What About People Dependent on Oxygen Machines?

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My mother is dependent on a oxygen generating machine 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The machine is in her home, and requires only electricity to perform its work. Mom gets around the house with the use of 50 feet of tubing attached to the machine.

For trips outside the home, an oxygen cylinder can be carried in a sling or placed in a small cart. This provides about 90 minutes of use for Mom. Longer trips are accommodated by placing multiple cylinders in the truck of the car, but the size of the cylinders does put a fairly low limit on how long a trip can be.

About a year ago, Mom travelled from Detroit to Rochester, NY to visit me. She was able to make the plane flight with one cylinder of oxygen. I got her to my home from the airport by bringing another cylinder with me when I met her plane. She was able to stay with me for an entire month because I was able to arrange for an oxygen generating machine to be set up in my home.

I am now trying to figure out what I can do to prepare for Y2K power outages. The small cylinders rent for about $50.00/month and this quickly builds into a large sum when you consider they last only 90 minutes. Larger cylinders, such as used in industry, are 5 feet tall and are not portable conveniently. But they hold up to 10 times as much oxygen (so I have been told). Moreover, the large cylinders can be rented for $40.00/year.

I would like to know if the industrial type cylinders can be used for medical purposes. Does anyone have information on this? My goal is to see if I can set up a safe haven for Mom for at least one month, and perhaps even a year it is economically possible.

-- Richard M. Woodward (RichardWoodward@hotmail.com), July 12, 1998

Answers

I'd be more concerned about an outage like they had in Ontario last winter, or even some of the storm-related outages we get at home (power's out for 2 days or more every few years). What would your mom do if she lived here? What happens if the power conks out for a few hours, even?

Sounds like she doesn't need Y2K to get *some* kind of contingency plans together.

-- Larry Kollar (lekollar@nyx.net), July 13, 1998.


Actually, what you can do is go to flea markets, garage sales, auctions, and buy oxygen tanks for $10-$20 and have them filled at the same place your local ambulance people go to. As long as you have a regulator which can adjust flow everything will be fine. They should do this for you without a problem. Technically oxygen is considered a drug, and your medical supply house will say you need a prescription. So avoid them.

Sounds like Mom has chronic obstructive lung disease. and is probably on 3-5 L/min. this is easy to adjust. Ask your local EMS people if they could get your tanks filled. price should only be about $7-$10 per tank.

If you go thru the medical supply houses they are known for raping people on price, and they go where the EMS people go anyway.

Good Luck George White EMT/P

-- George (gwhite@usa.net), July 13, 1998.


To Larry Kollar,

Thanks for your comments.

My mother is already on the "special customer list" with her power company. This supposedly puts her at a higher priority for repairs when outages occur. Also, Mom will ordinarily have a number of oxygen cylinders in her home should the power go out. I have a brother and sister who live much closer to Mom than I do, and in certain crisis situations they could get Mom to a safer area (such as a hospital or location where power is available for her semi-portable oxygen machine).

But your suggestion is on the mark, Larry. I need to work out a much better contingency plan for Mom--too much has been taken for granted.

Thanks for prompting me into action.

-- Richard M. Woodward (RichardWoodward@hotmail.com), July 13, 1998.


To George White:

Thanks for the information, George. I will follow up on your suggestions. BTW are the prices you mention for the small cylinders which people carry around with them or the larger 5-ft cylinders?

-- Richard M. Woodward (RichardWoodward@hotmail.com), July 13, 1998.


The prices 7-10 are for the smaller cylinders. large 5 foot cyls. are harder to come by but the oxygen supply house may have a few used ones they will sell you. these larger one cost about 25 to fill

-- George (gwhite@usa.net), July 13, 1998.


Thanks for information received so far.

The high cost of purchasing enough oxygen cylinders to last for any significant period of time has removed that option from further consideration. I'll start working on the use of a generator or solar panels to take care of Mom's oxygen machine. Travel (away from the oxygen machine) will be a luxury which we won't be able to afford.

Does anyone have guidelines on how careful one has to be with open flame when an oxygen machine is in use? We surely will be using a wood stove to heat and cook with, and oil lamps for light. I realize we will have to be careful, but I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who can be specific about the dangers of fire and explosion for this kind of situation.

-- Richard M. Woodward (RichardWoodward@hotmail.com), July 17, 1998.


The question of the likelihood of explosion or fire with oxygen use is a common one. I am a Respiratory Therapist who worked in homecare. Our standard reply is that oxygen does not itself ignite, however it supports fire, and things will burn much more rapidly in the presence of oxygen. We recommend that patients keep their oxygen tubing at least 5' away from open heat sources. Good luck with your preparations.

-- Tricia Ayles (jayles@telusplanet.net), September 10, 1998.

I would very emphatically NOT trust ANY high pressure flammamable gas to something I got at a flea market, second-hand, or anywhere unreliable. Then adding: storing it itside my house, breathing the "gasses" (what was it last used for?), not knowing its history, not knowing its original maker or certification. Not knowing weld records, inspection, maintenence or gas certification history of an "unqualified" tank is itself troubling.

I know I'm a sarcastic old fuddy-duddy, but DON'T do it.

I've been around oxygen and flames and bad regulators - the combination can kill. Painfully.

For reliable high pressure gas supply, storage and regulators, alternative sources, etc. if you don't go a medical supply company (becasue of expense), go to a dive shop (if you want to feel good about the cleanliness of what you are (she is) breathing. Welding supply companies are safe and reliable also HP gas providers, because they handle so much, they know what they are doing. Also, their turnover rate means they are more experienced and know their stuff. You may be able to get several cylinders, or two real big ones (4X to 10X the size of the 4 foot x 10" diameter industrial cylinders.) (Check yellow pages.) Make sure you tell the welding company what you will use the gas for.

These cylinders and regulators will use the standard oxidizer right handed threads, they should fit the medical adapter, but take it withyou to check thread engagement. (Propane cylinders (like other HP fuel tanks) use left-handed threads.)

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (cook.r@csaatl.com), September 10, 1998.


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