MediTrac® Flexible Medical Gas Piping: Accelerating Emergency Healthcare Infrastructure During the Pandemic

Rapid Response to Crisis Infrastructure Needs

When New York City faced an unprecedented surge in COVID-19 patients during spring 2020, healthcare systems scrambled to expand capacity. Central Park’s temporary field hospital emerged as a critical solution, yet traditional medical gas installation methods threatened to delay operations. Omega Flex, Inc. (NASDAQ: OFLX) stepped forward with an innovative approach, deploying its MediTrac® flexible medical gas tubing system to enable swift facility activation and patient care delivery.

Engineering Flexibility Meets Installation Speed

The challenge with conventional rigid copper gas piping lies in its installation complexity—each section requires precise fitting and brazing, consuming days of skilled labor in healthcare environments where time is critical. MediTrac® reimagines this process through a fundamentally different design. This flexible medical gas tubing, manufactured from copper alloy and supplied in continuous reels, arrives at the facility ready for immediate deployment from bulk gas supplies or manifold systems to patient bedside locations.

The installation advantage is transformative: field testing demonstrated that MediTrac® could be installed five times faster than traditional rigid copper systems. Installers simply unreel the tubing and route it through corridors, around architectural obstacles, and across multiple levels using basic hand tools—no brazing torches required. The patent-pending axial, swaged quick-assembly fittings connect to standard Type K/L copper infrastructure in minutes.

Technical Specifications and Safety Standards

Commercialized in 2019 and manufactured at Omega Flex’s Exton, Pennsylvania facility, MediTrac® represents years of engineering refinement. The system spans sizes from ½" to 1", with larger dimensions under qualification. Safety certifications include UL 1365 listing and NFPA 99 (2018 edition) recognition as an approved medical gas piping product.

The flexible tubing withstands operating pressures up to 185 psig, while fittings are tested to 1000°F and 647.5 psig—far exceeding typical healthcare facility demands. A fire-retardant jacket provides structural reinforcement and enhanced reliability. The system is plenum rated and meets ASTM E84 flammability standards.

Economic and Operational Advantages

Beyond speed, MediTrac® eliminates cost barriers associated with traditional installation. No brazing requirement means no expensive purge gases, no facility shutdown for hot work processes, and uninterrupted patient care operations. Labor reduction translates directly to the most cost-competitive installed medical gas system currently available.

Organizational Commitment and Deployment Impact

Recognizing the urgency of the public health emergency, Omega Flex reallocated engineering and manufacturing resources to prioritize MediTrac® production, coordinating supply through its distributor network. The company’s rapid response exemplified how specialized industrial innovation could address immediate healthcare infrastructure bottlenecks.

This deployment model demonstrated that thoughtful engineering—creating products specifically designed for speed and ease of installation—could have measurable impact during crisis response scenarios, positioning flexible medical gas systems as essential infrastructure for healthcare facilities facing accelerated capacity expansion timelines.