Portable Oxygen Concentrators
Patients with lung problems may have a challenge getting enough oxygen into their system and this presents a lot of subsequent health problems. Because they breathe less, they are more likely to be weak and prone to illnesses. There is need to increase the quality of air they breathe from the atmosphere. With the normal concentration of oxygen being around 21% in the atmosphere, they need to have at least twice the percentage to make up for their incapacity to take in a lot of oxygen at once. This was the motivation behind the invention of gas cylinders for patients, which was replaced by the better performing oxygen concentrators. These devices are lighter and better in performance. They are also less of a fire risk compared to cylinders.
With the need to improve the lives of patients on permanent oxygen therapy, portable oxygen concentrators were invented. They are not any different form the home oxygen concentrators since their method of functioning is more or less the same with home concentrators. What differs is the size of these devices, which makes them portable. For a long time, patients with oxygen therapy cylinders could not move around because the cylinders posed fire risks, were heavy and did not have a lot of capacity. A typical cylinders capacity was 8hours at most and this meant that a patient could not travel far with their cylinders. To add to that, these cylinders were considered safety hazards and were not allowed in planes. Even with the replacement of these cylinders with home oxygen concentrators, there was still a problem with mobility until portables were invented. Models of portable oxygen concentrators have been relatively heavy, but recent designs have improved the lives of users. They are lighter and use battery to power their needs. If you are travelling, they can be charged anywhere and can even use a vehicle adapter when you are in a car.
Portable oxygen concentrator assures you that you can travel around with your own supply of oxygen, which you will need anytime and can use anytime. Whether you are walking, flying, cycling or driving, you can have your therapy. This convenience has made patients live normal lives.
How does a portable oxygen concentrator function?
A home concentrator uses the same technology as a portable concentrator. Using zeolite filters, the nitrogen are removed from the air that is taken in. this concentrates the oxygen in the air and therefore improves the quality of air that is breathed in by the patient. Most of the time, what the patient breathes in is 100% oxygen. Some of the oxygen that has not been inhaled by the patient remains to be used for concentration of oxygen the next time it will be concentrating.
While choosing one for yourself, you have the freedom of choosing electricity powered concentrators of those that are battery powered. Some of these come with both electricity and battery powered options.
The pros of portable oxygen concentrators
Less wastage: they are small and compact, therefore easy to carry around. Most of portable oxygen concentratorshave been approved for carrying around in airplanes as they do not pose a risk to the flight. You will use them only when you are need to move around and only when you need them. This means that there will be no more supply than demand and therefore no wastage. Most of these concentrators release a certain amount of oxygen every minute. There are settings that will regulate the release of the amount of oxygen you need in your body. What this means is that you will not have any waste as you can set it up to release only what you need when inhaling.
Those who are concerned about the buzz that anoxygen concentrator can create can relax as the portable oxygen concentrator do not produce noise. You can either carry the oxygen concentrator in a bag or wheel it if you are going for a walk. Some of these portable devices are available in bags the same size as a camera bag. With batteries that last for eight hours, you can be assured that you will not have to run back home to fill up, neither will your lifestyle be disrupted.
Some of the models of oxygen concentrators are designed to release oxygen at certain times of the day depending on the needs of the user. This is automatic in many instances, so that the release of oxygen happens only when there is a need for it. There are certain times of the day when you do not need a lot of oxygen, for example when you are asleep and this device will adjust itself to suit your demands using a bolus system. Depending on your rate of breathing, it will determine the amount of oxygen you need.
Portable Oxygen Concentrators Products
- Respironics EverGo Portable Oxygen Concentrator
- Invacare XPO2 Portable Oxygen Machine
- DeVilbiss IGO Portable Oxygen
- Invacare SOLO2 Portable Oxygen Concentrators
- SeQual Eclipse 3 Portable Oxygen Machine
- Inogen One G2 Portable Oxygen Concentrator
- LifeChoice Portable Oxygen Machines
- Oxus Portable Oxygen Concentrator Oxygen Conserver
- Aeroneb Go Nebulizer
