Medical gases are indispensable in modern medicine. They are used, for example, as breathing or anesthetic gases, for sedation, or in diagnostics. However, hospitals, doctors, and patients not only need the gases, but also the infrastructure necessary for their use.

Anyone who has ever had surgery is familiar with the instruction to “count slowly to ten” when the breathing mask is put on. But hardly anyone manages to count to ten; most people stop at five at the latest. The gas takes effect as desired, inducing anesthesia.

In modern medicine, the use of gases in this way is part of everyday life. These volatile substances help to prevent pain and often save and sustain lives. However, they are not only used as breathing or anesthetic gases: “Gases are also used, for example, as aids in minimally invasive surgery or for direct oxygen enrichment of the blood in heart surgery,” explains Matthias Thiele, Senior Vice President at Messer. “Cryosurgery and diagnostics also require the special properties of certain gases.” In addition, laboratories also use gases and gas mixtures. Overall, there is an extensive range of special gases and gas mixtures as well as breathing air for use in medicine and healthcare. Two aspects play a major role here: (Two aspects are of particular importance here) firstly, offering an individual solution for every need that achieves optimal results and secondly, ensuring the impeccable quality of the gases so that they meet the high standards required in healthcare.

Medical oxygen is indispensable
Breathing is one of the fundamental functions of life. After just two minutes without oxygen, irreparable damage to organs can occur. That is why artificial ventilation in ambulances, operating rooms, and hospital wards is one of the life-saving and life-sustaining therapies. Depending on requirements, air, pure oxygen, or oxygen-containing gas mixtures are used as breathing gases.

In addition, the anesthesia team uses oxygen as an indispensable component of anesthetic gas mixtures. For example, it serves as a vital carrier gas to which nitrous oxide (nitrogen oxide, N₂O) or other inhalation anesthetics can be added. For therapeutic purposes, doctors use the gas for all disorders of natural oxygen uptake in the lungs.

“In its liquid state, which oxygen attains at minus 183 degrees Celsius, it requires only 1/854th of its gaseous volume under atmospheric pressure,” explains Matthias Thiele. Unsurprisingly larger quantities are preferably stored in this state. Messer offers a central on-site oxygen supply to large-volume customers such as hospitals and university clinics. The liquid oxygen stored in vacuum-insulated standing tanks is vaporized as needed and fed through a pipe system to the extraction points. There, it is made available for extraction by using high-precision connection devices.

Practical solutions for clinics, practices, and home care
Messer not only acts as a supplier of medical gases, but also offers comprehensive solutions for their use in clinics, practices, and for the care of patients at home. These include, for example, tailor-made concepts for hospitals that include medical gases, the associated consumables and the equipment – such as hospital-wide central gas supply systems. Messer also offers training courses for specialist staff.

 Physicians benefit from practical solutions for their specific requirements: compact cylinder systems, reliable supply chains, and comprehensive advice. Messer is active worldwide in the home care sector and, through its own companies, ensures a safe and continuous supply of medical oxygen and other gases to patients. These are delivered directly to the patient's home, guaranteeing compliance with the highest quality and safety standards. In Latin America, Messer owns and operates several specialized clinics where its own hospital staff provide high-quality care using selected therapies and state-of-the-art medical technology.

Therapy concepts for NO applications
Nitric oxide plays a particularly important role in many different types of therapy. Messer is one of the few suppliers worldwide that can provide not only the gas (NO) but also the entire application solution from a single source—from the production and punctual delivery of the gas to the equipment required for its use and the training of users. Nitric oxide is registered as a drug in more than 20 countries. Messer develops and manufactures NO devices at one of its subsidiaries, which are always state-of-the-art thanks to continuous innovation and cutting-edge technologies.

Service and maintenance are carried out by competent employees or experienced cooperation partners. Regular training courses are available for hospital staff, both online and on-site. There are also specific training courses for doctors covering new applications and areas of use. In addition, Messer is actively involved in research into nitric oxide in order to further expand its therapeutic potential, for example, in new clinical pictures or in specialized medical fields.

Innovation in nitrous oxide-oxygen mixtures

With a newly developed mixture of nitrous oxide and oxygen, Messer offers a safe and efficient solution for sedation and pain relief. This product is also registered as a medicinal product in over 20 countries; the consumables and equipment required for its use are also available for simple and safe application. Since nitrous oxide has a strong impact on the climate, Messer offers specially developed devices for nitrous oxide-oxygen therapy. These completely avoid environmentally harmful emissions, as they do not simply release the exhaled nitrous oxide, but first break it down into its harmless components, nitrogen and oxygen.

The climate-neutral use of nitrous oxide is also an example of close cooperation with the medical technology industry. Messer is not only a provider of complete solutions for existing therapies, but also acts as a reliable partner in the innovation process. This includes constant monitoring of the market and current research in order to be able to offer additional therapy options with new and further optimized products. Together with equipment manufacturers, Messer develops tailor-made gases and gas mixtures for this purpose.