Oxygen Concentrator 101

People have been used to seeing oxygen tanks in hospitals, but nowadays there are newer, portable ones which a patient may even bring to his or her house without much difficulty. If one used to bring a huge, usually green-coloured tank of oxygen, today there are many smaller, compact and yet efficient oxygen concentrators in the market, available for both hospital and home use.

An oxygen concentrator is actually a device which gives a person oxygen therapy, used as alternative to the old tanks of oxygen that is compressed. It adsorbs-a process of accumulating molecules and atoms on a material's surface-the nitrogen in the air, and continuously deliver oxygen.

There are two cylinders inside the oxygen concentrator where the air passes through; zeolite fills one of the cylinders and captures the nitrogen molecules, and the other is open to ambient atmospheric pressure, in order for the nitrogen to escape and dissipate.

In 2000, oxygen concentrators started to become portable; they give off less than one liter per minute (LPM) of oxygen, and only when a person is inhaling. Still, some manufacturers have created portable oxygen concentrators that produce up to 3 LPM of oxygen. The portable ones are also plugged in wall outlets like the bigger and older types.

However, most portable ones are not recommended for patients who are sleeping, as they normally give off continuous-flow oxygen when they detect that a person is inhaling. Called demand or pulse flows, they sometimes do not detect a person's inhalations, and when they do not, they are not able to deliver.

What makes many choose oxygen concentrators over the old tanks or oxygen cylinders is that it is generally safer; the older types can leak and rupture, causing them to aid in the combustion rate when there is fire. Thus, it is more preferable to use in disaster areas as well as in military situations. In fact, it is used by the US military, particularly in the field at Iraq and Afghanistan. Also, this makes it more advantageous for patients who need oxygen in their homes; they need not worry for their safety, as it can be seen as similar to one's plug-in appliances at home.

All these make it sound to be the perfect new model; a revolutionary alternative to the old types of oxygen (tanks or cylinders), yet many people wonder how much an oxygen concentrator costs. Usually, they are priced at around eight hundred (800) US dollars, but if this sounds too expensive, one need not worry, as there are many companies, stores and even some insurance agencies who lease it to individual people who need it for home use.

Used or refurbished oxygen concentrators are not recommended as well, especially for portable ones, as it is far too risky for one's health; as mentioned earlier, portable ones with demand or pulse flows can sometimes not detect a person's inhalations while sleeping, and something as such can also occur in a second-hand unit. Thus it is still preferable to purchase a new one, or at least, when renting one, see how long the unit has been used.