Peter Kelly, Chairman of the Council for Quality Respiratory Care (CORC), says: "Adequate Medicare funding for home oxygen therapy will be crucial in the coming years to help patients maintain independence and quality of life, especially as incidence of COPD and other lung-related diseases continue to rise."  The CORC is a coalition of 11 leading home oxygen therapy providers and manufacturers who provide services and care to approximately 650,000 home oxygen therapy patients.  The CORC applauded the HOPP Act as a measure to ensure that the over 1 million Medicare patients requiring supplemental oxygen continue to have access to home oxygen therapy.

The typical home oxygen therapy patient is a 73-year-old woman suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), which is the nation’s 4th leading cause of death.  COPD is a respiratory disease that obstructs airflow to the lungs, causing shortness of breath and a host of other aliments.  COPD is the term physicians prefer to use referring to 2 lung diseases that frequently co-exist, chronic bronchitis and emphysema.  The primary risk factor for the disease is smoking, with approximately 80% to 90% of COPD deaths being smoking related.  "Chronic respiratory illness is devastating and debilitating", added Senator Reed.  I will work with my colleagues to ensure that these Medicare patients are again able to receive life-saving assistance and help improve both their safety and overall quality of life."

It seems that Congress is finally realizing that long-term oxygen therapy has a proven track record as a cost effective method for respiratory illness.  When you compare the average cost of hospitalization for COPD, $4,603 per day, to the cost of home oxygen therapy, $7.62 per day, the saving are remarkable.  These savings can be increased even further by using oxygen concentrators.  Oxygen concentrators simply plug into standard electrical outlets, with many models being energy efficient.  These instruments save money by eliminating the need for cylinder refilling and scheduling of deliveries.

For information about 2 of the most advanced portable oxygen delivery systems please visit Inogen One and Sequal Eclipse to learn about where advances in COPD and Emphysema treatment therapy. 

• Compressed oxygen cylinders
• Liquid oxygen cylinders
• Oxygen concentrators

Until recently, oxygen therapy patients had to choose between bulky oxygen cylinders and large, semi-mobile oxygen concentrators.  Inventive new designs and technologies have created a new generation of advanced portable oxygen concentrators.  Although they cost a little more, many oxygen therapy patients discover that the increased freedom offered by portable oxygen concentrators is well worth a few extra dollars.  Here are 6 good reasons to spend a little extra on a portable oxygen concentrator:

6 Advantages of Portable Oxygen Concentrators 

1. Ease of Set-Up  Portable oxygen concentrators are much easier to set-up than oxygen cylinders.  You simply plug the unit into a standard electrical outlet and set the flow meter to your physician’s prescribed flow rate.  You can easily move from room to room with lightweight portable oxygen concentrators.  Oxygen cylinders have to wheeled on a cart from room to room and must be handled with care.
2. No Scheduling Deliveries or Storing Oxygen Cylinders  Unlike oxygen concentrators, oxygen cylinders require continuous refilling.  This means you must schedule and be available for deliveries from a home oxygen equipment supply store.  This also requires finding a secure place to store both full and empty cylinders.  Oxygen cylinders must be handled with care to due the possibility of fire or explosion.
3. Car Travel  One of the greatest benefits of portable oxygen concentrators is how perfect they are for car travel.  Liquid oxygen can be placed into smaller cylinders for travel, but must be refilled.  Several models of portable oxygen concentrators can be plugged into your car’s accessory outlet.  Many also come with rechargeable batteries for even more mobility.  You can even drive while receiving oxygen therapy from a portable oxygen concentrator!  Just place the unit behind your seat on the floor, plug it in and off you go.
4. Air Travel  The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved selected portable oxygen concentrators for on-board use.  This ruling has been promoted and endorsed by the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC).  The FAA does not allow compressed oxygen cylinders in airplane cabins because it is classified as hazardous.  Two of the approved models are the Inogen One and the Sequal Eclipse.  Not all airlines allow portable oxygen concentrators, so you should always check with your carrier prior to departure to see what their requirements are.
5. Unobtrusive and Less Embarrassing  Let’s face it, most people who are receiving oxygen therapy are going to feel self conscious and possible embarrassed at some point.  Who wants to be seen dragging around big oxygen cylinders?  Today’s portable oxygen concentrators weigh just a few pounds and don’t look like "medical equipment".  An oxygen cylinder says "I’m an oxygen therapy patient".  A less stigmatizing portable oxygen concentrator says "I’m going to be active and mobile despite my affliction".
6. Allows a More Active Lifestyle  The average age for onset of COPD in the United States is 60.  This means an increasing number of baby boomers will be receiving oxygen therapy in the future.  Baby boomers are notorious for taking responsibility for their own health and are less willing to accept lifestyle degradation than previous generations.  Portable oxygen concentrators allow unprecedented freedom of mobility.  Jump in your car or hop on an airplane to travel where and when you want.

