Covid-19: Air Liquide is mobilized to increase its production of CryopAL medical oxygen vessels for home healthcare and long-term care facilities

CryopAL, a subsidiary of Air Liquide, handles the manufacturing of the Freelox line of liquid oxygen vessels for medical use. These vessels are primarily used in home healthcare or long-term care facility settings to supply oxygen to patients suffering from respiratory insufficiency. In response to the Covid-19 outbreak, the company has tripled its production capacity and is preparing to further increase it to meet the needs of the growing number of patients who receive home healthcare services, and to equip facilities that do not have an existing piped oxygen network.

In the context of the evolving Covid-19 pandemic in Europe, CryopAL has mobilized its resources to increase production capacity for its Freelox vessels, which store and release medical liquid oxygen. These vessels, which can hold 32 or 44 liters of liquid oxygen, enable patients to self-monitor their own treatment for about a week^[1]. Fabricated at its plant in Bussy-Saint-Georges, near Paris (77), the usual production capacity is around 100 vessels a week. Currently, capacity has been increased to 300 vessels a week. In addition, CryopAL stands ready to significantly increase its production further, if necessary, by concentrating its competencies on this activity.

CryopAL supplies home healthcare providers, who then deliver full vessels (or refill them onsite) to patients in their homes or in non-hospital care settings. Given the exceptional situation that hospitals are currently facing, numerous patients who do not have Covid-19 but who require respiratory assistance are being cared for at home thanks to Freelox oxygen vessels. In addition, nursing homes and other care facilities that don’t have a piped oxygen network are turning to CryopAL in order to procure oxygen and supply it to their patients. Lastly, this solution could also benefit patients with Covid-19 who are well enough to leave the hospital but who still require oxygen.

Emilie Mouren-Renouard, Member of the Air Liquide Executive Committee in charge of Innovation, Digital & IT, Intellectual Property, and Global Markets & Technologies WBU, commented:

 “As we face the exceptional challenge of fighting Covid-19, the teams at CryopAL are proud to leverage their expertise in the design and manufacturing of equipment to support a growing number of patients who need oxygen therapy at home. This contribution, illustrating our teams’ solidarity, comes in addition to other initiatives undertaken by the Group to fight against Covid-19.”

1. ^{^} The standalone capacity of vessels depends on the oxygen flow used by patients on the basis of their condition and the prescription delivered by their physician.