Because of medical advances, oxygen concentrators are now portable, thin, silent, and lightweight while also providing the highest level of compliance and efficiency. Older oxygen concentrators are bulky and large, rendering them inconvenient for patients who need oxygen treatment when moving or away from home.
You can also choose between at-home stationary concentrators and portable oxygen concentrators (POCs), which can conveniently be taken with you wherever you go.
An oxygen concentrator is a medical appliance that delivers oxygen to people who have breathing problems. Individuals with lower-than-normal oxygen levels in their blood often need the use of an oxygen concentrator to replace that oxygen.
An oxygen concentrator is generally not available over the counter. It may only be prescribed by a doctor following a comprehensive medical examination. The doctors will usually teach the patients how to use the concentrators safely when traveling and at home.
Filtering the ambient air, compressing it to the necessary density, and then supplying purified medical grade oxygen to the patient using a pulse-dose delivery system or continuous stream system are both examples of oxygen concentrators.
It also has special filters and sieve beds that help eliminate nitrogen from the air, ensuring that the patient receives entirely filtered oxygen. These machines also have an electronic user interface that allows you to change the oxygen concentration levels and distribution parameters. The oxygen is then inhaled into a nasal cannula or a special mask.
The performance of an oxygen concentrator is usually measured in LPM (liters per minute). Your doctor will decide the amount of oxygen you need at home while sleeping, and while exercising.
Nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and other gases make up air. Nitrogen makes up 78 percent of air, oxygen makes up 21%, and other molecules make up the remaining 1%. This ensures that nitrogen and oxygen make up 99 percent of the overall composition of the air.
As nitrogen is eliminated from the air, the only gas left is oxygen, which has a purity of 90-95 percent. This concept, along with the theory of Pressure Swing Adsorption, is used in an oxygen concentrator to provide up to 95% pure oxygen.
Below are the main components of an oxygen concentrator:
Oxygen concentrators separate nitrogen from the environment using zeolite crystals, which adsorb the nitrogen while allowing the other gases to flow through and oxygen to be the primary gas.
When the oxygen is collected, the pressure decreases, allowing the nitrogen to desorb and be expelled back into the atmosphere. An oxygen concentrator includes valves, tubing, and an air compressor.
The first cylinder absorbs air from the compressor during the first half-cycle, which lasts around 3 seconds. At this time, the first cylinder's pressure rises from ambient to normal atmospheric pressure. Furthermore, the zeolite becomes nitrogen-saturated.
A valve opens as the oxygen gas in the first tank reaches pure oxygen, the oxygen-enriched gas enters the pressure pump. The oxygen hose of the patient is connected to this pressure pump.
The air from the compressor enters the second cylinder after the first half cycle ends. As the enriched oxygen flows into the tank, the pressure in the first cylinder decreases. This causes the nitrogen to be transformed into gas.
Another valve location adjustment occurs halfway through the second half of the operation. This allows the first cylinder to vent gas out into the ambient atmosphere. The venting of gas helps to maintain the content of oxygen.
An oxygen concentrator serves a variety of uses, and specialists may administer oxygen therapy to their patients for a variety of medical conditions. Your lungs take up oxygen from the air and transport it to the circulatory system regularly.
If you've recently had bloodwork or beat oximetry done to check your oxygen saturation levels and been found to have low levels of blood oxygen, your PCP can recommend immediate or long-term oxygen treatment.
You're still wondering what an oxygen concentrator is used for. The majority of the time, intense cases necessitate transient oxygen treatment. These symptoms are usually only present for a short period. They may have an unanticipated onset of symptoms versus chronic disorders in which things occur regularly. Nonetheless, certain lung or chronic illnesses necessitate long-distance oxygen delivery.
Acute Conditions Requiring an Oxygen Concentrator
Below are a few examples of acute conditions that necessitate high oxygen concentrations for a brief period:
Chronic Diseases that Require Oxygen Therapy: Below are some of the problems that require oxygen therapy:
Oxygen concentrators remove nitrogen from the air in the room. The process produces the higher oxygen concentrations needed for oxygen therapy.
Concentrators come in a variety of sizes and shapes, and they may be massive and fixed or compact and lightweight. Since they employ electronic pumps to concentrate the constant flow of oxygen that comes from the ambient air, concentrators vary from tanks or other containers that supply oxygen.
You may have seen oxygen concentrators for sale without a prescription on the internet. The FDA has not approved or cleared any oxygen concentrators for sale or use without a prescription at this time.
When using an oxygen concentrator:
If you've been prescribed an oxygen concentrator for serious health issues and are seeing changes in your breathing or oxygen levels, or if you're seeing symptoms of COVID-19, contact the doctor. Changes to the oxygen levels should not be made on your own.
Medical oxygen concentrators produce oxygen for patients in hospitals or at home. PSA generators are an inexpensive way to provide oxygen.
They're a better choice than cryogenic oxygen tanks or pressurized cylinders because they're safer, less costly, and more comfortable. They have a wide range of applications, including medicinal, pharmacy, water treatment, and glass manufacturing.