Emergency oxygen onboard

Don't forget that it doesn't have to be 100% oxygen that you give in an emergency, just a gas with a higher O2 percentage than air; when diving I often use Nitrox mixes which are just air and oxygen mixed to get the percentage of oxygen higher than the 21% in air and carry a 7 litre cylinder of 36% O2 with me when diving and have a smaller 5 litre cylinder of 62% in the car - it was 100% but got topped up with air when some was used for training - as an emergency set

I carry a RescuEAN set from http://www.rescuean.co.uk/ which is a cheap way for someone with dive gear to get setup with a method of giving Oxygen in an emergency

Cheapest way to get a setup would probably be to buy a 3 litre divers Pony bottle, first stage regulator, RescueEAN, but getting it filled may be the issue and of course a 3 litre cylinder won't last very long but its better than nothing when you need it

Other thing that may be worth getting for your first aid kit is one of the clip on Oxygen saturation monitors that you can get from Ebay for about £25
 
When running a dive boat I used to hire an O2 cylinder from BOC and purchased my own regulator. The cost was billed monthly and quite cheap.

Pete
 
I've done the BSAC oxygen therapy course and have also administered oxygen (under Dr's instructions) to some terminally ill people. As pointed out previously, giving oxygen to a total stranger whose medical history can't be determined can be dangerous and to be avoided unless you have the diagnostic knowledge. If you have a visitor on board who just may need oxygen because of a known medical condition, then a tank/reg/mask can be obtained on prescription.
 
DinghyMan said:
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Other thing that may be worth getting for your first aid kit is one of the clip on Oxygen saturation monitors that you can get from Ebay for about £25
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One of those (O2 + HR) and an ear thermometer were with me the day after leaving hospital compliments of Amazon. Now part of my "test equipment". Both very convenient and accurate enough for non-professionals.

Interestingly, over all the first aid courses from military through industrial to RYA that I have completed over the years I don't recall any advice re. oxygen use, even when it was available. Assumption seems to be that medics will arrive without undue delay - far from probable in many locations I have been in. Maybe attending more advanced courses as suggested earlier is a pre-req for being more than 15 mins from professional assistance.
 
AHoy2;3429187 Interestingly said:
One of the issues with administering oxygen in an emergency situation when far from help is that it will run out, and much quicker than you imagine. Once your on board supplies are gone you are in exactly the same situation as you would have been if you didn't have oxygen on board. If you have a trauma situation or a cardiac condition that requires oxygen, it will be needed until more definitive treatment can be given.
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I'm sorry but from my point of view this is just crazy. One could imagine any number of medical emergencies that could require treatment and say "we should have XYZ on board to deal with that". You might as well bring the entire inventory of a casualty trauma room into your boat, if that is the way you think.

As others have said, beyond First Aid you need specific training in what you are using, and even if you were able to care for someone who is critical, they will still need quick access to proper facilities. Very quick access.

I have first aid training and the first aid kit to deal with common situations.
 
bbg said:
I'm sorry but from my point of view this is just crazy. One could imagine any number of medical emergencies that could require treatment and say "we should have XYZ on board to deal with that". You might as well bring the entire inventory of a casualty trauma room into your boat, if that is the way you think.

As others have said, beyond First Aid you need specific training in what you are using, and even if you were able to care for someone who is critical, they will still need quick access to proper facilities. Very quick access.

I have first aid training and the first aid kit to deal with common situations.
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+1
 
AHoy2 said:
It hit me that I had a problem when I came to a complete halt physically and breathing response didn't feel right. Apparently my blood/oxygen level (SpO2) had fallen to 83% (with temperature at 29.1C and resting heartrate of 114).
http://shop.lifesignsgroup.co.uk/em...9.1 you were lucky! glad you are on the mend.
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viago said:
strange numbers. when the temperature drops below 30 celsius it is usual to become severely bradycardic with typical heart rates below 30. i suspect your temp. was 39.1
you were lucky!
glad you are on the mend.
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Correct, typo (or still fuzy grey matter) on my part, temp was 39.1.

I feel lucky and grateful to my GP and the staff of the admissions ward.

Also annoyed with myself for failing to recognise the state I was in and not having the ability to check basics.
 
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NornaBiron said:
Oxygen is prescribed as a drug within the NHS. This may seem strange but is for a very good reason. Someone who has chronic asthma, bronchitis or emphesema may have an altered response to oxygen. Most of us breath because our carbon dioxide levels are high. Others breath because their oxygen level is too low.

Sounds the same but there is a crucial difference. I will continue to breath when given oxygen as I will always produce carbon dioxide which is my breathing trigger. The chronic emphasemic/asthmatic/bronchitic may stop breathing when given too much oxygen as the trigger for breathing is taken away.

