At present, Russia faces significant challenges with the legal status of medical oxygen, creating difficulties in its classification and consistent supply. Due to the absence of clear legislation, many healthcare facilities struggle to maintain reliable access to high-quality oxygen.
In Russia, as in other CIS countries, medical oxygen is defined by GOST 5583 78, introduced in 1978. This standard specifies the technical characteristics of cryogenically produced medical oxygen, requiring a minimum oxygen concentration of 99.5 % by volume.
When the standard was adopted, cryogenic air separation was the only recognised method for obtaining oxygen of such high purity. At that time, adsorption and membrane separation technologies did not exist. Today, however, these modern methods are both simpler and safer than cryogenic production. In medical practice, oxygen concentrators are now widely used as technological equipment to supply oxygen-enriched gas mixtures in line with GOST R ISO 10083-2011, which governs oxygen concentrator supply systems for medical gas pipelines.
Applications of Oxygen in Healthcare
Medical oxygen is essential across many hospital departments, including intensive care units, surgical theatres, emergency wards, and maternity units. Patients with impaired lung function, or those unable to breathe independently, require oxygen-enriched air mixtures. Concentrations used range from 30 % to 95 % oxygen, with the majority of treatments delivered at 40 % to 85 %.
International Practice
In Europe and the United States, adsorption-based oxygen generators are widely deployed in healthcare facilities. Instead of placing individual bedside oxygen concentrators, hospitals install centralised oxygen generation units in technical facilities. These feed into the medical gas pipeline system, reducing the need to purchase and maintain numerous low-capacity concentrators.
Adsorption oxygen generators are capable of delivering up to 1,500 litres of oxygen per minute at a concentration of 94 ± 2 % O₂. By comparison, portable medical concentrators are much smaller and limited to outputs of up to 8 litres per minute at around 90 % concentration, making them unsuitable for large-scale hospital supply systems.
Current Situation in Russia
Many Russian hospitals are still reliant on oxygen cylinders or cryogenic tanks with gasifiers. The procurement and delivery process for cylinders is complex and prone to disruptions. Orders may be delayed, unpaid, or simply not fulfilled. Additional difficulties arise during scheduled maintenance of cryogenic stations, which can last from several days to a month, interrupting the supply of liquid oxygen for gasification.
While supply interruptions in industrial use typically result in financial losses, in healthcare, they can put patients’ lives at risk. For this reason, hospitals must have access to an uninterrupted oxygen supply.
However, in Russia, it is currently very difficult for hospitals to produce oxygen on-site using adsorption methods, as Russian standards do not allow medical oxygen with a concentration of only 94 ± 2 % O₂ to be classified as compliant. As a result, hospitals are forced either to install expensive cryogenic facilities—often impractical in a hospital setting—or to continue relying on external suppliers of oxygen cylinders.
Quality Control Requirements
Under Russian standards, each batch of medical oxygen or other breathing gases must undergo quality testing. Several cylinders are sampled and analysed in a laboratory. Only after certification of compliance can the oxygen be delivered to hospitals. If the gas fails to meet the standard, further samples are taken. This process is time-consuming, and in the event of non-compliance, the entire batch is returned—potentially leaving hospitals without oxygen supplies.
Conclusion
ONH Systems offers technological solutions enabling healthcare providers to produce oxygen directly from ambient air.
Until Russia’s regulatory framework for medical oxygen is updated, we can supply adsorption-based oxygen generation stations with integrated cylinder filling systems. This enables hospitals to refill their high-pressure cylinders with gaseous oxygen. Following laboratory analysis and certification, these cylinders may then be distributed to healthcare facilities as medical oxygen.