Oxygen kits are supplied as either a Standard kit, or a Dive Tender kit.
The Standard kit includes a regulator and flow control, enabling delivery of oxygen at flow rates from 1 litre/minute to 15 litres/minute.
The Dive Tender kit includes a regulator and flow control as with the Standard kit, but also a demand valve regulator, which delivers 100% pure oxygen when triggered by the casualty taking a breath. This maximises use of the finite reserve of oxygen in the kit.
An essential piece of equipment that enables measurement of blood oxygen saturation level is a pulse oximeter. It is attached to the end of a finger, and rapidly measures and displays in real time the blood oxygen level. A pulse oximeter is included in all oxygen kits.
The kits contain various face masks to provide different concentrations of inspired oxygen. The differing face masks can be used to deliver the right amount of oxygen to the patient, and the pulse oximeter can be used to ensure that oxygen levels in the patient are satisfactory.
The kits also contain various devices (airway adjuncts) to help maintain an open airway in an unconscious casualty. To use these devices effectively requires specialist training, and it is strongly advised that the on-board medic should consult with a telemedical support service in a critical situation requiring use of such airway adjuncts.
Oxygen kits are supplied in either Pelicases, or soft bags. In addition, the kits can be supplied with either one or two cylinders. This provides 400 litres or 800 litres of oxygen.
When providing oxygen therapy, the required flow rate may vary from 3 litres per minute (to maintain a casualty who is relatively stable) to 10–15 litres per minute when resuscitating a casualty in cardiac arrest. Thus a 400 litre cylinder will last from just over two hours whilst maintaining a casualty, to approximately only 30 minutes whilst resuscitating a casualty. It is important to take these figures in to account when ordering an oxygen reservoir kit, to ensure the kit will provide adequate oxygen supply for a sufficient period of time.