Medical Gas Systems
Bulk oxygen systems, compressed gas cylinders, regulators and flowmeters, and oxygen concentrators are featured.
Compressed Gas Cylinders
1904 Receipt for Oxygen
1904
Image from Steve and Mary DeGenaro
1909 Receipt for Empty Cylinder
1909
Image from Steve and Mary DeGenaro
1918 J.A. Steinmetz’s Patent for Protected Gas Cylinders
The cylinder protectors were used in WWI to reduce the noise of cylinders banging against each other when they used near enemy lines. The device also eased lifting and transporting the cylinders.
1920 Oxygen Cylinder Delivery Truck
1920
Image from Steve and Mary DeGenaro
1940s E Cylinder Manufacture and Retest Dates
1940s
Image from Kerry George
1940s Vintage Oxygen Cylinder
1940s
Image from Kerry George
1940s Oxygen Orderlies
1940s
1950s Oxyhale Pocket Oxygen Dispenser
1950s
1951 Oxygen Therapy Department
1951
Image from Joseph Witherspoon
1950s Oxygen Inhalator
1950s
Linde Handbook
Image from Felix Khusid
Cylinder Trucks and Dollies
This ad for cylinder trucks and dollies appeared in the March 1958 issue of the INHALATION THERAPY journal.
1960s OxySwig Emergency Oxygen Kit
1960s
1960s Breath-O2-Life
1960s
1960s Portable Oxygen Spheres
1960s
Image from Tony Ruppert
1960 Oxy-Aids Portable Oxygen
1960
Image from Deb Skees
1960 OxyAid Brochure
1960
Image from Deb Skees
Oxy-Lyfe
This portable dual cylinder unit had a capacity of 600 liters of oxygen.
Image from Felix Khusid
1970s Cylinder with Bourdon Gauge
1970s
Image from Rusty Taylor
Cylinder Wrench
A wrench was essential to open and close the valve on a small cylinder.
Cylinder Wrench
Image from Illinois Central College Archives, 1999
2000s E Cylinder Storage Cart
2000s
Image from Bill Baker
2000s Cylinder Storage Room
2000s
Image from Bill Baker
2000s Compressed Gas Cylinders
2000s
2000s Trans-fillable Oxygen Cylinder
2000s
Current (2014) E Cylinder Label
2014
Image from Bill Baker
Medical Gas Mixtures
Circa 1920 5% Carbon dioxide – 95% Oxygen Mixture
Image from Steve and Mary DeGenaro
1940s 80% Helium and 20% Oxygen via Oxygen Hood<
1940s
Image from Dennis Glover
1951 Medical Gas Mixture Storage in an Oxygen Department
1951
Image from Joseph Witherspoon
1995 Nitric Oxide with HFOV in the NICU
The piped-in helium and ethylene supplied the operating rooms.
Image from Lucy Linder
Oxygen Regulators and Flowmeters
1913 Test Gauge
This nickel-plated, brass medical test gauge is stamped "Made for Dr. W.A. Drysdale by the Star Brass Manufacturing Company of Boston, MA. The gauge has a lever valve and thumb wheel for controlling air pressure.
Image from Felix Khusid
1913 Regulator
The nitrous oxide regulator shown was manufactured in June 1913 as evidenced by a date stamp on the regulator manufactured by the Lennox Chemical Company, Cleveland, Ohio.
Image from Felix Khusid
1940s Oxygen Regulator
Image from Dennis Glover
Heliox Regulator
A Puritan Compressed Gas Company regulator, circa 1943, designed for the administration of 80%-20% helium-oxygen mixtures is shown.
Image from Felix Khusid
1950s National Yoke Regulator
1950s Victor Regulator
Image from Glenn Tammen
1950s Regulator
1951 Flowmeter and Oxygen Tubing
Image from Joseph Witherspoon
Image from Glenn Tammen
1960s Liqui-Med Regulator
1970s Ohio Regulator
Image from Glenn Tammen
1960s Puritan Regulator
An ad for Puritan's cylinder regulator and flowmeter from the mid 1960s.
