As India fights the second wave of COVID, we are seeing a sudden demand for Oxygen supplying devices. While we are mostly familiar with Oxygen tanks or cylinders, we are hearing a lot about Oxygen Concentrators.
Oxygen tanks and oxygen concentrators are both members of a group of medical devices that offer oxygen therapy to patients unable to get enough oxygen into their bodies on their own. They both dispense oxygen in almost exactly the same way, delivering oxygen directly to the patient via a nasal cannula or oxygen mask. But they both perform the task differently.
While oxygen tanks contain a fixed amount of pressurised oxygen, Concentrators collect oxygen from the surrounding air, concentrate it, and then deliver it to the patient, removing the need for refilling. The ability of oxygen concentrators to continuously draw in and treat air ensures that, unlike oxygen tanks, the concentrator will never run out of oxygen.
You may want to read:
Can a simple mouthwash save you from COVID?
As we know, air is made up of 78 per cent nitrogen and 21 per cent oxygen. Oxygen concentrators take in this air, filter it through a sieve, release the nitrogen back into the air, and then concentrate the remaining oxygen. The oxygen that is concentrated in this device holds 90 to 95 per cent purity and it can easily be dispensed through a pressure valve that helps to regulate the flow to the nasal cannula. The pressure valve in concentrators helps regulate supply, ranging from 1-10 litres per minute.
According to a report by the WHO, concentrators are designed for continuous operation and can produce oxygen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for up to 5 years or more. This device is a power-based machine, they are portable and are easy to use too. Because they do not use pressurised oxygen within a tank, oxygen concentrators must rely on battery or electric power to perform their air filtering and oxygen flow. As is the case with any battery-powered device, the available charge in the battery must be considered.
At the same time, concentrators do not require a dense metal tank. This means that they are notably lighter and more portable than most oxygen cylinders.
While concentrators are more expensive costing Rs 40,000 to a lakh vis a vis cylinders (Rs 8,000-20,000), it’s largely a one-time investment. These days Oxygen concentrators are also available on rent (Rs 15,000 for a month).
Oxygen concentrators consist of a cabinet that houses the compressor and filters; tubing; a nasal cannula and/or face mask. Portable units will additionally include an AC and/or DC charger, and a battery.
It is important to understand that an oxygen concentrator can only be used under medical supervision and prescription and it should not be considered as a treatment for Covid-19.
Do you suffer from anxiety? These tips can help you
'Bulk up on calcium': 5 superfoods for bone health in women
'New buzzword': Plant-based food movement gains popularity amid COVID
6 immunity boosting juice shots you can make at home
Health Secrets of Ayurveda #9: Herbs to help women ease menstrual problems
Believe it or not oxygen concentrators date back as far as the early 1800’s. In 1885, the first ever recorded use of oxygen was documented for a medical purpose to treat a patient with pneumonia. This revolutionary treatment was administered and pioneered by Dr George Holzapple. Just two years later, a product was invented and sold that stored enough oxygen for intermittent use. In the early 1900s, a nasal catheter and oxygen mask were first introduced. Then, in the 1950s, oxygen therapy was first made portable with small, high-pressure oxygen cylinders, a version of which was used regularly well into the 1970s.
Some of the popular brands available in India are:
BPL OXY 5 NEO Oxygen Concentrator
Aero COMPACK WHITE Oxygen Concentrator
'A click away': Make healthy lifestyle choices with cool tech
Screen addictions: We are living in a ‘lightmare’
Do you suffer from anxiety? These tips can help you
So how do we boost our ‘cuddle hormone’ during COVID?
Why women suffer from migraine three times as often as men
Health Secrets of Ayurveda #5: Shatavari
6 immunity boosting juice shots you can make at home
Health Secrets of Ayurveda: #1 Ashwagandha
The publisher of a weekly newspaper in New Hampshire is accusing the state attorney general’s office of government overreach after she was arrested on charges that she published advertisements for local races without properly marking them as political advertising. The six misdemeanor charges allege that Debra Paul, publisher of The Londonderry Times, failed to identify the ads with "appropriate language" indicating that they were ads and saying who paid for them as required by state law, the New Hampshire attorney general's office said in a news release, after reviewing cases that go back to 2019. “This is clearly a case of a small business needing to defend itself against overreaching government," Paul, 62, who's also a member of the town council in Londonderry, responded in a statement.
