1. Community
  2. Chest and lungs
  3. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

What devices do people use for ambulatory oxygen therapy?

Posted , 5 users are following.

alex38711
alex38711

Hi,

I am a Product Designer and I am currently working on a project that involves trying to improve the experiences of ambulatory oxygen therapy. I am aware that oxygen concentartors are becoming more and more portable and more advanced. However I would really appreciate to hear from people who know anyone who uses ambulatory oxygen or uses it themselves and what thier experiences are and what devices they use? 

I really appreciate all of your time and I really do believe that there are some opportuinites for helping improve home oxygen therapy, especially after reading some of the posts on here it is clear that there are struggles. 

Thank you very much!

1 like, 16 replies

16 Replies

Next
  • julia14760
    julia14760 alex38711

    Posted

    I'm on  2L oxygen 24/7 , I use a concentrator at home with a long tube attached to enable me to get around my bungalow. I have a liquid oxygen tank stored in a shed from which I fill a small tank for use outdoors , when filled these last about 4-5 hrs. I also have a concentrator at our caravan with small tanks about 2 ft tall for use outside these tend to be too heavy for me and last less than 3 hrs, there is smaller tanks which are much lighter these can only be used on pulse which isn't suitable for me. The tube on the concentrator can sometimes be a problem as it does tend to coil up at times which could be dangerous. Please feel free to ask any questions if I can help further . 
    • alex38711
      alex38711 julia14760

      Posted

      Hi Julia, 

      Thank you very much for responding. It sounds like you require a number of devices to meet all of your needs from indoor to outdoor use, which certainly seems to be the case with a number of other oxygen users. Do you use any carrying accessories with your small oxygen tanks in your caravan, such as a back pack or trolley? I persume small liquid oxygen tanks are not suitable for travelling or use in your caravan as I understand that liquid oxygen evaporates over time and as the refilling tank is rather large the tanks would have to be fillied prior to your travels? Have you ever tried any portable concentrators? Issues with the tube coiling up is something I have some across before and seems to be a universal problem. How do you manage excess cabling, do you simply just wrap it around the device? 

      Thank you very much for your time, all of your insights are hugely useful to my project and hopefuly help me create solutions to real issues. I apologise if it seems like a bombardment of questions! 

    • julia14760
      julia14760 alex38711

      Posted

      Hi Alex, my small liquid oxy tank which I fill from large tank in shed is quite light to carry, we are not allowed liquid oxy tanks at caravan due to health and safety so I only use the liquid for travelling there. I use the normal tanks while outdoors there , and travelling home . They are in a carrying bag which  does have a shoulder strap but I find this very uncomfortable so I just carry by hand, this is quite cumbersome it being about 2ft tall when I'm under 5 ft tall. The tubes on both tanks are just long enough to be comfortable. The very long tube on my concentrators just get dragged about behind me. I have looked at portable concentrators to use while outdoors but they are quite expensive to buy where as the other devices are free on nhs, I'm in England .im happy to answer any questions so feel free to ask. Warm regards Julia x
    • alex38711
      alex38711 julia14760

      Posted

      Julia, Its interesting to understand that liquid oxy tanks are not allowed to be used on the caravan site. I persume that this regulation might apply to other holiday desitinations and this has prompted me to do some more research into this. I am also in England and I am currently trying to learn more about what the NHS offers to oxygen therapy users. So were you only offered liquid tanks or oxygen cylinders from the NHS? If so are you aware of the reasons for this?

      Best regards! Alex 

    • julia14760
      julia14760 alex38711

      Posted

      Some holiday parks do allow liquid oxygen, it depends on storage . We are at flamingo land in Yorkshire .we asked if we could erect a shed to store the tank but it would be too close to gas tanks outside my caravan , the man who delivers my oxy asked them if they would store it for me but was refused stating health and safety.  My oxy supplier do deliver to other parks in the area . The equipment I have is all I've been offered, I just assumed this was all there was available .
    • linda76363
      linda76363 julia14760

      Posted

      Hi Julia, I'm in the UK and have a portable concentrator supplied by the NHS. Maybe not all areas are the same. regards Linda
    • julia14760
      julia14760 linda76363

