04.10.16
Trusts warned over dangers of giving patients medical air instead of oxygen
A patient safety alert has been issued to all trusts after NHS Improvement found evidence that patients are being accidentally administered medical air instead of oxygen.
Since January 2013, over 200 incidents have been reported to the National Reporting and Learning System (NRLS), including two which led to the patient’s death and two which caused serious harm.
NHS Improvement warned that air and oxygen flowmeters are difficult to tell apart in a high-pressure situation, making the problem worse.
It recommended three key safety measures to prevent dangerous mistakes: covering medical air wall outlets with designated caps in areas where there is no need for medical air; removing medical air flowmeters from terminal units when they are not in active use; and fitting air flowmeters with a flap to distinguish them from oxygen.
To tackle the problem, the regulator said all hospitals that supply medical air should identify a named individual responsible for implementing the safety measures and carry out checks to ensure they are maintained.
NHS Improvement said it expected the measures to be completed by 4 July 2017.
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