Introduction

Oxygen Concentrators are devices that assist in supplying oxygen to people who are unable to breath on their own and are in need of supplemental oxygen. A constant supply of oxygen is needed for humans to survive. Inadequate supply of oxygen can create complications in otherwise healthy individuals.  One can imagine worst in cases where health complications are already existing. Life of a person changes when he requires supplemental oxygen on a regular basis.

Types of Concentrators

Oxygen concentrators are helpful in cases where the person is short of breath. The concentrators are of two kinds namely portable oxygen concentrators and stationary oxygen concentrators.

Stationary concentrators are those concentrators that are fixed at a location and is used to maintain a continues flow of oxygen to the person via a tubing 50 feet or more as he moves about doing work. People who are in need of assisted breathing on a continuous basis install these at home

Portable oxygen concentrators

As the name suggests, portable oxygen concentrators are portable, light weight easy to carry oxygen supplementary devices for people who are on oxygen therapy or are short of breath. They serve the same function as stationary oxygen concentrators and help extract the oxygen from the ambient air and make it available in the form of pure stream for the user. Now Portable oxygen concentrators are easy to carry and also approved for use on flights. They are latest in the technology for assisting people who are in dire need for oxygen therapy.

Oxygen Concentrators how do they work?

Oxygen concentrators work on the principle of isolating the oxygen from the ambient environment. The machine works on a simple mechanism that pulls the ambient air inside and passes the air mixture through the compressor. The compressed air is then pumped into a sieve bed filter system having two prongs. The nitrogen in the mixture is removed when compressed air goes through the first sieve bed and the separated oxygen is pumped in the tank. The compressed air moves to the second sieve bed once the first sieve is filled with nitrogen and there is no room for more. Some excess oxygen and nitrogen are released back into the environment and the process continues.

How much power the OC need to function?

Oxygen concentrators work on electricity. As stationary concentrators are fixed to a wall and produce oxygen continuously, they require more wattage than the portable ones. The consumption primarily depends upon the kind of model and size. A small portable machine may run on 120 watts of power and can be charged with a cigarette lighter slot in the car while a powerful machine may need 600 watts. There are models than can run as well as get charged simultaneously on DC.

Dos and Don’ts of an OC

Though the machine looks complicated and the process seems hard, the fact is that using OC is easy and can be done by anyone with a little information. You should be aware about the prescribed flow rate and the place from where you can adjust it. There are few things that one should take care of

1. Give the OC a lead time of 10-15 min before you start using it. Start the OC and adjust the flow rate, wait for 15 min and then use it.
2. Do not keep things very close to the oxygen concentrator specially furniture
3. Remember to remove any blockages and bends in the tubing and avoid it getting entangled with other wires in the house.
4. Remember to turn it off and never pull the plug out of the socket to shut it.
5. Use the mast or nozzle as per the need. For cases where a high flow is needed, please use the nozzle.
6. Avoid using the same mask and nozzle across different people and if required sanitize and clean the nozzle from time to time

How much does an oxygen concentrator cost

Choosing a suitable machine is paramount. One has to refer to the prescription of doctor before buying. There is a plethora of oxygen concentrators that are available in the market both stationary as well as portable ones. One can find oxygen concentrators at affordable prices on Medikabazaar and get good deals.6sgs