heliox cylinder is brown colour?
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heliox cylinder colour coding medical gas
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Here is a complete answer:
Heliox Cylinder Colour - Not Simply Brown
No, heliox cylinders are NOT plain brown. The colour coding depends on the standard used, but in all systems it is a combination colour, not solid brown.
Colour Coding by Standard
| Standard | Body | Shoulder/Top |
|---|---|---|
| UK / BOC (most common in India/exams) | Brown | Brown + White |
| European (EIGA / ISO) | White | Brown + White (quartered) |
| USA | Green (for gas mixtures) | - |
The image from Miller's Anesthesia (Fig. 66.13) above shows a real heliox E-cylinder used clinically - note it has a green body with a brown/dark top, which is the North American convention.
Key Points for Exams
- Helium alone cylinder = Brown body (shoulder: brown)
- Heliox (He + O₂ mixture) = Brown + White shoulder (the white represents oxygen)
- Under the BOC / UK system, heliox shoulder is brown and white
- Under the EIGA European standard, all medical cylinders have a white body, with the shoulder colour identifying the gas
The confusion arises because pure helium cylinders are brown, and heliox is sometimes loosely called "brown" - but the correct answer is brown AND white (representing the helium-oxygen mixture).
Sources: BOC Medical Gases, EIGA DOC 177, Miller's Anesthesia 10e
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