NASSAU MEDICAL CENTER CASE STUDY
From 24 hours to 2: Restoring oxygen to Nassau Medical Center
For decades, Linde has worked with healthcare facilities to help ensure they are equipped with the medical gas systems patients rely on. We provide our customers with a variety of gases, ongoing support and certification systems. So when Nassau Medical Center, a 400-bed facility and longtime Linde customer, contacted us about a damaged oxygen supply line, we were able to offer a solution that got them up and running in a matter of hours, much faster than the typical 24 hour turn around.
An unexpected event
In 2009, a construction crew working outside of the Nassau Medical Center accidentally struck an oxygen line. While this didn’t immediately endanger any patients, it did significantly reduce the facility’s oxygen supply and required immediate attention. When the line was damaged, Patrick Degree, Nassau’s Director of Engineering, immediately called Linde for help finding a solution and restoring oxygen supply.
In a typical case, an oxygen supply company would need to bring a trailer with oxygen tanks, which would then be filled on-site, and require certification before being hooked up to the hospital, a process that can take more than 24 hours. But such delays aren’t always acceptable.
"They assessed the situation, and immediately had a plan and a backup plan and a redundancy to that."
Patrick Degree Director of Engineering, Nassau Medical Center
Breathe easy
We offered Nassau Medical Center a more efficient solution. We had recently developed an Emergency Oxygen Supply Manifold (EOSM), a portable, pre-certified device that sits on a moveable cart, rolls easily through a standard size doorway, and attaches to a facility’s emergency oxygen supply connection. With this device, facilities can maintain oxygen supplies without the time and effort involved in bringing an oxygen supply on-site. By installing our EOSM, we were able to back up their oxygen supply in about 2 hours to maintain the necessary oxygen supply if needed, while repairs to the damaged line continued for nearly a week.
While Linde was able to supply the device on short notice, our EOSM is designed and built to be customer owned. This device is inexpensive, compact (it’s stored on a 2’ x 4’ frame), and is ready to run in minutes. That means facilities can have an EOSM on-site and ready to go, so they’ll always be prepared in an emergency. The EOSM is only available from Linde, and is a clear example of the innovative, forward-thinking approach we provide our customers.