Oxygen Regulators

Oxygen Regulators (also called pressure reducers) are designed to reduce the high pressure of an oxygen cylinder to a low pressure that can be used safely for delivering a flow of oxygen to a patient either directly via an oxygen therapy face mask,  bag-valve-mask, closed circuit/re-breather system  etc. Or in conjunction with a secondary pressure reduction system such as, demand valve,  BVM refill valve or a ventilator etc.

To confuse things there are 4 types of regulators:

There are generally two "families" of pressure reduction,  diaphragm or piston types.  Whilst diaphragm regulators are very accurate, they tend to be big and heavy and require more care, on the other hand piston regulators are smaller and more durable, but they are less accurate. As there are two types of oxygen cylinder valves used in Australia, this also creates a different "family" group.  The two groups are, Pin Indexed, which match the ISO standard, and Type 10.5 valves (which are also known as Bull Nose).  Pin indexed are used on smaller cylinders,  whilst Type 10.5 valves are found on larger cylinders.