Patient info

Medical Carbon Dioxide 5%/Oxygen 95% – patient leaflet, side effects, dosage

Medicine status: Pharmacy medicine (P) Details

Medicine strength:
5%
Contains active substances:
ATC code:
Similar medicines:

Patient leaflet - Medical Carbon Dioxide 5%/Oxygen 95%

Medical Carbon Dioxide 5%/Oxygen 95%

  • Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again.
  • If you have further questions, please ask your doctor or your pharmacist.
  • This medicine has been prescribed for you personally and you should not pass it on to others. It may harm them, even if their symptoms are the same as yours.

In this leaflet

  • 1. What Medical Carbon Dioxide 5%/Oxygen 95% is and what it is used for.

  • 2. Before you use Medical Carbon Dioxide 5%/Oxygen 95%

  • 3. How to use Medical Carbon Dioxide 5%/Oxygen 95%

  • 4. Possible side effects.

  • 5. Storing Medical Carbon Dioxide 5%/Oxygen 95%

The name of your medicine is Medical Carbon Dioxide 5%/Oxygen 95%. Medical Carbon Dioxide 5%/Oxygen 95% is supplied as a gas containing 5% Carbon Dioxide and 95% Oxygen. It does not contain any other ingredients

1. what is medical carbon dioxide 5%/oxygen 95% and what it is used for.

Medical Carbon Dioxide 5%/Oxygen 95% is a mixture of two colourless, odourless gases, carbon dioxide and oxygen, supplied in a pressurised gas cylinder with a valve to control the outflow of the gas.

It controls how fast and how deeply you breathe in air which contains the oxygen you need for your body tissues to work properly.

Oxygen is essential for life. Oxygen breathed in with air goes into your lungs where it is taken into your blood. The blood carries the oxygen to all your body tissues. The tissues take the oxygen from the blood so that they can work properly.

It is used to help you to start breathing again if you have stopped.

It may also be used to give you carbon dioxide safely if it is needed as part of your anaesthetic treatment.

It may sometimes be used in clinical investigations.

2. before you use medical carbon dioxide 5%/oxygen 95%

Do not smoke or allow those near you to smoke during treatment with Medical Carbon Dioxide 5%/Oxygen 95%.

Oxygen helps things burn. Oxygen can cling to fabrics. Smoking during oxygen treatment has proved fatal (due to fire and burns) to more than one patient.

Do not allow naked flames near you when you are using Medical Carbon Dioxide 5%/Oxygen 95%.

You should not take this gas mixture if you suffer from chronic respiratory disease, drug-induced respiratory depression or if your body fluids are abnormally acidic.

Pregnancy

Ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking any medicine.

It is unlikely to affect pregnancy, but its use is not recommended in pregnant women.

Breast-feeding

Ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking any medicine.

This gas mixture is unlikely to affect breast-feeding.

Driving and using machines.

Do not drive or operate heavy machinery whilst taking Medical Carbon Dioxide 5%/Oxygen 95%.

Using other medicines.

Carbon dioxide 5%/oxygen 95% interacts with anaesthetic agents at high concentrations and causes irregular heartbeats. The mixture also interacts with adrenaline.

It influences the uptake and use of many drugs

Please inform your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, or have recently taken any other medicine – even those not prescribed.

3. how to use medical carbon dioxide 5%/oxygen 95%

Always follow the instructions given to you by your doctor. Do not stop treatment or change your treatment without consulting your doctor first.

You will normally use Medical Carbon Dioxide 5%/Oxygen 95% by breathing the gas in through a mask.

Only use the equipment supplied to you for use with your Medical Carbon Dioxide 5%/Oxygen 95%.

All equipment used with the Medical Carbon Dioxide 5%/Oxygen 95% should be kept clean and dry. Do not use oil or grease on any equipment that is used with Medical Carbon Dioxide 5%/Oxygen 95%.

Your doctor or nurse will decide how much Medical Carbon Dioxide 5%/Oxygen 95% you need.

The atmosphere a baby breathes should not contain more than 42% of this gas mixture. (Babies should not be given more than 40% oxygen).

