top of page
Writer's pictureMedCuore

IS OXYGENATOR A LIFE SUSTAINING EQUIPMENT?

Take a deep breath; did you know that the air you breathe is not how it’s used to be?


Well, according to the World Health Index, air quality in most of the cities has crossed the danger mark during the 21st century. People often feel breathlessness while playing outdoor games, going for a morning walk, or during regular exercises.


Highlighting the Plight of occupants living in densely populated cities in India like Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai report a high level of air pollution due to Urbanisation. According to Environment Protection Agency (EPA), overexposure to air pollutants can have permanent health effects related to the lungs, heart & windpipe. Oxygen is the essence of life and it is the primary source of energy to human beings. Every cell in a human body requires a constant supply of oxygen to produce the energy necessary to accomplish their life-sustaining functions.

Oxygen derived from the atmosphere is delivered through the bloodstream to organs and tissues of the human body. A low blood oxygen concentration or hypoxemia can occur due to reduced environmental oxygen levels in the locality.

It’s time to revamp one’s life with the uses of an oxygen concentrator. It is a medical device used for delivering purified oxygen to individuals with breathing disorders. It restores oxygen concentration in the blood by supplying 95% purified oxygen directly to the body via nostrils.


Probably wondering what an oxygen concentrator is used for?

Acute conditions usually require short-term oxygen therapy. They may have a sudden onset of symptoms, unlike chronic conditions where things occur gradually. However, some respiratory or chronic conditions require long-term oxygen supplementation.

Few examples of acute conditions where patients would require an oxygen concentrator for short-term oxygen therapy are:

· Asthma

· Pneumonia

· Respiratory distress syndrome

· Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD)


Some chronic conditions require long-term oxygen therapy like :

· Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

· Cystic fibrosis

· Sleep Apnea


How Does an Oxygenator Work?

Every human inhales a large amount of oxygen from the atmosphere to keep their blood oxygen level normal. Earth’s atmosphere contains 21% Oxygen, 78% Nitrogen, 0.9% Argon, and 0.1% other trace gases. The oxygen generation systems separate oxygen by compressing the atmospheric air & passing through a unique process called Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA).


Synthetic Zeolite Molecular Sieves present in the machine separates the enriched oxygen gas from ambient air by trapping the nitrogen molecules into it. While nitrogen concentrates in the pore system of the zeolite & vents our using PSA, purified Oxygen gas is produced out of the output nozzle.



This process is based on the principle that different gases have the propensity to be attracted to different solid surfaces more or less strongly. This happens with the nitrogen, which gets trapped in the zeolites. As the air is compressed, the nitrogen is forced into the crystalline cages of the zeolite & conveyed to the end of the zeolite bed whereas Oxygen being large in molecular size passes through the cages & ultimately gets collected in the oxygen buffer tank.


There are two zeolite beds are used for the generation process, One filters air under pressure until it gets saturated with nitrogen whereas the second filter begins to do the same while the first one is regenerated as nitrogen is expelled (desorbed) by releasing the pressure. The process repeats again, storing the oxygen and argon in a tank. The argon could be separated afterward increasing the amount of oxygen up to 99%. Using a carbon molecular sieve (CMS) based adsorbent, which absorbs the oxygen, allowing the impurities to be scrubbed. The maximum purity achievable in such systems is 99.3%. Other important parts are the cooling system that keeps the system from overheating, and the nasal cannula that delivers the purified oxygen once it passes through all the sieve bed filters. The cannula also helps improve oxygen absorption.

99% of Disease cannot live in active oxygen

Oxygen-The Breath of Life

Reference:

1.John E. Heffner: The Story of Oxygen – Respiratory Care

2.Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

 

Author: Sithika

MedCuore Medical Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Buy Medical Equipment online store

Calibration and testing of medical devices in India

Extensive medical device maintenance

Medical devices equipment services and rental

Critical care medical monitoring devices

172 views1 comment

1 Comment


Ebcifa Fredo
Sep 15, 2020

Great work !! Keep going👍

Like
bottom of page