Todays smartly designed portable oxygen concentrator (POC) offers oxygen therapy patients mobility that was unheard of just a few years ago. No more hauling around bulky oxygen tanks or worrying about refilling liquid oxygen cylinders. POC's conveniently plug into standard electrical outlets or can be used with rechargeable batteries for further mobility. A frequently asked question is: "Can I use a portable oxygen concentrator on an airplane?"

Thanks to new Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, now you can. The FAA's decision has been hailed by the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) for giving the more than 1 million Americans requiring daily oxygen therapy the opportunity for air travel. The FAA has approved certain models of POC's for on-board use. Two of those approved models are the Inogen One and the SeQual Eclispe. Both of these units are top-of-the-line POC's that offer a variety of benefits for oxygen therapy patients.

Although the FAA has approved these models for air travel, there are certain criteria that must be met to use a POC on-board aircraft. They include:


* You must inform the airline of intended on-board use of portable oxygen concentrators prior to departure

* You must have a written statement from your physician detailing your oxygen requirements

* The statement must also declare the POC user has the ability to hear, see, understand and respond to the unit's alarms

* You must ensure the unit is properly stored during takeoff and landing

Despite the FAA ruling, not all airlines permit POC's on-board. Here are some of the airlines that currently allow POC's during flight:

* American Airlines

* Alaskan Airlines

* ATA Airlines* Delta Airlines

* Frontier Airlines

* Northwest Airlines

* Southwest Airlines

* Sun Country

Don't let oxygen therapy keep you from visiting family and friends in distant places. The Inogen One and SeQual Eclipse give you the freedom to hop on an airplane and live the active life you deserve.

Several university studies have determined that using portable oxygen concentrators are a valuable tool for treating children with hypoxemia in developing countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) also recommends supplying oxygen to children in developing with oxygen concentrators. The WHO prefers oxygen concentrators to compressed oxygen cylinders because cylinders pose significant cost and logistic problems.

Hypoxemia is a common complication of acute lower respiratory tract infections in children. The disease is an abnormal deficiency in the concentration of oxygen in arterial blood. When people think of health problems for children in developing countries, they rarely think about respiratory illness. Pneumonia alone contributes to between 750,000 and 1.2 million neonatal deaths and an undetermined number of stillbirths each year worldwide. The majority of deaths from pneumonia occur in developing countries, where facilities for early detection are few and far between. Finding oxygen therapy equipment is a challenge throughout the third world.

For children with hypoxemia in developing countries, early detection and treatment is the key to survival. Here are some of the most common warning signs associated with hypoxemia:

* Rapid breathing (more than 60 breaths per minute)

* Nasal flaring

* Grunting

* Head nodding

* General depression

* Lethargy

The combination of several of these physical signs can be used to predict hypoxemia in children with acute respiratory infection (ARI) with reasonable accuracy. Healthcare workers and parents can be taught these warning s signs to help aid in early diagnosis.

Unfortunately, oxygen therapy is not part of the first line of treatment for most children with ARI in developing countries. Oxygen in these poor countries tends to be given to already seriously ill children, often with poor results. Oxygen can be much more useful if given at earlier stages of respiratory disease. Studies indicate that oxygen concentrators may improve management of childhood asthma in developing countries and are more cost-effective than conventional compressed oxygen cylinders. The only requirement for oxygen concentrators is a reliable source of electricity. Even this can be overcome with a small generator or a portable oxygen concentrator with re-chargeable batteries.

Oxygen concentrators are currently being successfully used in district hospitals in Egypt, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea and Malawi. Research by the WHO has determined that one oxygen concentrator can provide low flow oxygen to up to 4 children. The organization also believes that savings offered by oxygen concentrators could be used to purchase other essential medicines and supplies. Charity organizations would be wise to purchase oxygen concentrators for children in developing countries. Oxygen concentrators provide life saving oxygen while offering exceptional value.

Author: Chuck Jaymes