The Evolution of a Continuous-Flow Portable Oxygen Concentrator
Oxygen for use in medical industries is produced through an oxygen concentrator by separating air either by distillation or adsorption processes.
Oxygen for use in medical industries is produced through an oxygen concentrator by separating air either by distillation or adsorption processes. Through distillation, the oxygen purity attained is 99%+, and through adsorption, it is 90%+. It can be developed as:
- Small-scale oxygen concentrators for medical use.
- Large-scale oxygen concentrators for industrial use. The small-scale oxygen concentrator is known as the MOC medical oxygen concentrator, which is our topic of concern. They are for medical use for patients with long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT). LTOT patients are those who are suffering from hypoxemia, a condition with severe oxygen deficiency that is normally associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. Early MOCs were large, stationary, and designed for only home use. Now they are available in two forms based on their portability. These are:
- Stationary medical oxygen concentrators are not portable.
- Portable medical oxygen concentrators: They are portable. Stationary MOCs provide oxygen in homes from packaged oxygen, which is separated from air by distillation and compressed at high pressure to be used as gas or liquid oxygen. However, its high cost, home delivery, and waste disposal issues make it less user-friendly, which led to the development of a POC Portable Oxygen Concentrator.
POCs were developed in 1990, and their use has increased dramatically. They are available in two forms:
- Pulse flow POC.
- Pulse/continuous flow POC. POCs were first used for the discontinuous flow of O2 to the patients for the inspiration period only. It begins with a reduction in pressure at the beginning of the inspiration cycle. This signals the opening of a valve to supply O2 for a given time.
This is different from a continuous flow in which FIO2 decreases with an increased breathing rate. This technology played the most significant role in the development of continuous-flow portable oxygen concentrators (POC). It offers greater mobility options for LTOT patients in addition to air travel. The advances in this technology were quickly adopted as an alternative to compressed gas and liquid gas, as used in LTOT. And nowadays it is the best portable oxygen concentrator. Let’s take a review of the reasons, benefits, and drawbacks of the development of continuous-flow portable oxygen concentrators.
Reasons:
- Greater oxygen requirements.
- Shallow breathing characteristics
- Use during sleep
Benefits:
- It can be used while traveling.
- It can be used inside or outside the home.
- It increases the quality of life.
- They can be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for use onboard aircraft.
Drawbacks:
- There are no standards or specifications for using POCs, and there is a huge gap in their performance. The maximum FIO2 determined by a POC is 27–41%.
- There is a significant difference between the performances of different POCs due to the difference in the production capacity of O2 and its weight and duration, which causes confusion for quality control.
Conclusion:
For medical use, an oxygen concentrator is considered a drug, and it must be prescribed by a doctor. The use of a POC must be continuously checked by oximetry to determine the oxygen level of patients
during activity, rest, and sleep due to differences between the performances. The demand for oxygen concentrators in the market has been accelerating due to the development of portable concentrators.
Frequently asked questions:
- Is an oxygen concentrator better than an oxygen cylinder? Yes, it is more reliable than an oxygen cylinder as it can provide a greater quantity of oxygen for rapid recovery.
- For how many hours can a POC be used? It can be used for a maximum of 12 hours.
- Can we use POC during activity or sleep? Yes, you can use it during any activity or at any time of the day. Please visit our website Artema Medical for more information. Please visit our website Artema Medical for more information.
