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Int J Clin Pharm (2016) 38:10321034 DOI 10.1007/s11096-016-0365-7
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Safety in the use of vaseline during oxygen therapy: the pharmacists perspective
Tiene Bauters1 Guy Van Schandevyl2 Genevive Laureys1
Received: 12 May 2016 / Accepted: 23 July 2016 / Published online: 1 August 2016 Springer International Publishing 2016
Abstract The justication of the combination of vaseline and oxygen has been subject for discussion in many hospitals. Due to the lack of evidence based data in literature, we have provided recommendations from a pharmacists perspective. The use of petroleum-based products should be avoided when handling patients under oxygen therapy. Whenever a skin moisturizer is needed for lubrication or rehydration of dry nasal passages, the lips or nose when breathing oxygen, consider the use of oil-in water creams or water-based products.
Keywords Emollient Moisturizing Oxygen therapy
Safety Vaseline
Impacts of practice
The use of petroleum-based products should be avoided when handling patients under oxygen therapy.
Implementation of pharmaceutical care in multidisciplinary team may help to bridge the gap in concerns about the combined use of vaseline and oxygen.
Introduction
According to the European Pharmacopeia, Vaseline (Soft Parafn, vaselinum, petroleum jelly) is a puried mixture of semi-solid hydrocarbons, obtained from petroleum [1]. Vaseline is commonly used as an ointment base and as emollient in the management of skin disorders. It is not readily absorbed by the skin and adverse effects are rare when used in topical preparations.
Vaseline has a ash point of 182221 C and an auto-ignition temperature of [290 C (the latter dened as the lowest temperature required to ignite or cause self-sustained combustion in normal atmosphere without an external source of ignition) [2].
Oxygen is essential to life and the normal concentration in the air we breathe is approximately 21 % [3].
Medical oxygen is classied as a medicinal product and is extensively used in clinical practice in the hospital and at home. It enriches the air a patient breathes with oxygen and restores the tissue oxygen tension towards normal by improving oxygen availability to patients [4]. Oxygen is not ammable but supports combustion. Any re or spark is highly dangerous in the presence of increased oxygen concentrations especially when oxygen is used under pressure [4, 5].
In...