Although medical portable oxygen concentrators generally cost a little more than standard concentrators or oxygen cylinders, the benefits far outweigh any additional cost.  These innovative units are easy on the electric bill and are virtually maintenance free.  Discover how using a portable oxygen concentrator can improve both your physical and psychological health by increasing your mobility.

Is Your Oxygen Supply Effecting Your Quality of Life?

The movie shows how Audrey Ciere’s lifestyle has changed due to COPD and oxygen therapy.  She uses a home oxygen therapy system and as the video shows, it is a noisy reminder of the struggles she faces everyday. Her struggles have progressed since her diagnosis and she realizes that oxygen and time are of the essence. Watch her interview to share her experience with COPD. 

Continue reading below to see how recent oxygen concentrator developments below can help home oxygen therapy patients gain back freedom and mobility.

How Have COPD Solutions Improved?

Even though Ms.Ciere suffers from crippling COPD symptoms, she is an intelligent, capable individual with a long life still infront of her.  Over 14 million people are in this same situation.  And doctors and engineers have been working on solutions from many different viewpoints.  Besides changing the legal and insurance rules about what equipment oxygen therapy patients may receive, other experts have been developing smaller, more mobile oxygen concentrators.

On this website, we feature what we have found to be the most advanced and valuable solution for patients who are tied to their oxygen concentrator.  That 200 lb. oxygen concentrator has shrunken down to a mere 17 or even 10 pound device that can run off batteries for an entire morning, afternoon or evening.  With new advancements, these machines have become as convenient to where you can charge them off your car lighter/accessory outlet, carry them around, scoot them around on wheels like luggage and even fly with them on airplanes.

If you want your health, your life and your freedom back, click on FREE CONSULTATION and answer a few questions to see if you qualify for a state of the art oxygen concentrator at a reduced cost.

What is Oxygen Therapy?
Oxygen therapy is usually delivered as a gas via an oxygen source such as a cylinder or oxygen concentrator.  The oxygen is breathed by the patient through a nasal cannula (nasal prongs) or through a mask that covers the mouth and nose.  A nasal cannula is a two-pronged device inserted in the nostrils and is connected to the tubing carrying the oxygen.  The tubing can rest on the ears or be attached to eyeglass frames.

Once your physician has made the determination that you should receive oxygen, he or she will test you to find the right amount of oxygen for your requirements.  Oxygen therapy is prescribed to increase the level of oxygen in the blood and is based on the fact that all human cells, tissue and organs need oxygen to function properly.  The lack of oxygen on the cellular level can lead to a vast array of maladies.  The human body is receiving oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide constantly.  When this vital process is interrupted, oxygen in the blood decreases, often requiring supplemental oxygen supply.

Long Term or Short Term Oxygen Therapy
Oxygen therapy is prescribed for patients one of two ways; short-term or long-term.  Short-term oxygen therapy is for people who are recovering from acute lung disorders (such as pneumonia) that cause consistently low oxygen levels.  Some people need oxygen only when they exert themselves physically.  Individuals with chronic lung disease who require long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) often find that long-term oxygen use reduces strain on the heart, increasing survival rates.

What Oxygen Therapy Does For You
Receiving home oxygen therapy offers a number of substantial benefits for patients.  For instance, sleep disruption due to low oxygen levels will be reduced by using supplemental oxygen.  Oxygen therapy has also been known to help improve concentration and memory.  Those suffering from oxygen starvation often feel weak and listless.  Receiving oxygen increases energy levels and provides an overall feeling of well being.  Clinicians often recommend a combination of supplemental oxygen and regular exercise to improve patient’s quality of life.

Additional Benefits of Oxygen Therapy:

• Headache relief
• Increased clarity
• Boosts immune system
• Relieves nausea
• Can prevent heart failure in people with severe lung disease
• Allows the bodies organs to carry out normal functions

Long-Term Benefits of Oxygen Therapy:

• Prolongs life by reducing heart strain
• Decreases shortness of breath
• Makes exercise more tolerable
• Results in fewer days of hospitalization

Some individuals fear oxygen therapy because they feel they may become permanently sedentary and lose their independence.  In fact, most people discover that oxygen therapy actually improves their energy level and that today’s innovative portable oxygen concentrators allow for increased mobility and independence.  In fact, some portable oxygen concentrators like the Inogen One and the SeQual Eclipse have been approved by the FAA for airline travel.

