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Portable Oxygen Concentrators And Why They Are Your Best Choice

8th October, 2010 - Posted by health news - No Comments

For people suffering from COPD and need additional oxygen things have changed for the better since the arrival of portable oxygen concentrators. COPD patients who are prescribed with oxygen therapy used to have one of two options to receive their much needed air. Either through oxygen delivered from a tank or from a cylinder. Over the last decade or so, portable oxygen concentrators have arrived on the scene and this has meant a much more versatile delivery of oxygen and thus increased mobility.

Portable oxygen machines have received the benefit of much research and development that make them easier to carry or bring along and with a longer lasting supply of oxygen. The end result is that people on oxygen therapy are now practicing activities it would have been unthought of just a few short years ago.

These benefits are clearly identified with you look at the designs in all types of oxygen delivery systems. Oxygen tanks and oxygen cylinders are lighter and small 9making them easier to carry0 and when used with conserving devices provide a longer lasting supply. And then there are the portable oxygen concentrators that have revolutionized the oxygen delivery world. In simple terms a portable oxygen concentrator extracts oxygen from ambient air and delivers the purer oxygen as required to the patient. The air that is around us has oxygen, nitrogen and a series of other gases. Oxygen makes up for approximately 21% of this and so the a portable oxygen concentrator absorbs it, separating it from the others and then supplying it to the patient. They need an electric current to run and this can be simply by plugging into a socket (even in a vehicle) or with rechargeable batteries – and the ones that are being used last longer and if you add to that one or two back ups you have the benefit of very extended periods of oxygen supply.

More Information On Portable Oxygen Concentrators

These units, both stationary and portable, do make a noise as the motor is working and though it can annoy, most people find that soon they will not notice, unless the noise stops – but that is good as it becomes a warning sign. With tanks and cylinders that just hiss between deliveries, if for any reason the supply is interrupted, it can take a while before you notice. Just like the other machines they will have adjustable flow settings.
An obvious and logical consideration is to always check the battery and how long it will last. Another suggestion is to have a spare battery available. Another suggestion is to fall into the habit of having a checklist of the things you must have before going out as well as using it.

Perhaps the greatest difference between concentrators and oxygen tanks or cylinders (note that tanks store liquid oxygen and cylinders oxygen as a gas0 is the storage aspect. Concentrators extract and deliver, they transform. Tanks and cylinders store and delivery and are therefore dependent on how much oxygen can be stored. When they run down they have to be filled up again. Concentrators will continue to extract and deliver.

People who must have supplemental oxygen are benefiting from portable oxygen concentrators in many ways – but perhaps the one with the greatest impact is their increased mobility. This has resulted in an expansion on the type of activities they can now safely do. Travel was a problem. Now cars, trains, coaches and even air travel is much easier because of these machines. And the prognosis is that newer and even more user friendly models will continue to appear.