Gainesville, Fla.-based UF Health developed a novel technique to reduce oxygen waste amid the state's oxygen shortage, the health system said Aug. 16.
Florida hospitals are currently treating the highest number of COVID-19 patients since the pandemic began and experiencing strains on their supply of medical oxygen. To address this, UF Health researchers created a technique that involves intermittently interrupting an oxygen cylinder's flow during exhalation so oxygen flows only when a patient inhales.
To test the technique, researchers programmed a human patient simulator to replicate the rapid breathing and poor gas exchange of a COVID-19 patient. They then crimped the oxygen tubing with pliers so that oxygen flow would stop during exaltation, finding that the technique decreased oxygen use by about 60 percent.
Click here to read more about the technique.