How to Choose the Best Home Oxygen Concentrator: 5 Tips

The coronavirus pandemic showed why we need more oxygen concentrators, as they played a significant role in patients’ recoveries. An oxygen concentrator is a device that sucks and filters air from the environment to come up with highly concentrated oxygen to aid in a patient’s breathing. Although there are a wide variety of oxygen concentrators on sale, the Everflo Oxygen Concentrator, and Inogen Portable Oxygen Concentrator are best suited for home use as they meet the following qualities:

  • Have excellent oxygen flow rates
  • Are energy saving
  • They are not noisy when running
  • Provide high oxygen concentration

Here is more on why these factors matter when selecting an oxygen concentrator.

5 Factors to Consider When Choosing a Home Oxygen Concentrator

  1. Rate of Flow

    Flow rate is the rate or speed by which oxygen travels from the concentrator to the patient. We highly recommend talking to your doctor before purchasing any oxygen concentrator, since they can help you pick the one best suited for your needs. Oxygen concentrators have varying flow rates, some averaging 250 to 750 millimeters per minute and others reaching as high as 2 to 10 liters a minute. Check the product to see if the oxygen concentrator you plan to purchase is within the flow rate recommended by your doctor.

  2. Power Consumption

    Oxygen concentrators work similarly to other electric appliances since they draw power from regular wall outlets. However, the energy consumed by the oxygen concentrators will vary depending on their design and efficiency. Many people get drawn to oxygen concentrators with low power consumption without checking to see if their flow rate is within the levels recommended by their doctors. Oxygen concentrators with low flow rates usually have the lowest power consumption. A few also support consumer-grade batteries, making them useful in areas with frequent power outages.

  3. Portability

    A small, light oxygen concentrator is very portable and thus best for people who regularly travel. Usually, the concentrators with high flow rates tend to be the largest and least portable. Nonetheless, you can still find quite a number that are not as heavy and thus very portable. Light oxygen concentrators can weigh anything between 4 to 8 lbs, making them easier to carry when traveling.

  4. Oxygen Concentration

    Oxygen concentration is the percentage of pure oxygen after the air has been filtered and compressed. The concentration of oxygen produced will vary as it is affected by the design and effectiveness of the oxygen concentrator’s sieving system. High-powered oxygen concentrators often release the purest oxygen level, but you can find several low-powered concentrators that are just as efficient.

  5. Noise

    Home oxygen concentrators are usually very quiet, except for those featuring poor design and build quality. A poorly built oxygen concentrator can be too loud, making it difficult for highly sound-sensitive individuals to fall asleep. Therefore, if you know that you are very sensitive to noise, consider oxygen concentrators that produce the lowest noise. This should be about 45 decibels or fewer, depending on your noise sensitivity.

Conclusion

Oxygen concentrators are life-saving devices that increase oxygen supply to patients with sleep apnea and other respiratory problems. The device is very efficient as it uses air from the surroundings to produce pure oxygenated air. However, the quality and efficiency of the device vary, so ensure you go through the tips provided to learn how to choose the best oxygen concentrator for you.

Team PainAssist
Team PainAssist
Written, Edited or Reviewed By: Team PainAssist, Pain Assist Inc. This article does not provide medical advice. See disclaimer
Last Modified On:September 14, 2023

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