Use of Helium in an Oxygen Machine

Helium is a low-density gas that can be used in an oxygen machine to treat patients with serious airway obstructions. Helium is also used in anesthesia during surgery. The combination of helium and oxygen is called heliox.

Uses

• By itself, helium does not sustain life. The major use of helium is during anesthesia for patients with asthma and other airway trauma. because it reduces the effort required to breathe, according to the "Encyclopedia of Surgery."

Density

• Helium's low density allows it to act as a carrier gas for distributing anesthetic gases through narrow orifices, according to "The Biomedical Engineering Handbook" by Joseph Bronzino.

Specific Heat

• Helium also has a large specific heat; it has a greater capacity to absorb heat without becoming hot itself. Helium can be used to dissipate the heat from laser surgery away from the affected area.