessed on board and appropriately managed by the officer in charge of medical care, with assistance from Telemedical Assistance Services. If shore-side medical care is required, the seafarer should be medically disembarked into a shore-side facility as soon as possible, using whatever means are available. Port States have a duty to provide such care, as outlined in the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 20061, STCW, and other international treaties.

The need for medical oxygen on board a ship to treat a sick seafarer until disembarkation is well recognized and outlined in a flag State's medicine chest requirements. The COVID 19 pandemic has brought to light the issue of how much medical oxygen should be carried on board, as well as the difficulties in purchasing and supplying oxygen cylinders.

If an outbreak of COVID 19 occurs onboard, it is noted that 50 percent of the crew is frequently affected, and up to 20 percent of them may require oxygen if they are unable to reach medical care ashore for several days. This could imply that more than one sailor requires oxygen therapy at the same time.

How much medical oxygen is required?

The minimum volume of medical oxygen that ships must carry is specified in flag State medicine chest requirements, and the absolute minimum is two cylinders of two liters at 200 bar, or 800 liters, as recommended in the International Medical Guide for Ships, third edition2. Many flag states require ships to carry more than this, frequently 40 liters at 200 bar3, for a total of 8000 liters. This is also mandated by the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code (IMDG)4.

Many ship owners have expressed a desire to increase the volume of cylinder medical oxygen carried on board, but this has become increasingly difficult for a variety of reasons. Among the reasons are, but are not limited to:

• Inadequate supply of medical oxygen

• Prioritization of medical oxygen supplies in hospitals and other healthcare settings

• The FDA has classified oxygen as an approved substance.

• Transportation difficulties as a hazardous cargo

Oxygen Concentrators

Oxygen concentrators can provide up to 10 liters per minute of oxygen, though most only provide 5 liters per minute. In addition to the medical oxygen cylinders carried on board, they are successfully used on cruise ships and by some major US oil companies. When treating acute illness, those that can deliver 10 liters per minute are the most useful. However, they are more expensive, and there is currently a long wait time for purchase due to a surge in demand.

Cleaning and replacing the air filters as directed by the manufacturer is required for oxygen concentrators, and the filters' efficacy may be compromised in extreme temperatures and humidity. However, in 'home use' concentrators such as those used onboard, have not been seen as a practical issue.

 

When the concentrators are used in air-conditioned spaces, such as the ship's medical center, they are more effective.

The amount of medical oxygen carried in cylinders, the ship's itinerary, the number of crew on board, and the crew's ability and willingness to perform the necessary checks and maintenance in accordance with the manufacturer's requirements should all be considered when purchasing a concentrator.


For more info ANP Pharma


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Uses of Defibrillator and the Help It Renders In Attending a Patient

-
Image
A defibrillator is a medical technique which is used to prevent ventricular fibrillation which is a common cause of cardiac arrest. The use of defibrillator is quite easy. However, due to the lack of knowledge many people use it in the wrong way. Here are the things you should check before using it. If you find someone having difficulty in breathing or choking due to the inability to breathe, calling the emergency number is the call of time. Other than that, you can start the CPR to keep a continuous supply of blood within the body. On the contrary, without CPR, the chance of death increases for the person. In case you're without anyone else, don't stop the CPR to go and get a defibrillator. In case it is not available, send another person to find the same for you. When you call 999, the administrator can let you know whether there's a community defibrillator close-by. When you open the equipment as provided by the defibri...
Read more

Why is antimalarial prophylaxis important?

-
Image
Every year, around 300–500 million people contract malaria and about 3 million die, most of which are children who are under five years. In sheer numbers, malaria kills 3,000 children per day under the age of five. The total number of deaths readily exceeds that from AIDS. After Tuberculosis, Malaria is easily the world's largest parasitic disease, killing more and more people every day. As we know, Malaria is one of the oldest pathogens which is posing a threat to the human population since the birth of the agriculture. Antimalarial prophylaxis Even being such a potent disease on the face of the earth, there is no post-disease vaccine available for protection against malaria despite the decades of research. Antimalarial prophylaxis is one of the newly surfaced modes of protection against the Malaria which offers an alternative approach that provides reliable protection against malaria. Antimalarial prophylaxis offers protection against clinical attacks of malaria especi...
Read more

Malaria - a rising global threat

-
Image
Despite its small size, the mosquito is the most dangerous animal to have caused maximum human deaths. According to the most recent estimates from World Health Organization, about 50% of the world’s population is at risk of Malaria. In the year 2015, 215 million cases of malaria registered of which resulted in 4,38,000 deaths. What is Malaria? Malaria is an infection caused in Red Blood cells (RBCs) by a parasite called Plasmodium.  Plasmodium falciparum is the most potent parasite reported to have cause Malaria. Other less known species that cause Malaria are Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale, Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium knowlesi. Once the parasites enter your body, they mature in the liver. These mature parasites later infect the RBCs.  Commonly known symptoms of Malaria are malaise,  vomiting, and fever with chills.  Unavailability of treatment can worsen the symptoms and cause anaemia, hypoglycemia and Cerebral Malaria (obstructs supply of bloo...
Read more