Consumer medicine information

What is in this leaflet

Please read this leaflet carefully before you receive this treatment. It provides a summary of the information known about your treatment. If you have any questions or are unsure about anything, ask your doctor.

Remember, this treatment is for you. It may harm someone else if they receive it even if their symptoms appear to be the same as yours. So do not give this treatment to anybody else. Keep this leaflet. You may wish to refer to it again.

What Medical Carbanox is used for

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

Medical Carbanox may also be used to give you Carbon Dioxide safely if it is needed as part of your anaesthetic treatment.

Medical Carbanox may sometimes be used in clinical investigations.

Before you take Medical Carbanox

If you are not sure if you should be taking Medical Carbanox, talk to your doctor.

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

Medical Carbanox interacts with anaesthetic agents at high concentrations and causes irregular heartbeats. Medical Carbanox also interacts with adrenaline. Medical Carbanox influences the uptake and use of many drugs.

Medical Carbanox is unlikely to affect breast-feeding. It is also unlikely to affect pregnancy, but its use is not recommended in pregnant women.

You should not drive or operate machinery while taking Medical Carbanox

How to take Medical Carbanox

Your doctor or nurse will decide how much Medical Carbanox you need. You will usually breathe the gas in via a face mask.

What to do if you take too much

It is not possible to take too much Medical Carbanox but a few patients have reported headaches, sweating and feeling sick after taking Medical Carbanox

While you are taking Medical Carbanox

Things you must do

Tell your doctor if you become pregnant while taking Medical Carbanox

Tell your doctor if you have had a general anaesthetic.

Be sure to keep all of your appointments with your doctor so that your progress can be checked.

Things you must not do

Do not stop taking Medical Carbanox without first checking with your doctor.

Do not drive or operate heavy machinery.

Side effects

Taking Medical Carbanox may result in sweating, nausea and headaches.

After you have taken Medical Carbanox

Storage

Medical Carbanox is supplied to the hospital or clinic or doctor and they will be responsible for ensuring the container is stored in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

Disposal

Medical Carbanox is supplied to the hospital or clinic or doctor and they will be responsible for ensuring the container is returned to the manufacturer.

Product Description

What it looks like

Medical Carbanox is a mixture of two colourless, odourless gases, Carbon Dioxide and Oxygen, supplied in a pressurised gas cylinder with a valve. The gas cylinder contains only Medical Carbanox.

The gas cylinders’ colour code is a white body with a green grey & white triangle shoulder (plus 2 x “N”), as determined by AS 4484.

Cylinder sizes include 2.8L, 9.5L, 23L and 50L as measured by nominal water capacity.

Ingredients

Active
Carbon Dioxide-5% v/v
Oxygen- 95% v/v.

Manufacturer/Distributor/ Supplier:

Coregas Pty. Ltd.
66 Loftus Road.
Yennora. NSW. 2161
Australia

AUST R 27180

This leaflet was prepared in June 2013.

Published by MIMS September 2019

1 Name of Medicine

Carbon dioxide and oxygen.

2 Qualitative and Quantitative Composition

Carbon dioxide 5% v/v and oxygen 95% v/v.

3 Pharmaceutical Form

Medicinal gas.
Colourless, odourless gas.

4 Clinical Particulars

4.1 Therapeutic Indications

As a respiratory stimulant after apnoea or after chronic respiratory obstruction has been relieved.
In clinical situations where carbon dioxide is needed as an anaesthetic supplement.
Use in clinical and physiological investigations.

4.2 Dose and Method of Administration

Use in adults, the elderly and children.

For use in neonates.

Instruction for use/ handling.

Preparation for use.

Leaks.

Handling of cylinders.

4.3 Contraindications

The gas mixture is contraindicated in acidosis, chronic respiratory disease and patients with drug-induced respiratory depression.

4.4 Special Warnings and Precautions for Use

Oxygen supports combustion and smoking should be prohibited when this gas mixture of carbon dioxide 5% and oxygen 95% is in use.

Use in the elderly.

Paediatric use.

Effects on laboratory tests.

