Anaesthesia
Anaesthesia (loss of feeling or sensation) is a drug-induced mental state created to enable the performance of painful or distressing therapeutic or diagnostic procedures. General anaesthesia, in which the patient is unaware of and experiences no sensation for the duration of a surgical procedure, is an essential part of healthcare today.
The combination of safe and efficacious drugs, reliable monitoring equipment and drug delivery devices, and not least, highly trained and dedicated personnel has made general anaesthesia a routine medical procedure.
BOC Healthcare’s solutions in anaesthesia include:
Medical oxygen
Medical nitrous oxide
Medical air
ENTONOX® (nitrous oxide/oxygen mixture)
Obstetrics
The experience of birth brings with it joy as well as discomfort and pain. BOC Healthcare’s solutions in obstetrics includes ENTONOX® (50:50 nitrous oxide/oxygen mixture).
More than 95% of women report pain during labour. Inhaled medicinal nitrous oxide/oxygen mixtures can be used during early labour to help mothers cope with the pain during contractions and, if required, for uncomfortable examinations. The gas mixture allows, as near as possible, the mother to experience the sensation of a natural birth. Mothers can adjust their intake to suit their own individual pain thresholds.
Self-administered under the supervision of those authorised to administer medicinal nitrous oxide/oxygen mixture:
May enable a woman to avoid, postpone or limit pain medication.
Has a rapid onset and offset of action.
Can be used at any time in labour up to birth.
Does not interfere with the progress of labour.
Enables a woman to choose when to administer analgesia.
Does not affect the baby’s condition at birth.
Pain
Pain is a subjective and very complex experience with no objective measurement parameters. The reduction and elimination of pain is important to healthcare professionals and patients alike. Alleviation of pain helps to facilitate painful medical procedures without undue anxiety for the patient that could lead to further injury or exacerbation of their condition. Reducing pain for patients improves the quality of care and can lead to more efficient use of healthcare resources.
BOC Healthcare’s solutions in pain includes ENTONOX® (50:50 medical nitrous oxide/oxygen mixture).
Medical nitrous oxide/oxygen mixtures have been used widely in the treatment of pain and reduction of anxiety during minor interventions, investigations or surgical procedures, particularly where fast onset and offset of analgesia or sedation is desired.
The analgesic and anxiolytic properties of BOC Healthcare’s ENTONOX® plays an important role in helping patients overcome the apprehension associated with pain. It is fast acting and rapidly eliminated from the body once inhalation stops. The effects are predictable and reliable, with no loss of consciousness and minimal side effects.
ENTONOX® is administered by inhalation, so there is no need to insert a cannula or set up an intravenous line. This means that this form of analgesia/sedation does not need to be administered by specialist anaesthetist, but can be administered by trained healthcare staff such as paramedics, nurses and those authorised to administer the product.
Pulmonology
Serious pulmonary conditions apply to acute disorders as well as chronic conditions such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or cystic fibrosis. BOC Healthcare’s solutions in pulmonology include:
Medical oxygen
Medical cardiopulmonary testing gases
Medical cardiopulmonary testing gases (also known as medical lung function gases) consist of medical gas mixtures containing a tracer gas. During the test, the exhaled gas is analysed and differences in the concentration of the tracer gas can be used to measure pulmonary function or lung blood flow. When used in conjunction with diagnostic equipment, these medical gas mixtures measure different functions of the lungs to help in assessing patients with serious lung disorders such as asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or interstitial lung disease.
A typical lung function gas comprises a mixture of carbon monoxide, helium with oxygen and the balance being nitrogen. The carbon monoxide is used to test the transfer functionality of the lungs, and helium helps to determine lung volume.Surgery
BOC's medical gases are often used as an insufflation gas for minimal invasive surgery, such as laparoscopy, endoscopy and arthroscopy, to enlarge and stabilise body cavities for better visibility of the surgical field. Our range of medical gases that support healthcare professionals in the surgical environment, include
Medical oxygen
Medical nitrous oxide
ENTONOX
Medical air
Medical carbon dioxide
Medical helium
Medical special mixtures