If you are a patient or you know someone who is suffering from breathing difficulties, then one of the safest and most reliable way is to use an oxygen concentrator. An oxygen concentrator is a device specially designed to collect oxygen and nitrogen available in the surrounding air and filters the air proving the patient safe and oxygen enriched air for easy breathing.
Why use an oxygen concentrator?
Low oxygen level in the blood is a risky and may result to difficulty in breathing, exhaustion, and confusion. Very low oxygen levels can affect brain and heart functions resulting to other sever conditions. In such situations, an oxygen concentrator is a huge help. It is quite helpful to patients with low oxygen levels.
How to choose the right oxygen concentrator
There are a number of things you need to consider before buying an oxygen concentrator. Here are some of the important ones.
- Oxygen concentration
After the compression and filtering process, the air delivered to the patient has a particular percentage of pure oxygen content. This percentage is called oxygen concentration and is determined by the filtration system included in the igo2 portable oxygen concentrator as well as its effectiveness.
Although most oxygen concentrators have a value above 87 percent, the oxygen concentration might vary between concentrators. Generally, higher powered concentrators provide higher oxygen concentration whereas lightweight, portable concentrators for patients on the go do not need the highest oxygen concentrations.
- Flow rate
Flow rate capabilities is one of the vital factors you must consider when purchasing an oxygen concentrator. Basically, the flow rate is the rate the oxygen can travel from the machine to the patient.
Before purchasing an oxygen concentrator, it is recommended to discuss with your doctor to get the ideal flow rate for you or your patient. Some machines have low flow rates while others have higher flow rates, thus it is important to check on the flow rate offered by the product and ensure it matches the recommended rate.
- Noise level
Concentrators draw air from the atmosphere and filter out the oxygen, which can sometimes produce some noise. If you are sensitive to noise, you might want to use on that operates silently. Concentrators range anywhere from 40-58 decibels of sound.
- Power consumption
Generally, a regular draw power from a normal wall outlet like any other home appliance. But, the devices use different amount of energy.
It is advisable to purchase a concentrator that has the lowest energy consumption and meets oxygen requirements as prescribed by your doctor.
However, sometimes the doctor’s prescription might require those that consume a bit more power. If that’s the case, you can go for models that have an option of working with consumer-grade batteries to help you lower energy consumption
Conclusion
Oxygen concentrators are lifesaving appliances and are invaluable for patients who cannot get enough oxygen on their own. The devices take air from any room and process it to deliver purely oxygenated air. However, before buying or using an igo2 portable oxygen concentrator, it is important to consult your doctor and get the ideal prescription for you.
