Portable oxygen machines and specially portable oxygen concentrators have changed just how many people, who must have continuous or semi continuous oxygen therapy, are actually living.
It used to be that mobility for COPD patients was severely restricted. This meant being house bound or overly dependent on a hospital or clinic.
With the advent of a lot more practical and better quality portable machines, patients mobility has increased dramatically and you can now find people on supplemental oxygen doing many things they wouldn't have imagined just a couple of years ago.
Inogen has happened because of the new portable tanks, because of more complex conserving devices (that regulate the delivery rates) and, possibly the most important reason of all - the introduction of portable oxygen concentrators.
An oxygen concentrator is really a machine that extracts oxygen from the encompassing air, it concentrates it and then delivers it - directly to the patient (in a home concentrator machine it can also be used to refill an oxygen cylinder). At sea level and when air pollution isn't an issue, ambient air is composed of approximately 21% oxygen, 88% nitrogen and a reduced amount of various gases. The oxygen concentrator extracts oxygen, concentrates it and delivers it to the patient.
Things You HAVE TO KNOW:
You need a power source to use, that can be both with rechargeable batteries and a plug in option (including for vehicle).
You will find a continuous rumble from the concentrators motor.
You can adjust the flow level according to your prescription.
There are the latest models of with differing weights the give allow for your mobility.
Check your battery durability so when a safety precaution you should have a spare and charged battery.
Portable oxygen concentrators arrived on the scene around 2002 and since that time have had a great impact in the portable oxygen delivery area.
The major difference between an oxygen concentrator and an oxygen cylinder or tank, is that the concentrator is not a storage device but a supplier of oxygen. Because of this so long as the power source is uninterrupted, oxygen will continue to be delivered so long as needed. In a tank there will always be the limitation based on the amount of oxygen that's stored, whether liquid or gas.
The brand new designs have both a direct plug in option (so you can plug them in cars, for instance) together with being battery operated. They're smaller, lighter and for that reason easier to carry and have a primary and positive influence on peoples mobility.
It seems as if each new model is smaller and contains more durable rechargeable batteries.
An important benefit is that they have increased the chance of travel for patients on extra oxygen, and in fact one of the more important aspects of that is that as of May, 2009, the FAA authorized the usage of some portable oxygen concentrators on board airlines that cross US airspace (this implies all arriving and departing flights). This change is of great consequence as air travel was a problem. It is still, however, smart to consult with your airline before a flight.
Although living and needing to depend on supplemental oxygen is not something anyone would willingly choose to do, POC's (portable oxygen concentrators) have really changed people's lives. The much greater selection of activities that can now be practiced, together with increased mobility generally, have had an extremely positive impact on longterm oxygen therapy patients.