Fire Safety of Healthcare Units in Conditions of Oxygen Therapy in COVID-19: Empirical Establishing of Effects of Elevated Oxygen Concentrations

Abstract

Large-scale usage of oxygen therapy (OT) may lead to increased oxygen concentrations (OC) in places where COVID-19 patients are treated. The aim of the study was to establish in an empirical way the OC in COVID-19 at the patient’s bedside and to assess the relationships and reactions that occur during OT in an uncontrolled oxygen-enriched environment. We analyzed and took into account the OC, the technical conditions of the buildings and the air exchange systems. Based on the results, we performed a Computational Fluid Dynamics analysis to assess evacuation conditions in the event of a fire outbreak in the COVID-19 zone. A total of 337 measurements of OC were carried out, and three safety thresholds were then defined and correlated with fire effects. The highest ascertained oxygen concentration was 25.2%. In the event of a fire outbreak at 25.2% oxygen in the atmosphere, the response time and evacuation of medical staff and patients is no longer than 2.5 min. Uncontrolled oxygen enrichment of the environment threatens the safety of medical staff and patients in COVID-19 hospitals.

Assessment of the Usage, Storage, and Expiration Date Checking of Drugs at Dilla University Teaching Hospital

“…Other fire-resistant materials, such as compounds, may burn severely in oxygen that has been increased or purified. 17 Even though they seem to happen more frequently in operating rooms where oxygen is regularly administered, fires involving medical oxygen are not a recent occurrence. The prevention of fires in operating rooms has drawn considerable attention from the American fire prevention and anesthesiology communities ever since the Emergency Care Research Institute (ECRI), a global non-profit patient safety organization with headquarters in the United States, placed surgical fires third on its list of the top ten health technology hazards.…”

Providing an approach to analyze the risk of central oxygen tanks in hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…If the environment is enriched with oxygen (23–24%), we will face very dangerous conditions in terms of fire and explosion risk, which is mainly caused by oxygen leakage. The causes of accidents caused by oxygen leakage mainly include corrosion of the cylinder outlet, defects in the regulator, the opening of the oxygen valve, wear and tear of the cylinder, and reduction of the thickness [ [4] , [5] , [6] ]. Materials that do not burn in the air, including fire retardants, may burn violently in oxygen-enriched air or pure oxygen [ 6 ].…”

“…The causes of accidents caused by oxygen leakage mainly include corrosion of the cylinder outlet, defects in the regulator, the opening of the oxygen valve, wear and tear of the cylinder, and reduction of the thickness [ [4] , [5] , [6] ]. Materials that do not burn in the air, including fire retardants, may burn violently in oxygen-enriched air or pure oxygen [ 6 ]. A higher concentration of oxygen in the environment causes the fire to spread faster, increase the flame temperature, and decreases the minimum temperature or ignition energy to produce combustion [ 3 , [7] , [8] , [9] ].…”

Identifying fire safety in hospitals: Evidence from Changsha, China

“…In a ward where COVID-19 patients are treated, oxygen concentration can exceed 21.0 % and even reach 25.2 %. This can cause materials to ignite more easily, and reduce the available safe evacuation time of medical staff and patients in the case of fire [4] , [5] . At present, the COVID-19 pandemic in the world has not been effectively controlled, and the fire safety in hospitals needs to be identified clearly and taken seriously [6] .…”