Scary!!!!!

[jill48]

Am I the ONLY nurse who is afraid of the oxygen tanks? I know it sounds silly, but I cringe and jump back every time I have to get a new one and open it. Isn't that weird?

[oramar]

You all do know to make sure to store all O2 tanks in either an upright holder or lying down on their sides. A tank that falls over could possibly break off the regulator and then, as demonstrated on Mythbusters, go thru concrete walls and anything else in their way!

I heard about the instance of the MRI death. In the last couple of years wasn't there an instance where one fell off a stretcher and turned into a rocket? Maybe that was what the MythBusters were trying to recreate? I have seen a lot of that show but not that one.

[vamedic4, EMT-P]

No, oramar, they wanted to show that the tank was under high pressure and chopped the top off, allowing the tank to literally fly thru concrete barriers.

[Rabid Badger, BSN, RN]

LOL. I just toppled over an O2 tank last night. Now I'm going to be paranoid that it'll explode. Thanks allnurses.com! Heehee.

[kidznurse]

I work in the community and found a new immigrant family with their O2 tank next to a couple of primus stoves they were cooking on . We'd ascertained that they wouldn't smoke around the o2 but not that they wouldn't cook with naked flame.