SCUBA TANKS AS A COMPRESSED-AIR SOURCE IN POSITIVE-PRESSURE VENTILATION

Throughout the developing world there is a general problem of ensuring regular deliveries of medical supplies to hospitals. This includes the supply of compressed gases. At one regional hospital in Vanuatu, we were faced with the problem of how to provide economically a source of compressed gas at regulated pressure to drive an anaesthetic ventilator. We eventually adapted the output from a Scuba cylinder for this purpose. This paper describes the simple modifications necessary and suggests other uses for this source of compressed air that could be implemented in hospitals with small to medium case loads and access to a diving compressor.