Medical oxygen: Sources and regulatory guidelines

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) revealed that it shares traits with the coronavirus family and belongs to the Coronaviridae family. SARS-CoV-2 and the bat coronavirus variant BatCov RaTG13 share 95 ± 1% of their genetic makeup, which is the closest similarity as well as the SARSCoV sequence and these genome sequences, are 79 ± 1 identical. India is the second-most populous country in the world battled for the optimal use of medical infrastructures alongside several other nations fought for their daily needs. Life or death for the patient depends on the prompt provision of medicinal oxygen. During all these COVID times, need for oxygen increases day by day and the production of oxygen boosts up to 9400 metric tons per day. This review article focuses on the different sources of oxygen being used currently. Furthermore, the regulatory framework of compressed medical gases especially oxygen are also discussed with the objective to understand the regulatory requirements.