Oxygen Systems Part 1

I got such good information about oxygen systems at the ILD Support Group Meeting yesterday. It was a shame to leave the gorgeous coastside but the drive up to the city was easy, I hit green lights the entire way and even found free street parking, a very rare event. One of the members I hadn't seen in almost a year, has been dealing with IPF for nine years. He looked very thin and his wife told me he was not doing well. He has been such a positive, athletic, strong man that it was rather sad to see him looking so frail.

To the systems! This is probably going to take a couple of blogs to get it all in. Thanks to the speaker from a local oxygen supplier for a magnificent handout.

There are three types of oxygen therapies: Gas/tanks, Liquid, Manufactured
     High Pressure Oxygen/Tanks
     Liquid Oxygen Systems
     Concentrators & Home Fill Systems
     Portable Oxygen Concentrators


High Pressure Oxygen Tanks - filled by your vendor, pressurized to 2000 psi to 2200 psi.
Liquid Oxygen System - Filled by your vendor operates at 22 psi.
Manufactured/Concentrators - Makes its own oxygen, draws room air through a molecular material and separates the oxygen from the nitrogen, etc.


High Pressure Oxygen Tanks: 
     Cylinders
     Sizes - Portable: M2-M9, D & E cylinders
     Regulators - Both continuous and pulse dose settings

Liquid Oxygen Systems:
     Reservoirs - come in three sizes, 20, 30 & 40 liters, they can be used as a stationary
          and/or just fill your portable units
     Portables -
          Continuous Units - Companion 1000, Caire, Stroller and Companion T (High Flow),
               Helios Marathon
          On Demand Units - Helios Plus & Helios Marathon
          Pulse Dose - Caire Spirit, Helios Marathon

     Manufactured Oxygen -
          Concentrators - Most units fall into two models, liter flow to 5/6 or 10 lpm. They are on wheels and can be moved around the house.
          Home Fill System - Uses a concentrator with a compressor to provide home oxygen and refill your portable cylinders, so you do not have a wait for a delivery. (Takes hours to fill a tank.)
          Portable Oxygen Concentrators - There are a number of units available. Two have the ability to provide continuous oxygen to 3 lpm and the other are all pulse dose settings of 1-6. They are battery operated and the liter flow/pulse dosage directly correlates with battery life. (The bigger the case, the bigger the batteries.) Only a few are approved for air travel.

So, now that we know what systems are available, tomorrow we will ask the questions to determine which system would work for you!