Portable Oxygen Concentrators - A STRAIGHTFORWARD Guide Portable oxygen machines and specially portable oxygen concentrators have changed just how many people, who must have continuous or semi continuous oxygen therapy, are now living.

It was previously 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 could now find people on supplemental oxygen doing many things they wouldn't have imagined just a few years ago.

This has happened as a result of new portable tanks, because of more complex conserving devices (that regulate the delivery rates) and, possibly the most important reason of most - the introduction of portable oxygen concentrators.

An oxygen concentrator is really a machine that extracts oxygen from the surrounding air, it concentrates it and then delivers it - directly to the patient (in a house concentrator machine it is also used to refill an oxygen cylinder). At sea level and when air pollution is not an issue, ambient air comprises approximately 21% oxygen, 88% nitrogen and a smaller amount of various gases. The oxygen concentrator extracts oxygen, concentrates it and delivers it to the patient.

Things You HAVE TO KNOW:

You will need a power source to use, that can be both with rechargeable batteries and a plug in option (including for vehicle).
There is a continuous rumble from the concentrators motor.
It is possible to adjust the flow level in accordance with your prescription.
There are the latest models of with different weights the give allow for your mobility.
Check your battery durability and as a safety precaution you ought to have a spare and charged battery.

Portable oxygen concentrators arrived around 2002 and since then 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 isn't a storage device but a supplier of oxygen. This means that so long as the power source is uninterrupted, oxygen will continue to be delivered for as long as needed. In a tank there will always be the limitation using the amount of oxygen that's stored, whether liquid or gas.

The brand new designs have both a primary plug in option (in order to plug them in cars, for instance) and also being battery operated. They are smaller, lighter and for that reason easier to carry and have a direct and positive effect on peoples mobility.

It seems as though each new model is smaller and has longer lasting rechargeable batteries.

A significant benefit is they have increased the chance of travel for patients on extra oxygen, and in fact one of the more important aspects of this is that as of May, 2009, the FAA authorized the application of some portable oxygen concentrator s on board airlines that cross US airspace (this means all arriving and departing flights). This change is of great consequence as air travel was a major problem. It is still, however, a good idea to consult with your airline before a flight.

Although living and having to be determined by supplemental oxygen isn't 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, as well as increased mobility in general, have had an extremely positive impact on longterm oxygen therapy patients.