Charles’ Law in Respiratory Care

The same forces that impact the compressed oxygen Respiratory Therapists handle every day, effect the work and outcome of breathing in the human body. The gas law, Charles’ Law, demonstrates the relationship between a contained volume of gas and its temperature, a directly proportional relationship. It states that in a contained space, if a gas’ temperature were to increase, the volume of the gas would increase as well (Colbert, et al., 2012). Charles’ Law is confirmed every day inside and outside a hospital, and it is especially important to understand when working with the human body.

Most people, at one time or another, have seen the warning labels on aerosol cans warning against heating to extreme temperatures, and most medical personnel can verify the same about compressed oxygen. The rapid expansion of compressed gas and aerosol due to excessive temperatures, is responsible for shooting any compressed cylinder, can of hairspray to a four-foot oxygen cylinder, ten feet high, damaging anything in its way in the process. This exhibition of Charles’ Law is why storage of oxygen cylinders is so vitally important in the healthcare field and with patients alike.

Less dramatic than an uncontrolled compressed projectile, is the display of Charles’ Law in the everyday work of breathing. Primarily seen in the humidification of dry, cool air, the nasopharynx is responsible for warming inspired air to body temperature. In respiratory patients with bypassed upper-airways, such as tracheostomy or endotracheal intubation, an inability to raise the temperature of the inspired gas causes immediate and potential long-term damage to the airways (Kacmarek, Stoller & Heuer, 2013). The use of humidification therapy, where a contained cylinder o...

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...in the storage of compressed oxygen. Despite the fact that Charles’ Law is not a new governing principle to gas expansion, the development of oxygen therapy will allow for a vaster understanding and application of the theory to all areas of healthcare. As with any principle of medicine, the full comprehension can only be expected as education and presentation of the principle continues to grow; in the illustration of Charles’ Law, the more people who throw hairspray on fires, the better we will understand why humidification therapy works.

Works Cited

Colbert, B., Ankney, J., Wilson, J., & Havrilla, J. (2012). An integrated approach to health sciences . (2nd ed., p. 353). Cifton Park, NY: Delmar Cengage Learning.

Kacmarek, R., Stoller, J., & Heuer, A. (2013). Egan's fudamentals of respiratory care. (10th ed., pp. 10, 819-820). St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier Mosby.