Oxygen Resuscitator

What this type does

A collapsed or non-breathing casualty needs ventilation within minutes, not after the ship reaches port or a doctor is reached by radio. An oxygen resuscitator provides that ventilation manually, using a bag-valve-mask or demand-valve device connected to a compressed oxygen cylinder, so a crew member with basic first aid training can support breathing until the casualty recovers or is evacuated. It differs from a simple portable oxygen bottle with a mask, which only supplies oxygen to someone already breathing on their own; a resuscitator actively pushes gas into the lungs of someone who is not.

Main components

Oxygen cylinder

A small, portable high-pressure cylinder, typically carried at several hundred bar and reduced through a regulator, sized so the set can be carried by one person to the casualty rather than the casualty being carried to a fixed supply.

Pressure regulator and flow control

Reduces cylinder pressure to a safe delivery pressure and allows the flow rate or ventilation rate to be adjusted to the casualty's size and condition.

Bag-valve-mask or demand valve

The bag-valve-mask is squeezed by hand to deliver a breath and can be used on a completely apnoeic casualty; a demand valve instead supplies gas when the casualty makes an inspiratory effort, useful for someone breathing weakly on their own.

Mask and airway adjuncts

A set of mask sizes for adult and, where required by the vessel's crew composition, smaller faces, plus oropharyngeal airways to keep the tongue clear of the airway during ventilation.

Selection and sizing

Cylinder duration matters more than peak flow rate for a ship application, since the set may need to support a casualty for the time it takes to reach the next port or for a helicopter medevac to arrive, which can be hours. A set carried in a rugged case with a shoulder strap is preferable to a bench-mounted unit, because it has to be carried to wherever on board the casualty is, not the other way round. Compatibility with the ship's existing medical oxygen cylinders and fittings avoids carrying two incompatible cylinder standards on the same vessel.

Regulations and class

Carriage requirements for resuscitation equipment fall under the ship's flag state medical scale, which for most administrations follows the International Labour Organization Maritime Labour Convention medical care provisions and the ship's category under the applicable medical stores guidance. Vessels required to carry a radio medical advice link must be able to describe equipment on board accurately to the shore doctor, so the resuscitator's type and oxygen duration should be known, not just its presence. Equipment condition and cylinder test dates are checked at flag state medical inspections alongside the medicine chest.

Typical faults

• Empty or expired cylinder - caused by a used cylinder not being replaced or a hydrostatic test date lapsing; leads to no oxygen available at the moment it is needed.
• Perished mask seal - caused by long storage without use or exposure to heat; leads to a poor seal on the casualty's face and ineffective ventilation.
• Regulator seized - caused by corrosion or lack of periodic operation; leads to delay or failure to deliver flow during an emergency.
• Crew unfamiliar with the device - caused by infrequent drills; leads to hesitation or incorrect ventilation rate when it matters most.

What to look for in a supplier

• Cylinders and fittings compatible with the medical oxygen already carried on board.
• Documented shelf life and hydrostatic test intervals clearly marked, with spares or exchange cylinders available at the vessel's usual ports.
• A case and mounting suited to the ship's layout so the set can be reached and carried quickly from wherever it is stowed.
• Training material or a demonstration suitable for crew who are not medical professionals.

A resuscitator nobody has practised with in a drill is a cylinder in a case, not a working piece of safety equipment - it belongs in the same drill rotation as the fire hose, not left for the annual medical inspection to find.