Have you been told you or a loved one must use oxygen therapy? You are not alone.
Oxygen therapy is prescribed for many conditions, including emphysema, lung cancer, cystic fibrosis, sarcoidosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), congestive heart failure and others.
Home oxygen therapy comes in three forms: compressed oxygen gas, dispensed via cylinders that come in small and large sizes; liquid oxygen, held in small containers; and oxygen concentrators.
Oxygen concentrators do not have cylinders or containers that need to be replenished, but are machines that take the oxygen out of the air around us and store it. The major advantage to an oxygen concentrator is that it never needs a “re-fill” – it does not “run out” of oxygen. Since it runs on electricity, you must have another back-up oxygen supply in case of loss of power.
Your doctor will prescribe the amount of oxygen, or flow rate, you need and will talk to you about what device or devices will work best for your situation, as well as how often you need to use oxygen. Some people only need it during strenuous activity; others need it on a continuous basis.
There are several ways of delivering oxygen to your body. People with great oxygen needs generally use a mask. A nasal cannula is another way to get oxygen. This is tubing that inserts into the nostrils and is connected to tubing that is attached to the device dispensing the oxygen. You may be familiar with this type of oxygen delivery – since oxygen devices are now very portable, we see more and more people out and about with nasal cannulas, shopping, walking and carrying on with their lives.
A third delivery method is for people who must bypass the nose and mouth altogether, and are delivered oxygen directly into the trachea.
When you begin oxygen therapy – often this means being discharged from a hospital on oxygen and continuing it at home – you should be given a thorough lesson on how to use the equipment. Dana Patton, manager of clinical services at Henry Ford Health Products, says that the entity that is setting you up with oxygen therapy should be accredited. “Accreditation verifies you’re providing good, safe provisions to the patient,” he said. The best kind of training is “return demonstration,” he said, where after instruction the facilitator watches the patient set up the equipment and use it themselves.
Be sure to follow the advice of your doctor and use the oxygen equipment properly. It’s important to clean the equipment regularly as directed – after all, this is what delivers oxygen directly to your body, and it should be as clean as possible! It’s also very important to follow safety instructions [link to article, “Stay safe with oxygen (below)].
Whatever your situation, know that the majority of people who need oxygen therapy can continue a good quality of life, with some minor adjustments.
Additional resources:
American Lung Association
YourLungHealth.org
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute
PortableOxygen.org
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