1960s Puritan Washer
NCG Flowmeters
Image from Robert Johnson
1970s Ohio Oxygen Flowmeter
Image from Glenn Tammen
1980s Chemtron Flowmeter and Wallmount
Image from Karen Schell
1951 Oxygen Charge Slip
Before meters that recorded oxygen usage were invented, staff in the inhalation therapy and oxygen departments manually calculated the patients' oxygen usage and submitted charges to the hospital billing office.
Image from Joseph Witherspoon
1951 Oxygen Therapy Department
The bulletin boards behind the therapist identify all of the oxygen set-ups in the hospital. Notice the flowmeters, regulators, and related equipment on the shelves.
Image from Joseph Witherspoon
1960s Ohio Chemical's Totalizing Flowmeter
1970s Timeter Oxygen Flow Timer
1980s Timemeter TimeaTron
Image from Karen Schell
2000s Intermittent Flow Regulators
Bulk Oxygen Systems
1951 Long Cylinders (41 Feet in Length) Supplied The Hospital Piping System
Image from Joseph Witherspoon
1951 Refilling the Long Cylinders
1951 Reviewing the Operation of the Bulk System
Image from Joseph Witherspoon
1951 Piped-In Oxygen in a Patient Room
Image from Joseph Witherspoon
1951 Piped-In Oxygen Wall Outlet
Image from Joseph Witherspoon
1960s Linde's Bulk Liquid Oxygen System
1990s Bulk Liquid Oxygen System
1951 Banks of Manifolded Cylinders
Image from Joseph Witherspoon
1961 Manifold System Patent
B.H. Acomb's Patent for "Automatic Changeover Manifold" was granted in January 1961.
Cylinder Manifold System
Image from Bill Baker
Oxygen - Air Blenders and Diluters
1940s Oxygen Diluter Attached to Cylinder Regulator
Image from Dennis Glover
1950s Ohio Oxygen Diluter
Resp-Aid
The Resp-Aid was used in the 1950s-1960s and offered seven FIO2s: 0.32, 0.34, 0.37, 0.41, 0.50, 0.60, or 0.95.
Image from Felix Khusid
1950s Oxygen Diluter
Image from Dennis Glover
1975 Bird Blender Patent
Forrest M. Bird and Henry L. Pohndorf were the inventors of the oxygen-air blender which was patented on July 22, 1975.
1980s Bird Oxygen Blender
Image from Karen Schell
Blenders
Three oxygen blenders are shown: Ohio, Bird, and Veriflo
Image from Felix Khusid
Blenders and Proportioners
An assortment of oxygen-air blenders and proportioners are shown.
Image from Gregory Rittenhouse
1990s Siemens Oxygen-Air Blender
Image from Illinois Central College Archives, 1999
1990s Maxblend Low Flow Air Blender
Image from Karen Schell
Oxygen Concentrators and Home LOX
1986 Patent for Bendix Molecular Sieve Concentrator
Bendix Corporation's Respiratory Support System, was a molecular sieve concentrator.
Current (2014) Stationary Concentrators
2000s Some Portable Concentrators were equivalent in size to carry-on luggage.
2002 Introduction of portable oxygen concentrators (POC) weighing less than 10 pounds
Dr. Tom Petty had long recommended that POCs should ideally weigh less than 10 pounds. Since that goal was first achieved in 2002, POCs have continued to become more lightweight. Some models currently available weigh less than 5 pounds.
FAA-approved portable concentrators
Since 2009, passengers requiring oxygen may use FAA-approved portable concentrators on most commercial flights. Passengers with POCs must give advance notification to the airline of their intent to travel with POCs, as well as present their prescription for oxygen and their release for air travel from their physicians.
Modern Liquid Oxygen Home Systems
2011 HomeLOX combines a concentrator, liquid dewar, and refillable portable device in one unit
