subject: Portable Oxygen Units - Benefits For Patients [print this page] Portable Oxygen Units - Benefits For Patients
These oxygen supply systems have changed the lives of many thousands of people who are on long term oxygen therapy. They are providing a more natural quality of life.
Anyone who has problems breathing will logically have enormous amount of problems just moving, however small the exertion. Short of breath and dizziness being two very simple limitations - and there are worse.
Portable oxygen units weigh less, are easier to carry and store, and the oxygen lasts longer.
New units are coming out all the time, mostly in the portable oxygen concentrator area, as the research and development departments are responding to the greatest needs of their users.
Obviously the standard need is to receive oxygen as and when required. In addition to this patients on long term oxygen therapy need to increase their activities be more mobile and reduce the worry at effort that carrying oxygen used to mean.
A list of benefits would have to include:
1. Longer lasting oxygen delivery. This is possible it the different types of oxygen machines - oxygen tanks and cylinders, as flow regulators are reducing wasted oxygen; portable oxygen concentrators with their longer lasting rechargeable batteries.
2. The new materials being used as well as the design advances mean that these units weigh much less are also easier to handle. The overall effect of this is that they are easier to carry.
3. These features, which are also benefits, providing a greater degree of freedom.
4. Patients have greater independence.
5. Are participating in a larger number of activities.
6. Finally, patients are less dependent on others.
The psychological of advantages cannot be stressed enough. Perhaps the easiest way to identify these is to think of the alternatives.
Imagine being stuck to the home. Not being able to leave the house because you are stuck to a hose that delivers oxygen. You can't go by car or visit friends; the simple act of getting up to the toilet or kitchen becomes a major logistical exercise. It is just one very brief scenario of what life would be if practical portable oxygen systems had to been invented.
Today you have series of portable oxygen alternatives that include:
1. Portable oxygen tanks, there hold liquid oxygen, and therefore are long lasting.
2. Portable oxygen cylinders with compressed gas - and are excellent alternative for moving about in the home.
3. Portable oxygen concentrators that extract oxygen from the surrounding air and run on electricity. Incidentally these are an excellent choice for travel - not only by car or train that also by air, as the FAA have approved various makes of portable oxygen concentrators for use aboard airplanes that fly over US airspace.
