We have mentioned in a previous blog the importance of having Oxygen at home since low blood oxygen levels (hypoxemia) can damage organs and be life-threatening. 

Oxygen is an essential medicine used to care for patients at all levels of the healthcare system, including surgery, trauma, heart failure, asthma, pneumonia, Covid 19 or post-Covid conditions, and maternal and childcare. The usage of oxygen has to be prescribed and monitored by a doctor.

Oxygen use has extended from inpatient to outpatient settings for patients with chronic pulmonary diseases and complications of hypoxaemia.

In this blog, we will talk about Oxygen Concentrators.  An oxygen concentrator is a medical device that gives you extra oxygen. It can help some people who have trouble breathing due to various conditions.

Oxygen concentrators provide a safe source of oxygen-enriched air. Oxygen concentrators (or oxygen generators) are devices that draw room air through a series of filters that remove dust, bacteria and other particulates. In the first step of the concentration process, the machine forces air into the cylinders containing a molecular “sieve” material or semi-permeable membranes, where nitrogen is absorbed, leaving concentrated oxygen (90% or higher) and a small percentage of other gases found in room air.

Stationary (home) concentrators provide an uninterrupted oxygen supply with a flow ranging from 0.5 to 10–15 L·min⁻¹. They have a mean weight of about 10 kg. They have several ergonomic handles built in, to offer options for lifting or rolling the device.  The concentrator plugs into the main electricity supply at home, using 300 W (or below) per hour (about the same as four light bulbs). A back-up compressed gas cylinder is sometimes provided, to use in case of a power failure.  There are also portable concentrators available.

A regulator is attached to the cylinder's top and works like a tap, allowing the safe adjustment of oxygen flow rate provided, in L·min⁻¹. When the tap is manually opened, the oxygen takes the line of least resistance to the patient via an oxygen delivery device (e.g. tube with a mask or nasal cannula). A pressure reading (barometer) displays the remaining oxygen pressure in the cylinder, to estimate the amount of oxygen available for supply.

Your doctor will determine what level of oxygen you need, which may vary at rest, during sleep, and when you exercise.