BeaconMedaes and Medclair have announced an exciting new partnership that will totally change the way hospitals manage nitrous oxide (N2O), reducing emissions and making the surrounding environment safer for staff and patients without any reduction in the level of pain relief provided.
Nitrous oxide is widely used in UK hospitals as a quick and effective method of pain relief, particularly during labour. However, this popular anaesthetic and analgesic agent also has a significant greenhouse gas footprint. Approximately 2% of NHS emissions come from anaesthetic practices, and after being largely ignored since its introduction into hospitals nearly a hundred years ago, the issues around safe disposal of nitrous oxide are now being re-evaluated in light of the NHS drive towards meeting net zero targets.
Always at the front of innovation with its advanced medical gas and gas scavenging systems and services, BeaconMedaes is proud to be the sole UK supplier of Medclair’s unique Central Destruction Unit (CDU), a low energy unit that provides sustainable gas cleaning of exhaled nitrous oxide, eliminating it by more than 99% by causing it to decompose rapidly into nitrogen and oxygen, the main components in air.
The CDU offers a wide range of benefits:
The Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle is leading the way in sustainable and safe management of exhaled nitrous oxide, with BeaconMedaes’ first UK installation of a CDU.
How the CDU works
Exhaled air is passed from the face mask into a climate-smart catalytic purification system, where the environmentally hazardous nitrous oxide gas is decomposed into harmless nitrogen (N2) and air (02) and can be safely vented into the atmosphere.
The operation is continuously monitored. Data is logged and can be accessed easily via the built-in display or a standardised web interface. The CDU has very few moving parts, so is extremely reliable as well as being quiet and vibration-free.
Installation
BeaconMedaes engineers can install the CDU easily alongside an existing gas scavenge plant, as found in most hospitals, or as part of a new building.
As a nationwide company with a wide network of skilled engineers the length and breadth of the country, BeaconMedaes can also provide servicing and yearly maintenance plans for a holistic and hassle-free solution.
