Monoplace Delivery System

Monthly Hyperbaric Safety Notice: December 2007

Chamber Exhaust Vents

Background

Hyperbaric chamber exhaust vents emit 100% oxygen through a one and one half inch diameter copper pipe. For safety purposes the external open end should be capped with a wire screen and proper signage regarding the use of oxygen should be displayed.

The Issue

In the most recent edition of NFPA 99 Chapter 20.2.9.2.3 it states: The point of exhaust shall be protected by the provision of a minimum of 0.3 cm mesh screen and situated to prevent the intrusion, snow or airborne debris. The Sechrist technical guide recommends: a large gauge; mesh wire screen (NO less than 0.5 inches) installed to keep animals and/or debris from entering the line.

The Safety Director for the HBO Service is responsible for ensuring that this proper mesh screen is securely in place with a pipe clamp. As part of the monthly Environment of Care rounds, the end point of the exhaust should be checked to ensure no obstructions, like lint, exist. For HBO centers with exhausts on the roof that contend with snow drifts, it is important to inspect the exhaust prior to using the chamber to ensure they are not occluded. All snow should be cleared away from the exhaust vent.

Also in the 2005 NFPA 99, 20.2.9.2.4 was added stating The point of exhaust shall be identified as an oxygen exhaust by a sign prohibiting smoking or open flame. Ensure that your service has such a sign prominently displayed at all times adjacent to the exhaust vent.

Bottom Line

Ensure that the wire mesh screen dimensions are consistent with the above standards. If ever the rate of decompression seems sluggish, check the exhaust line for potential occlusions.

Stacy Handley, RN, BSN, ACHRN, CWCN

Stacy Handley Stacy is Vice President of National Baromedical Services. She assumed her present position following several years as nurse manager of the NBS hyperbaric medicine service at Memorial Hospital, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Stacy oversees the patient care aspects of the NBS network, conducts quality assurance and compliance assessments and preceptors all new NBS nurse managers. Additional responsibilities include marketing and promotion of NBS service lines and generation of monthly safety notices. Stacy is Member at Large for the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society Associates and a board member for the Baromedical Nurses Association. She has trained as a Hyperbaric Safety Director and a UHMS faculty accreditation surveyor, and is a graduate of the Medical University of South Carolina ‘Wound Care Specialty Course’ through which she obtained her wound care certification

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