Oxygen Concentrator:
An Oxygen concentrator is a specially designed device that collects oxygen and nitrogen present in the surrounding air and quickly filters the air, eventually providing it to the patient safe and oxygen enriched air for easier breathing.
Why do we need the Oxygen Concentrator?
Having a low blood oxygen level can be very risky and anybody suffering from it might feel difficulty in breathing, exhaustion, and confusion, which can directly affect your decision -making abilities. If the Oxygen level in the blood drops way too much it can hurt the functions of vital organs like brain and heart.
How does an Oxygen Concentrator Work?
The portable oxygen concentrators are a great choice for extended travel and short-trips, home oxygen concentrators are built for long-term use at home. The oxygen concentrators work by separating oxygen molecules in the air from the nitrogen molecules to form a concentrated gas made up of 90–95% pure oxygen. Normally, the air we breathe is made up of 79% nitrogen and 21% oxygen. Home oxygen concentrators flip that ratio on its head to create a gas that is almost pure oxygen for therapeutic purposes.
How to choose the RIGHT Oxygen Concentrator?
Before buying the oxygen concentrator, there are certain things you need to keep in mind such as:
Flow Rate: Indeed one of the most important factors to consider when buying an oxygen concentrator is to check its flow rate capabilities. Flow rate indicates the rate at which oxygen is able to travel from the machine to patient.
An ideal process is that a doctor should advice the ideal flow rate for patient, thus it is recommended that you discuss any potential oxygen concentrator purchases with your doctor first. Some oxygen concentrators may have lower flow rates( in the range of 250 to 750 milliliters per minute) and there are others that may offer higher flow rates (such as the 2 to 10 liters per minute range). Since not all oxygen concentrators provide the same range of flow rates, it is very important that customers keep a check on the flow rate offered by the product.
- Power Consumption
Oxygen Concentrators generally draw power from any regular wall outlet just like any other home appliance. But, The amount of energy this device uses differs widely. While it is advisable to purchase the concentrator that boast the lowest power consumption.
- Portability
Another important aspect for you to look out for is how mobile you will need your concentrator to be. Oxygen concentrators can range significantly in size and portability. There are some units that are high-powered and designed to work hard and provide higher flow rates, but are typically larger and heavier. These models are often designed to deliver higher flow rates, and are great solution for in-home use.
Then there are others that are much more portable, typically weighing between 2 to 4 Kgs. These portable oxygen concentrators sacrifice higher flow rates in order to be significantly easier to transport and use while out and about.
- Oxygen Concentration
After being compressed and filtered within the concentrator, the oxygen that is delivered to the patient has a particular percentage of pure oxygen content. This value is referred to as the oxygen concentration. This level of oxygen concentration is affected by the design of the filtration system included in the particular oxygen concentrator, as well as the effectiveness of the concentrator’s nitrogen-removing sieve system. Though the major chunk of oxygen concentrators have a concentration value between 87 to 99 percent, this value can vary between oxygen concentrators.
- Noise Level
Oxygen concentrators work by drawing in air from the environment and filtering out the oxygen-which can produce some noise at times. If you are sensitive to noises, you might want to consider a concentrator that operates silently. The concentrators on this light range anywhere from 40–58 decibels of sound.