Your doctor will tell you how long your treatment with Medical Carbon Dioxide 5%/Oxygen 95% will last.

If you forgot to use Medical Carbon dioxide 5%/oxygen 95%

Take your Medical Carbon dioxide 5%/oxygen 95% as soon as you remember, do not take a double dose to make up for the forgotten treatment.

If you use more Medical Carbon dioxide 5%/oxygen 95% than you should:

It is not possible to take too much Medical Carbon Dioxide 5%/Oxygen 95%, but a few patients have reported headaches, sweating and feeling sick after taking the gas mixture.

4. possible side effects

Like all medicines Medical Carbon dioxide 5%/oxygen 95% can have side effects.

In newborn and premature infants treatment with oxygen at concentrations over 40% can damage eye sight and may be associated with damage to other organs. These conditions have more than one cause and can occur even in the absence of oxygen therapy.

If you notice any side effects not mentioned in this leaflet please inform your doctor or your pharmacist.

5. Storage of Medical Carbon Dioxide 5%/Oxygen 95%

  • Keep Medical Carbon Dioxide 5%/Oxygen 95% out of the reach and sight of children.
  • Do not smoke where Medical Carbon Dioxide 5%/Oxygen 95% is stored.

Medical Carbon Dioxide 5%/Oxygen 95% containers should be stored:

  • in a well ventilated place,
  • under cover
  • kept clean and dry.
  • where they will not be exposed to extremes of temperature.

Use by date

Do not use Medical Carbon Dioxide 5%/Oxygen 95% after the expiry date on the label.

The Marketing Authorisation Holder for Medical Carbon Dioxide 5%/Oxygen 95% is Air Liquide Limited, Station Road, Coleshill, Birmingham, West Midlands, B46 1JY

Medical Carbon Dioxide 5%/Oxygen 95% is manufactured by Air Liquide in the UK.

This leaflet was last approved on {date}

Facts about Medical Carbon Dioxide 5%/Oxygen 95%

Prescription needed? No, but it is sold only in pharmacies (P)
Active substances Oxygen, Carbon dioxide
Strength 5%
Pharmaceutical form Inhalation gas
How is it taken Inhalation
Excipients None
Is it available? Listed as available (NHS Dictionary of Medicines and Devices – not a record of current supplies)
Shelf life Five years.
Storage Cylinders should be kept out of the reach of children.
Whereas oxygen vigorously supports combustion, carbon dioxide is an asphyxiant at high concentrations. The carbon dioxide/oxygen mixture should be treated as oxygen.
Oxygen is non-flammable but strongly supports combustion (including some materials which do not normally burn in air). It is highly dangerous when in contact with oils, greases, tarry substances and many plastics due to the risk of spontaneous combustion with high pressure gases.
The normal precautions required in the storage of medical gas cylinders as described below are applicable.
Cylinders should be stored under cover, preferably inside, kept dry and clean and not subjected to extremes of heat or cold.
Cylinders should not be stored near stocks of combustible materials or near sources of heat.
Warning notices prohibiting smoking and naked lights must be posted clearly.
Emergency services should be advised of the location of the cylinder store.
Medical cylinders containing different gases should be segregated and identified within the store.
Full and used cylinders should be stored separately. Full cylinders should be used in strict rotation.
Cylinders must not be repainted, have any markings obscured or labels removed.
F size cylinders and larger should be stored vertically E size cylinders and smaller should be stored horizontally.
Precautions should be taken to protect cylinders from theft
Drug group (ATC)
  1. V Various drug classes
    1. V03 All other therapeutic products
      1. V03A All other therapeutic products
        1. V03AN Medical gases
          1. V03AN01 oxygen
Marketing authorisation PL 15929/0007 (first authorised 27 March 1998)
Marketing authorisation holder Air Liquide Limited

Sources: the MHRA product information (products.mhra.gov.uk) and the NHS Dictionary of Medicines and Devices (dm+d), release 10.2.0 of 19 October 2026, NHS Business Services Authority. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.