My Oxygen Delivery
System
If I had
to choose one oxygen delivery system to supply my supplemental
oxygen and cost was not a problem it would be a Liquid Oxygen
system. It is the only
system that can meet all my needs.
At the bottom of the list is small pocs, they meet few of my
needs, a luggable poc comes much closer.
A stationary concentrator is good for home use.
Tanks can also meet my needs but are bulky.
I use all the above except
small pocs and together they are a good solution for my oxygen
needs.
My
oxygen delivery system includes a Respironics UltraFill Oxygen
Compressor and Respironics EverFlo Oxygen Concentrator with oxygen
tanks is through my DME(durable medical equipment supplier).
I purchased a backup
UltraFill and EverFlo(no tanks) because I am often far away from my
DME and want a backup. I have
also purchased a Caire Eclipse 5 Portable Oxygen Concentrator and a
liquid oxygen system consisting of a Helios and a Companion Oxygen
Reservoirs and two
Companion 1000T
portable units that are refilled from the reservoirs.
Getting the oxygen I need is not cheap.
I bought the UltraFill Oxygen Compressor and Respironics
EverFlo for $1,000, the Eclipse 5 for about $3,000, the liquid
oxygen reservoirs for $800 on eBay, and the two Companion 1000T
portable units for $250, also from eBay.
Add $250 for miscellaneous and I have spent $5,000 on medical
equipment over the last two years.
I have
paid $2.30+ lb. for LOX in the Northwest, $1.00 lb. in Nebraska and
Oklahoma, and $1.25 lb. in the Southeast.
I take my LOX reservoir to the oxygen providers facility to
be filled, the oxygen is not delivered.
I am strong enough to load the 135 lb.
reservoir, but have not had
to. It costs between $80
to $140 to fill the reservoir plus gas money.
I fill the reservoir an average of 1.5 times per month.
Liquid oxygen is not cheap but I believe it is worth it.
I have
the Eclipse 5 to use in my car where I can plug it in.
I put it in shopping carts when shopping and use it at other
times to save my oxygen tanks and Companion 1000ts to be used for
activities where I need 6+ LPM of oxygen.
At times I use it just to give my nose a break from
continuous flow.
The
Respironics UltraFill and EverFlo cover home and mobile oxygen are
both solid machines. It
takes UltraFill over 5 hours to fill a 600-liter oxygen tank with
3,000 psi of oxygen. The
3,000 psi tanks hold 40% more than the 2,000 psi tanks.
With hard exertion like playing pickleball a 600-liter tank
will last about one hour.
With just EverFlo and UltraFill I can play two hours of
pickleball and stop at the grocery store on the way back and it will
take 15 hours to fill the tanks used.
If I had to choose just one system this would be my second
choice. Very limiting on
the time I can be out and about but can play pickleball at 8 to 10
LPM for about 2 hours.
I used EverFlo and Inogen One G3 from September 2014 until January
2018. I was able to use
G3 while sleeping and traveled with it as my only oxygen source.
It was dependable and the sieve beds were easy to change.
The problem I have with all the smaller pocs, “They imply
that settings are equal to LPM.
They are not! The
only way to know if a poc meets your needs is with an oximeter.
Use
the oximeter frequently."
Oxygen devices and delivery systems, “This
article presents an overview of oxygen devices (oxygen
concentrators, compressed gas cylinders and liquid oxygen) and
delivery systems (high- and low-flow). The indications, advantages
and disadvantages of each device and delivery system are presented,
aiming to offer updated knowledge to…”
A good article explaining oxygen delivery systems @
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6876135/
Oxygen
devices and delivery systems -
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6876135/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6876135/pdf/EDU-0204-2019.pdf
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By sharing my experiences and thoughts
I hope to somehow- somewhere make a difference in the lives of
people with COPD and other respiratory problems.
______________
These are my thoughts and experiences,
not medical advice.