Tips for Buying an Oxygen Concentrator
Know Your Prescription
You should review the prescription that you received you’re your physician and take note of the flow that is required for your condition. If you need to be mobile with your concentrator buy a unit that is designed for portable use or select an oxygen concentrator with a detachable portable unit included.. Don’t buy the cheapest unit if it does not have all of the features you want.
Your physician will give you a prescription for the liter flow and the length of time it is to be used. Most COPD patients use a low flow of 1-2.5 liters per minute (lpm), while cardiac patients use a higher flow around 4 plus liters.
Oxygen Flow
Perhaps the most important parameter used to characterize an oxygen concentrator is the maximum allowable flow rate. Generally speaking, the higher the flow rate the more expensive the oxygen concentrator and the larger the physical size of the unit. The actual flow that the patient receives is controlled by a flowmeter on the output of the concentrator.
There are two varieties of oxygen concentrators: continuous or demand. The continuous devices provide an uninterrupted flow of oxygen to the patient, whether they require it or not. The demand units only provide oxygen when an inspirational effort from the patient is detected. Demand units can be smaller and do not need to provide as much oxygen since they only output oxygen when the patient needs it.
The determination of the type of oxygen concentrator is a function of what you the patient needs. If the patient is non-ambulatory then a continuous flow device may be an acceptable choice. If the patient needs to move around and still maintains an active life style than a demand unit which weighs less and consumes less power may be the best choice.
The highest flow units 5 – 10 lpm are used by hospice or cancer patients.
Each oxygen concentrator and its manufacturer seems to have their own unique way of extracting oxygen from room air. Because of these differences the oxygen concentration (percentage of oxygen) varies. Even though this percentage varies slightly they all meet the FDA requirements for “therapeutic oxygen”.
Flowmeters
A flowmeter is a control located on the front panel of most oxygen concentrators that consist of a display gauge and a selector switch or knob. This control allows the patient to “dial” in the flow rate prescribed by their physician. Some oxygen contractors have a continuously variable flowmeter combined with a display gauge that allows any flow rate to be dialed in from the minimum to the maximum allowable flow capacity of the device. Other oxygen concentrators have a range of preset flows (typically in 1/2 liter per minute increments) that can be selected by a rotary switch.
Size
In an ideal world an oxygen concentrator would be the size of a walkman cd player, but the technology has a quite a ways to go before this situation is achieved. The reality is that there is an inverse relationship between oxygen concentrator size and price. The smaller the unit, the higher the price. There other trade offs as well. The smaller devices are not capable of the high flow rates of the conventional concentrators and must use other conservation methods, such as pulsing, to try to achieve equivalent flow rates of line powered devices. The average weight of a conventional, non-portable, oxygen concentrator is about 50 lbs.
Portable concentrators are either battery powered or powered by 12V DC from your motor vehicle when traveling. Most of these devices have an AC adaptor when you are near an AC outlet. The battery duration of these devices, when fully charged, ranges from 45 – 90 minutes.
Unless you are planning on traveling with your oxygen concentrator by car or motor home the normal size DeVilbiss , Invacare or Airsep units are fine.
Delivery
Oxygen is delivered to the patient through either a cannula or a mask. A cannula is a device that fits under the nostrils of a patient and typically is supported by loops around the ears. When breathing oxygen through a cannula the patient also breathes a significant amount of air which mixes with and dilutes the oxygen.
Oxygen masks come in many different sizes and configurations, but they usually always enclose the mount and the nostril area. Oxygen delivered via a mask is usually of a concentration a little higher than that output using a cannula. The cannula is much more comfortable than wearing a mask.
Noise / Decibel Level
The noise level can be very important if the concentrator is running next to a patient’s bed. Most concentrators emit 52-60 decibels. If the noise is unacceptable the concentrator could be moved into another area and a oxygen extension tubing can be used. Remember that the longer the tubing the more the liter flow decreases.
Noise from the running compressor in an oxygen concentrator can disturb sleep in some patients so if sleep is a problem then you should be looking for a more quiet unit.
Maintenance
Most concentrators use a series of filters. The gross particle filter is a pre-filter of sorts, which needs to be cleaned weekly as this collects the normal dirt from the room air. Then there are a series of additional filters, which need to be cleaned or replaced based on the hours of use and manufacturers recommendation.
Alarms
Most all oxygen concentrators come with a power failure and high and low pressure alarms. If the outlet pressure drops below an acceptable value or gets too high than there may be an internal problem requiring maintenance. The problem might be as simple as a clogged filter or something more complex relating to the compressor or internal valves. Whatever the case, you need to be aware of such conditions. If the concentrator uses an internal battery for power fail and pressure alarms than look for a battery test feature.
A low oxygen concentration alarm is a very nice feature, which is typically an optional add on requiring an electronic oxygen monitor. This alarm will let you know when oxygen percentage in the concentrator output falls below acceptable values and for the extra money is a very good investment. Remember, you can not tell the oxygen concentration in the output by simply looking at it. When the output starts to fall much below 90% you need to consider maintenance procedures.
Features vs Price?
Almost all oxygen concentrators work on the same principles. They take is room air pass it through a compressor and directs the flow through two or more chambers filled with a material that selectively removes the nitrogen from the air and sends it through a flowmeter to the patient.
The bottom line is that you cannot put a price on the air you breathe even if the oxygen concentrator you need is $50, $100 or $1000 more than another.
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