Our veteran clinicians share their tips for success for oxygen therapy
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Today's Clinician
Sarah Caldwell
Sarah has been a Registered Respiratory Therapist for 40 years. She currently serves Apria patients as a Telehealth RT out of the Southeastern United States. In her free time, Sarah keeps busy by taking care of her 85 year-old dad and spending time with her fiancé and son. She also enjoys watching sporting events, especially the University of Kentucky and the Memphis Grizzlies.
RESPIRATORY
Q. Can you use small portable oxygen concentrators with CPAP if you require both? How long would the batteries last?
A. In short, no, unfortunately you can't use a small portable oxygen concentrator with CPAP. The reason for this is the portable oxygen concentrator gives you oxygen as you breathe in but it can't detect your breathing while running in-line with CPAP; so with no breathing detected, no oxygen will be given. You can use oxygen with a CPAP, but it must be the oxygen units that are not battery-powered.
Q. My doctor put me on NIV, what is the difference between NIV and oxygen therapy?
A. Non-Invasive Ventilation (NIV) is used to get rid of carbon dioxide that has built up in your lungs, and it does that by helping you take deeper breaths and increasing your lung volumes while you're using it. Oxygen therapy helps you get more oxygen in to your blood stream.
Sometimes the doctor will order both NIV and oxygen therapy together and people think they're interchangeable—they're not. It's important to stick to treatment as prescribed by your doctor as NIV and oxygen therapy address different concerns. When using NIV and oxygen therapy together, this can help you not only to get rid of the carbon dioxide in your lungs, but also helps you improve the oxygen levels in your blood stream.
Q. How do I know if my oxygen concentrator is working?
A. The machine will alarm if it's malfunctioning (ex. loses power, backpressure, etc.) or if it's not producing oxygen. If you don't feel the oxygen flow by the tubing, you can take your nose piece and place it in to a cup of water, you should see the water bubbling if there is oxygen flow. Another way to check is the ball on the flow meter of your machine; it should be sitting on the number that the doctor has ordered for you.
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