Regulate POC
Settings!
Portable Oxygen
Concentrator(poc) settings are arbitrary numbers with no
relationship to LPM(Liters Per Minute).
LPM are used on prescriptions for supplemental oxygen, and a
prescription is required to buy a portable oxygen concentrator, so
why does the FDA allow poc manufacturers to use meaningless setting
numbers instead of LPM?
I am on supplemental oxygen 24-7 and need to know if my prescription
is being filled just as I do with the rest of my prescriptions.
The chart below compare’s
Inogen One and Eclipse 5 portable oxygen concentrators settings and
continuous flow oxygen LPM.
The Eclipse 5 is
not really a poc, it is a luggable oxygen concentrator that can
produce 3 LPM continuous flow and is why it is capable of delivering
more oxygen per setting than continuous flow, up to 6 LPM and over
22 BPM.
Continuous flow does not have a flow rate that
is easily compared to a pulse mode flow rate.
We inhale about one third of the time so I am dividing the
LPM by 3 to get the flow rate for continuous flow.
Inogen’s bolus sizes are considerable smaller than Eclipse 5’s and
the difference grows as the BPM and the need for oxygen goes up.
Inogen’s flow rate and bolus sizes are 63% smaller than
CF(continuous flow oxygen) and that is before taking into account
pocs produce 87% to 95% pure oxygen while prefilled tanks and liquid
oxygen are 99.5% pure oxygen.
On
the chart an Inogen 6 setting is about equal to 4 LPM continuous
flow(CF). The Inogen 5
setting is about equal to 3 LPM CF.
The Inogen 3 setting is about equal to 2 LPM CF.
The difference matters!
Three LPM while at rest will keep my blood oxygen level
between 92% to 95%. The
Inogen 3 setting between 86% to 90%.
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The Following is
taken from an Inogen webpage @
https://www.inogen.com/resources/what-to-know-about-oxygen-concentrator-liter-flow/
PORTABLE OXYGEN CONCENTRATOR
LITER FLOWS
Generally speaking, portable oxygen
concentrators typically offer liter flows from 1-6 LPM. Inogen
Portable Oxygen Concentrators are able to offer these same portable
oxygen concentrator liter flows, along with a variety of other
features to improve your life on oxygen. Wondering “What is LPM
availability with an Inogen One Portable Oxygen Concentrator?” Take
a look.
Inogen One Model
: Available LPM
Flow Rates
Inogen One G3
: Pulse Dose:
1-5 Settings
Inogen One G4
: Pulse Dose:
1-3 Settings
Inogen One G5
: Pulse Dose:
1-6 Settings
Your prescription will dictate how many flow
settings you will need.
---------------------------------
Why does the FDA allow small poc manufacturers
to make these blatantly false statements?
It adds
confusion , not only to those on supplemental oxygen, but also to
their caregivers, nurses, physicians, respiratory therapists and I
would be willing to bet some pulmonologists!
---------------------------------
---------------------------------
I use an Eclipse 5 and know their settings are
close to an equivalent of LPM.
When I get on a treadmill using the Eclipse 5 plugged into a
wall socket on a 6 setting and raise the speed until my blood oxygen
level drops to 89% and holds for 10 minutes then switch to 6 LPM
liquid oxygen my blood oxygen level will rise to 90% - 91%.
If I switch back to the Eclipse 5 my blood oxygen level will
drop back to 89%. I have
tested an Inogen One G3(with 4 settings) the same way and believe
the 4 setting is about equal to 2.6 LPM continuous flow(CF).
---------------------------------
If
you have a long-term lung condition, the thought of becoming quickly
out of breath can be daunting and you may not feel motivated to
exercise. It can be tempting to avoid exercise because you think it
will make you breathless, but with less activity you become
less fit and daily activities will become harder.
From -
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4818249/pdf/EDU-ELF121.pdf
---------------------------------
I can shop with a 6 setting on the Eclipse 5 or
6 LPM continuous flow.
With a 6 setting on an Inogen One G5 I really struggle and am less
active.
---------------------------------
Regular physical activity
reduces hospital admission and mortality in chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease: a population based cohort study
Conclusions
Subjects with COPD who perform some level of
regular physical activity have a lower risk of both COPD admissions
and mortality. The recommendation that COPD patients be encouraged
to maintain or increase their levels of regular physical activity
should be considered in future COPD guidelines, since it is likely
to result in a relevant public health benefit.
From -
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2117100/
---------------------------------
An article on the American Thoracic Society
website, “Portable Oxygen Concentrators (POCs) by Chris Garvey FNP,
MSN, MPA, MAACVPR.” It
is a short read and offers good insights into pocs.
https://www.thoracic.org/patients/patient-resources/resources/portable-concentrators-garvey.pdf
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Portable oxygen concentrator manufacturers can easily change the
setting numbers they use making a 3 setting the equivalent of 3 LPM
on all new pocs. They
could have a chart on their website to show what LPM a 3 setting
would be on a poc already sold would be.
Then anyone with a prescription could look at the new
settings on a poc and know if it could fill their prescription.
Physicians, respiratory therapists, family members and all
concerned could look at the prescription and know if a particular
poc could fill it.
It
will cost portable oxygen concentrator manufacturers, but mainly
from lost sales because the poc won’t fill a prescription.
But it will save Medicare, insurance companies and people
with a prescription from buying a poc that won’t fill the
prescription. Some are
now using a poc, like I did, that doesn’t fill their prescription
and it causes health issues and raises their medical costs, often
paid by Medicare or other insurances.
Making poc setting equivalent to LPM will result in relevant public
health benefits!
Ask
medical professionals, your durable medical equipment supplier, or
any one you are comfortable asking to contact their representatives
in Congress and tell them about the need for the FDA to regulate
pocs so settings are equivalent to LPM.
Having the FDA regulate poc settings will raise the quality
of life for those on supplemental oxygen and save Medicare money!