USA TODAY plans to investigate how much racial bias plays into missing children investigations and coverage.
MONTREAL — The Montreal Alouettes say fullback Christophe Normand has been suspended pending the outcome of a luring investigation. Provincial police Sgt. Audrey-Anne Bilodeau said the 30-year-old Normand was arrested after a search at his home by police investigators on the morning of Aug. 19. Normand was in the lineup for Montreal's 29-28 win over visiting Hamilton on Aug. 20. Normand, a former teacher, faces two charges of luring a child under 18, including one count of luring a child under 1
MOSCOW (AP) — The 44th Moscow International Film Festival opened Friday with reduced foreign representation amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Festival head Nikita Mikhalkov, the Academy Award-winning director of “Burnt By The Sun,” brushed that off, saying “It makes no difference how big are the stars that come. I'm interested in people who come, because they are interested in meeting us." Mikhalkov also praised Russia's military operation in Ukraine. “These days, the heroes are in Donbas," he s
The Zaporizhzhia plant was temporarily disconnected from the power grid Thursday when fires damaged the transmission line, Ukraine officials said.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Treasury Department is facing pushback from the cryptocurrency industry over sanctions imposed on a firm accused of helping to launder billions of dollars — with some funds going to North Korean hackers. Earlier this month, the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on the virtual currency mixing firm, Tornado Cash, which allegedly helped to launder more than $7 billion worth of virtual currency since its creation in 2019. Mixing services combine various digital assets, incl
Some products are open-box, some are pre-owned and all are guaranteed. What a way to save!
The man hasn’t been seen since he left his home to help “an unknown acquaintance” with car troubles, officials said.
FREDERICTON — A health authority in New Brunswick is asking people with non-life-threatening medical needs to stay away from its hospitals this weekend due to a "critical" shortage of nurses. Horizon Health Network says in a news release that emergency services at the Moncton Hospital and Saint John Regional Hospital will be cut back until Sunday. It says the facilities must reserve their resources to provide services for those with "limb- or life-threatening medical needs." Health Minister Bruc
Fifty years ago, an air of vibrant optimism surrounded the Olympic Games Munich 1972. The athletes delivered mesmerising performances, and the event continues to benefit the local community to this...
The Justice Department was ordered to release by Friday a redacted version of the affidavit justifying the search of Trump's Florida estate.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis removed four members of the Broward County school board Friday, one week after a grand jury empaneled to investigate a 2018 school massacre accused them and district administrators of “deceit, malfeasance, misfeasance, neglect of duty and incompetence” in their handling of a campus safety program. DeSantis signed an executive order suspending board members Patricia Good, Donna Korn, Ann Murray and Laurie Rich Levinson.
Today we will run through one way of estimating the intrinsic value of Winmark Corporation ( NASDAQ:WINA ) by...
Our fantasy football analysts deliver their quarterback positional rankings for the 2022 draft season.
JACKSON HOLE, Wyoming (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell delivered a stark message Friday: The Fed is determined to fight inflation with more sharp interest rate hikes, which will likely cause pain for Americans in the form of a weaker economy and job losses. “These are the unfortunate costs of reducing inflation,” Powell said in a high-profile speech at the Fed's annual economic symposium in Jackson Hole. “But a failure to restore price stability would mean far greater pain.” Investors
The biggest dilemma facing the next government is how to get financial help to those who need it most. Blanket support is quick, but it's also expensive. Targeted help is more cost effective but slower, and some groups will get left behind.
In a published letter to Olivia Wilde, Shia LaBeouf touched on his sobriety, after a past that has included multiple arrests and rehab stints
Willie Simmons seems to have the magic touch.
Former Tucson police Officer Ryan Remington fatally shot Richard Lee Richards, a man in a motorized wheelchair who was suspected of shoplifting.
The rapper shared his new hairstyle in a series of images posted to Instagram this week