If you wish to carry oxygen in case of emergencies, you should ensure that you have had some training in using it.
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this is a common misconception of the "hypoxic drive". it is a theory suggested some 40 years ago and yet to be substantiated by any reliable research.
if it does exist, which is extremely unlikely, then the, 1 in a million, affected person would not be on board a boat!
there are two situations i can think of where the administration of supplementary oxygen may increase the risk to a person; firstly, when the boat is on fire- the added oxygen would aid combustion but this increased risk could negated by the use of a demand valve supply. secondly, the prolonged use of oxygen to a 28 to 32 week premature baby, which may lead to retinal damage and even blindness, but these2 pounders are rarely seen on boats.
other than that i wouldnt worry too much about giving o2 to someone.
 
viago said:
this is a common misconception of the "hypoxic drive". it is a theory suggested some 40 years ago and yet to be substantiated by any reliable research.
if it does exist, which is extremely unlikely, then the, 1 in a million, affected person would not be on board a boat!
there are two situations i can think of where the administration of supplementary oxygen may increase the risk to a person; firstly, when the boat is on fire- the added oxygen would aid combustion but this increased risk could negated by the use of a demand valve supply. secondly, the prolonged use of oxygen to a 28 to 32 week premature baby, which may lead to retinal damage and even blindness, but these2 pounders are rarely seen on boats.
other than that i wouldnt worry too much about giving o2 to someone.
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Also should not be given to suspected Paraquat poisoning IIRC unlikely on a yacht though!
 
viago said:
this is a common misconception of the "hypoxic drive". it is a theory suggested some 40 years ago and yet to be substantiated by any reliable research.
if it does exist, which is extremely unlikely, then the, 1 in a million, affected person would not be on board a boat!
there are two situations i can think of where the administration of supplementary oxygen may increase the risk to a person; firstly, when the boat is on fire- the added oxygen would aid combustion but this increased risk could negated by the use of a demand valve supply. secondly, the prolonged use of oxygen to a 28 to 32 week premature baby, which may lead to retinal damage and even blindness, but these2 pounders are rarely seen on boats.
other than that i wouldnt worry too much about giving o2 to someone.
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+1
A not uncommon contributory cause of death in hospitals is the witholding of oxygen due to the aforementioned misconception...
 
Can you realistically carry enough oxygen if you are not near to medical help? My youngest needed oxygen at times when he was younger, typically only about 1 or 2 litres/min. A single carbon fibre/ali bottle lasted 2 to 4 hours. For severe cases, someone above (who undoubtedly knows more than me) mentioned 12 to 15 litres/min. That would mean one of these bottles lasting about 15 minutes. The carbon bottles were much lighter than steel ones, but to have enough for say 4 hours would take up a lot of space.
Storing compressed oxygen is not simple as oxygen enriched atmospheres are dangerous as materials such as grease or oil can self ignite, and the resultant fire will be very intense.
 
A1Sailor said:
+1
A not uncommon contributory cause of death in hospitals is the witholding of oxygen due to the aforementioned misconception...
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quite so. i see no improvements any time soon. this misplaced faith in a beautiful sounding theory runs deep throughout the nursing and medical professions yet lip-service is proudly paid to "evidence based practice".
 
viago said:
this is a common misconception of the "hypoxic drive". it is a theory suggested some 40 years ago and yet to be substantiated by any reliable research.
if it does exist, which is extremely unlikely, then the, 1 in a million, affected person would not be on board a boat!
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You learn something new every day. However, (despite using evidence based practice throughout my career as a nurse) as I have not seen evidence for either view I'll reserve judgement.

I have never seen oxygen withheld due to the hypoxic drive 'myth'. If it is required in an emergency life saving situation it is given at 15L/min whilst the patient is monitored closely. If it is given to a person who may be a 'hypoxic driver' it is given at a lower rate and monitoring is used to ensure that the person is receiving enough and is not deteriorating due to the oxygen administered.

If someone needs oxygen, then they need oxygen, the rate at which it is administered varies enormously depending on the situation and the monitoring available.
 
NornaBiron said:
... However, (despite using evidence based practice throughout my career as a nurse) as I have not seen evidence for either view I'll reserve judgement.

I have never seen oxygen withheld due to the hypoxic drive 'myth'. ... If it is given to a person who may be a 'hypoxic driver' it is given at a lower rate

If someone needs oxygen, the rate at which it is administered varies enormously depending on the .....
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....... practitioners belief in the hypoxic drive theory. isnt this withholding without evidence?

i dont think you have to search too far to find evidence that in an acute respiratory emergency high flow o2 is the single most important intervention.
 
viago said:
actually, it might be more likely than you think as a cup full in your anti-foul is supposed to work wonders!
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viago said:
....... practitioners belief in the hypoxic drive theory. isnt this withholding without evidence?

i dont think you have to search too far to find evidence that in an acute respiratory emergency high flow o2 is the single most important intervention.
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When quoting me you have missed some of my point. If you re-read you Will note that i have stated that in an emergency oxygen is given at a high flow rate with monitoring to any who need it if available.
 
NornaBiron said:
When quoting me you have missed some of my point. If you re-read you Will note that i have stated that in an emergency oxygen is given at a high flow rate with monitoring to any who need it if available.
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yes, but then you add the important caveat that if you suspect a person to be significantly compromised by respiratory disease then you will only allow them somewhat less than 15 l/min; shouldn't your starting point here be that if their lungs are shot then go straight for 25 l/min?
my point is that, on board a boat, it is safe to administer oxygen without monitoring or training. if either of those are available to you then so much the better as the lowest flow rate possible is essential to conserve supplies. if the op uses his chemistry set then even this isn't a consideration as it is of fixed flow rate and duration.(and, at £250 i would be reluctant to crack it open in the first place).
But who'd lick/drink antifoul!
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many boat owners keep their chemicals on board. a bit of weedol might look quite appetising to a child or a brow beaten husband!
 
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