Oxygen crunch exposes potential ‘crisis’ in Montana

Two patients consuming unsustainable amounts of oxygen at Cabinet Peaks Medical Center last week underscored the strains the pandemic has placed on rural hospitals and the local health care system.

Both patients were treated with what is known as high flow oxygen, meaning they receive 60 or more liters of the gas a minute. The high rate both helps get oxygen into the patient’s system and helps them to breathe by forcing their lungs to expand slightly.

But it also takes up a lot of oxygen, which is a finite resource at Cabinet Peaks. For reference, most patients requiring oxygen receive between two and 10 liters of the gas per minute.