Oxygen therapy can help you to live longer and enjoy life more fully.  If you have COPD symptoms, talk to your doctor and see if an oxygen concentrator is the right solution for you.

Once you have a prescription for oxygen therapy, fax it to at the OscarAir office fax: 1-843-795-5892 and click "Free Consultation" in the menu at the top to apply for a free consultation.  The Oxygen Concentrator Team at OscarAir, Inc. will help you obtain an oxygen concentrator at the lowest possible cost to you.

1. Compressed Oxygen Gas Cylinders
2. Liquid Oxygen
3. Oxygen Concentrators

Compressed oxygen gas tanks and liquid oxygen gas cylinders can be delivered to your home.  An oxygen concentrator is a device that you plug into a standard outlet and create oxygen from the air.  Oxygen concentrators can be purchased "Out of Pocket" or through your health insurance or Medicare.  The safest and often most convenient way of dispensing oxygen is through the use of a portable or home oxygen concentrator.

If oxygen therapy is recommended for you, your physician will write a prescription for you that will determine the flow rate, amount of oxygen needed per minute (LPM) and when to use oxygen.  Your next decision is to ascertain the type of oxygen delivery system that is right for you.

Compressed Oxygen
This is oxygen that is stored as a gas under pressure in a cylinder equipped with a flow meter and regulator to control the flow rate.  The flow of oxygen from the cylinder is constant, so you may want to attach an oxygen-conserving cut-off device.  This system is generally prescribed when oxygen therapy is required only occasionally when performing physical activity.  Compressed oxygen tanks are under extreme pressure and must be kept upright and handled with care.  Large tanks are heavy and not made for mobility.  Small cylinders can be filled from the larger tank for movement, but are not allowed on commercial airlines.

A couple of disadvantages of using compressed oxygen for home use are the need for frequent tank refills, explosion and fire hazards of storing compressed oxygen and the obtrusiveness of the tanks themselves. 

Liquid Oxygen
At extremely cold temperatures, oxygen changes from gas to a liquid.  The liquid oxygen is stored in a vessel similar to a thermos.  When the oxygen is warmed, it becomes a gas, ready to be delivered.  The liquid oxygen system requires less space than compressed gas, but is more expensive to use.  Liquid oxygen is often preferred by active individuals because it can be stored temporarily in small cylinders.

Here’s how the system works.  A large central unit is located permanently (it will be too heavy to easily relocate after initial installation) in a place away from electrical equipment (like TVs or appliances) that is well ventilated.  Liquid oxygen is stored here at extremely low temperatures.  To use the oxygen, you must transfer a small amount of liquid oxygen into a travel cylinder that you carry with you (though these types of devices are not allowed on commercial airlines).

Here are some disadvantages of liquid oxygen.  One disadvantage is that liquid oxygen cannot be kept for long because it will evaporate.  The large tanks must be refilled frequently, requiring the scheduling of deliveries.  Another drawback is that liquid oxygen is the most expensive form of continuous home oxygen therapy.  Furthermore, the process of using the equipment has been described by users as technical, confusing and hard to remember.

Oxygen Concentrator
The oxygen concentrator is an electrically operated medical device that extracts air from the room, separates the oxygen from other gases present, and delivers oxygen to the patient, usually through a nasal cannula.  There is a built-in flow meter attached to the concentrator to allow the prescribed flow rate to be set.  This method of oxygen therapy is less expensive, doesn’t require refilling, easier to maintain and there is no waiting for oxygen deliveries.  Oxygen concentrators are beneficial to individuals requiring long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) because it produces a continuous supply of oxygen without the need to store and replace cylinders.  Portable oxygen concentrators that are battery powered offer the user even greater freedom and mobility.

Many of the newest portable oxygen concentrators have been deemed safe for air travel by the FAA and are allowed on commercial flights.

Choosing which type of home oxygen therapy method is best is not always a clear cut decision.  The proper solution for one patient may not be suitable for another.  Discuss the various methods available with your physician and other individuals who are receiving LTOT.  Besides your personal comfort, what is highly important is that you use which ever method is chosen in the manner prescribed by your doctor so that you can experience the maximum health benefits of your oxygen therapy.