4.5 Interactions with Other Medicines and Other Forms of Interactions

Carbon dioxide 5%/ oxygen 95% interacts with anaesthetic agents when the carbon dioxide concentration is raised and gives rise to cardiac dysrhythmias. The onset of these symptoms varies with the type of anaesthetic. The mixture also interacts with adrenergic substances (e.g. adrenaline). Adrenergic substances should not be used at the same time as carbon dioxide 5%/ oxygen 95%.
Carbon dioxide 5%/ oxygen 95%, by altering pH, influences uptake distribution and action of many drugs including neuromuscular blocking agents, and hypotensive agents. Care should be taken when administering drug substances at the same time as carbon dioxide 5%/ oxygen 95%.

4.6 Fertility, Pregnancy and Lactation

Effects on fertility.

4.7 Effects on Ability to Drive and Use Machines

The inhalation of carbon dioxide 5%/ oxygen 95% is not compatible with driving vehicles or the operating of machinery.

4.8 Adverse Effects (Undesirable Effects)

Use of the gas mixture may result in sweating, nausea and headache in a small number of patients.

Reporting suspected adverse effects.

4.9 Overdose

Not applicable.
For information on the management of overdose, contact the Poisons Information Centre on 131126 (Australia).

5 Pharmacological Properties

5.1 Pharmacodynamic Properties

The effect of inhaling carbon dioxide, or of its accumulation in the body through breathing defects, varies with the tension achieved in the blood, the duration and condition of the exposure and the susceptibility of the individual concerned.

Mechanism of action.

Clinical trials.

5.2 Pharmacokinetic Properties

The uptake of oxygen by the blood in the lungs and discharge to the tissues is determined by the oxygen dissociation curve. The characteristic sigmoid shape ensures that, at tensions between 40 and 15 mmHg, the oxygen carried in the blood from the lungs can be readily given up to the tissues.
The uptake from the lungs is rapid because blood flow through the capillaries, where exchange takes place, occurs in about 0.5 seconds. The uptake of oxygen is favoured by the simultaneous loss of carbon dioxide which is then excreted in the expired air. Conversely the entry of carbon dioxide into the blood from the tissues facilitates oxygen transfer to the cells.

5.3 Preclinical Safety Data

Genotoxicity.

Carcinogenicity.

6 Pharmaceutical Particulars

6.1 List of Excipients

None.

6.2 Incompatibilities

Incompatibilities were either not assessed or not identified as part of the registration of this medicine.

6.3 Shelf Life

In Australia, information on the shelf life can be found on the public summary of the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG). The expiry date can be found on the packaging.

6.4 Special Precautions for Storage

Cylinders should be kept out of the reach of children.
Medical Carbanox enhances combustion.
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 empty 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.
D size cylinders and larger should be stored vertically; C size cylinders can be stored horizontally.
Precautions should be taken to protect cylinders from theft.

6.5 Nature and Contents of Container

Medical Carbanox is supplied in aluminium or steel gas cylinders with a PIN index valve, suitable for the filling pressure applied for the product.
The types of cylinders normally used are specified in Table 1.

Notes.

6.6 Special Precautions for Disposal

Immediately return used cylinders to the used cylinder store for return to Coregas.

6.7 Physicochemical Properties

Carbon dioxide is a colourless, odourless gas with a sublimation point of -78.5°C (at 101.325 kPa), a density of 1.872 kg/m³ (at 15°C and 101.325 kPa) and a specific gravity of 1.53 (at 15°C and 101.325 kPa).
Carbon dioxide occurs at approximately 350 ppm v/v in the atmosphere.
Oxygen is a colourless, odourless gas with a boiling point of -183.1°C (at 101.325 kPa) and a density of 1.355 kg/m³ (at 15°C and 101.325 kPa).
Oxygen is present in the atmosphere at 21% and is an absolute necessity for life.
Medical Carbanox, a 5% carbon dioxide/ 95% oxygen medical gas mixture, has a specific gravity of 1.13 (at 15°C and 101.325 kPa) and a density of 1.38 kg/m³ (at 15°C and 101.325 kPa).

Chemical structure.

CAS number.

Carbon dioxide.

Oxygen.

Molecular weight.

Carbon dioxide.

Oxygen.

7 Medicine Schedule (Poisons Standard)

Not scheduled.

Summary Table of Changes