Oxygen Concentrator Buying Guide: Here's How To Choose The The Right One

If you or someone you know is in need of oxygen therapy, then one of the safest and helpful ways is by relying on the oxygen concentrator.

An Oxygen Concentrator is a specially designed device that collects oxygen and nitrogen present in the surrounding air eventually providing it to the patient safe and oxygen-enrich air for easier breathing.

Why Do We Need An Oxygen Concentrator

Having a low blood oxygen level can be very risky and anybody suffering from itmight feel difficulty in breathing, exhaustion, and confusion, which can directly affectyour decision-making abilities. If the Oxygen level in the blood drops way too muchit can hurt the functions of vital organs like the brain and heart.

lt is in such a situation that Oxygen Concentrator comes as a huge help. It can bereally helpful for someone suffering from low blood oxygen levels.

How To Choose The RIGHT Oxygen Concentrator

Before buying an Oxygen Concentrator, there are certain things that you need tokeep in mind such as:

l Flow Rate

Indeed one of the most important factors to consider when buying an oxygenconcentrator is to check its flow rate capabilities.Flow Rate indicates the rate atwhich oxygen is able to travel from the machine to the patient.

An ideal process is that a doctor should advise the ideal flow rate for a patient, thusit is recommended that you discuss any potential oxygen concentrator purchaseswith your doctor first.

Some oxygen concentrators may have lower flow rates (in the range of 250 to 750milliliters per minute) and there are others that may offer higher flow rates (such asthe 2 to 10 liters per minute range). Since not all oxygen concentrators provide thesame range of flow rates, it is very important that customers keep a check on theflow rate offered by the product.

- Power Consumption

Oxygen Concentrators generally draw power from any regular wall outlet just likeany other home appliance.But, the amount of energy this device uses differs widely.While it is advisable to purchase the concentrator that boasts the lowest power Oxygen Concentrators generally draw power from any regular wall outlet just likeany other home appliance.But, the amount of energy this device uses differs widely.While it is advisable to purchase the concentrator that boasts the lowest power consumption, your oxygen requirements, as prescribed by your doctor, might leadyou to a device that consumes a bit more power.Besides, there are some modelsthat come with an option of working on consumer-grade batteries as well, which ishelpful if the power goes out.

Portability

Another important aspect for you to look out for is how mobile you will need yourconcentrator to be.Oxygen concentrators can range significantly in size and portability.There are some units that are high-powered and designed to work hard and providehigher flow rates, but are typically larger and heavier.These models are often designed to deliver higher flow rates, and are a great solution for in-home use.Then there are others that are much more portable, typically weighing between 2 to4 kgs.These portable oxygen concentrators sacrifice higher flow rates in order to besignificantly easier to transport and use while out and about. This makes them theperfect tool for patients who do not require high oxygen flow rates.