Clearing the air: oxygen is one of the most important--and least understood--lifesaving tools. Here's what you need to know.(risk management)

There's a certain irony that one of the most important elements in saving drowning victims is also one of the hardest to obtain and least understood among aquatics professionals. That element is oxygen, and according to the American Heart Association, it is the best defense against hypoxia, a deficiency of oxygen reaching the tissues of the body brought on by submersion.

It only makes sense. If your muscles, including the heart, are low on oxygen, then restoring the oxygen levels to that muscle as soon as possible is the best course of action. Even after the heart has been restarted either with CPR or an AED, it is vital to get rich oxygenated blood to the brain and other organs as soon as possible.

That's where oxygen administration comes in. Unfortunately, it has become increasingly difficult to both train with live oxygen and get bottles refilled. The Food and Drug Administration says the use of oxygen is permitted in emergency situations and allows for the filling of oxygen cylinders for appropriately trained personnel.

However, some states classify medical-grade oxygen as a prescriptive drug under pharmaceutical or other statutes and generally require that it be administered by a physician or under the authority of a physician's prescription. Few state regulations explicitly address emergency first aid oxygen administration, or providers of all types.

But there's an easy way around these apparent hurdles: ...