FAIRFORT ROYAL AIR FORCE BASE, England (July 17-18)—Visitors to the annual Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT), the world’s largest military air show, were in safe hands thanks to revolutionary medical gas equipment provided by Medical Gas Solutions (MGS) and equipped with Luxfer Medical lightweight oxygen cylinders.

More than 167,000 visitors attended this year’s RIAT, which featured 320 modern and vintage aircraft from 35 countries. Visitors witnessed flying displays of fast jets, giant bombers and transports, historic aircraft from both world wars and a rare UK appearance of the US Air Force “Thunderbirds” precision-flying team.

Flintshire-based Medical Gas Solutions (MGS) was one of the volunteer groups who help make this world-famous air show possible. Darren Allen, MGS sales and marketing director, said: “We were delighted to be invited to help out at the RIAT show, which provided an excellent showcase for our new range of multi-patient equipment.”

MGS has worked closely with the UK Department of Health and with emergency services specialists to develop its frontline portable and MPUTM multi-patient oxygen delivery systems, which incorporate lightweight Luxfer Medical 300-bar ExcursionTM and OdysseyTM cylinders.

Extended-capacity MPU systems have proven to be a major breakthrough in helping emergency services deal with major incidents by providing a sustained supply of oxygen for up to 48 casualties from a single unit that delivers at eight litres per minute for up to half an hour. “The MPU series was originally developed for use after a chemical or biological attack,” Allen said, “and it is now being reviewed for use as an emergency standby oxygen supply for main hospitals, temporary hospitals and emergency treatment centres”.

Weighing approximately 80kg with full cylinders, MPU units are ergonomically designed with user-friendly control panels mounted on a purpose-built trolley holding four 10-litre cylinders that produce up to 13,600 litres of medical oxygen. The MPU was the first system to combine all the benefits of lightweight, carbon-fibre-wrapped, high-pressure cylinders into a system capable of supplying medical oxygen through a series of hoses and multi-flow therapy heads.

Frontline portable oxygen systems have been specifically designed for paramedics, enabling them to treat up to eight casualties with two multi-patient heads delivering 25 minutes of oxygen from ultra-lightweight cylinders, including integral regulators and power outlets.

Additional features include simple, low-level monitoring and automatic changeover from empty to full cylinders with no interruption of the oxygen supply to casualties. Also available are standby trolleys carrying four spare cylinders. For optimum safety, units can be clamped securely to a vehicle floor.

For more information visit www.medicalgassolutions.co.uk or www.luxfercylinders.com.