      Posted

      Hi Linda, I'm in the northeast , haven't heard of anyone in my area having a portable. How do you find yours, is it light to carry or do you need trolley? how long do batteries last etc ? Warm regards . Julia
    • linda76363
      linda76363 julia14760

      Posted

      Hi Julia, so not too far from me then. I find the portable concentrator much better than the cylinders. It weighs 7.1lbs so about 2lbs less than the cylinders but not as light as the liquid oxygen. You can either carry it by hand with the short handle, put the longer handle over your shoulder so it hangs by your hip or use the little trolley that comes with it. The trolly is much smaller and neater than the cylinder trolleys. I prefer to carry it over my shoulder as this keeps your hands free. The battery lasts up to 4 hours depending on your l/m. The unit is capable of delivering oxygen up to 6 l/m. 

      I hope this helps but feel free to ask anything you like.

      Kind regards,Linda x

  • linda76363
    linda76363 alex38711

    Posted

    Hi, I'm on 4l/min ambulatory oxygen. I started with  the potable oxygen cylinders but, due to a back injury, they were too heavy for me. If I carried it on my back in the back pack that came with it it was painful and if I pulled it behind me on the little trolly it meant I only had one free hand which meant I couldn't take my 3 little dogs for a walk together. I am now trying the Inogen One portable oxygen concentrator which is pulsed. It isn't a great deal lighter but seems much less cumbersome. I don't think the pulsed oxygen is as good for me as the constant flow but i can manage. I am thinking about trying the liquid oxygen when I go for my next oxygen appointment.

    I hope this helps. Feel free to ask any questions if you need to.

    Linda

    • alex38711
      alex38711 linda76363

      Posted

      Hi Linda, 

      Thank you very much for getting back to me. Weight seems to be a common issue for oxygen cyclinders as well as there cumborsome size and shape. However do you know any advantages of using oxygen cylinders over liquid oxygen or oxygen concentrators or do you see them coming a thing of the past? Do you mind telling me which oxygen cylinders you were using/ who the supplier was? I am aware that some suppliers offer lightweight tanks using materials such as carbon composites but am unaware of how available these actually are.

      Thank you very much for your time, as I mentioned to Julia all of your insights are very useful and much appreciated! 

    • linda76363
      linda76363 alex38711

      Posted

      Hi Alex, I think one advantage of the cylinder is that I could use it on constant at 4l/m and that really felt like I was getting lots of oxygen compared to the concentrator which I have to have pulsed. I haven't tried liquid oxygen and so can't comare it to that.

      I'm not sure if the cylinders have a specific name and I don't know it if the do but the portable cylinders are about 2 feet (60cm) tall and then the thing on the top where you switch it on/off, the litres per minute dial and canula post. My supplier is Air Liquide, I think only this company deliver in my are. I'm almost on the border between England and Scotland. The company is lovely to deal with and respod quickly to requests.

      I have never heard of the carbon composite tanks, very interesting.

      Kinda regards,

      Linda x

    • julia14760
      julia14760 linda76363

      Posted

      These are the cylinders I use , air liquide used to be my supplier now I'm supplied by BOC , Air Products is my supplier for my caravan in Yorkshire . Regards Julia x
    • linda76363
      linda76363 julia14760

      Posted

      I think the portable cylinders are pretty standard in size and weight don't you? What are BOC like to deal with?

      Let's hope that alex38711 comes up with an amazing design that's light and looks good lol. 

      Take care, Linda x

    • julia14760
      julia14760 linda76363

      Posted

      BOC are good next day delivery no problem. I've heard most portable concentrators use pulse only, not suitable for me when mobile. I'm only on 2L , I'm a retainer so not sure what will happen if and when I need to increase it.  Regards Julia X 
  • jennifer65376
    jennifer65376 alex38711

    Posted

    Hello Alex

    I use a concentrator I find it helps a bit I was diagnosed with COPD about 18 years ago  I also use a nebuliser Spireva and Seretide,   I also have a portable concentrator for when I go on holiday, I am on oxygen therapy for 14 hours a day but sometimes I find I can go without it during the day.   To make a portable oxygen concentrator quieter and even smaller would be good also possibly more battery life.

    Thankyou.

Back to top
Next

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.