Doctors can recommend for their patients to undergo oxygen therapy with an oxygen concentrator for several medical conditions. Traditionally, your lungs absorb oxygen from the air and transfer it into your bloodstream. If you have had recent bloodwork done that indicts you have low blood oxygen levels, your doctor could recommend short or long term oxygen therapy.
Short term oxygen therapy is used for acute conditions. Acute conditions are a form of disease which normally runs for a short course of time. Acute diseases versus chronic diseases are traditionally defined by the course of time the disease affects the patient and/or if the symptoms resulted from a sudden onset.
Acute Diseases that Require an Oxygen Concentrator
Some examples of acute diseases that can result in the use of short-term oxygen therapy with an oxygen concentrator are:
- This is a condition where the airways become inflamed and produce an abundance of mucus, making it difficult to breathing. While asthma is usually controlled through a variety of pharmaceuticals, an oxygen concentrator can help pump high levels of oxygen into the patients’ blood stream during or after an asthma attack.
- This is an infection which causes inflammation in the one or both lungs air sacs, which in addition, can also be filled with fluid. Oxygen therapy is commonly described for those suffering from pneumonia and studies have shown that those who routinely use an oxygen concentrator have seen better clinical outcomes.
- Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). This is a breathing disorder that mostly affects newborns, especially those born 6 or more weeks prior to their delivery date. Babies who suffer from RDS do not create enough surfactant, a liquid that coats the lungs, which causes their lungs to collapse and work harder to breathe. Oxygen concentrators are used to help pump oxygen into their lungs and blood stream to reduce further complications.
- Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Babies who suffer from RDS have a high risk of developing BPD – a serious lung condition that may need long-term breathing support.
Chronic Diseases that Require Oxygen Therapy
Chronic conditions that require prolonged oxygen concentrator use are diseases such as:
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease affects more than 3 million Americans a year. This disease cannot be cured, but treatment is made available through the use of an oxygen concentrator.
- Cystic fibrosis. This life threatening disorder is inherited and causes damage to the lungs and digestive system. This rare disease affects cells in the body responsible for producing sweat, mucus, and digestive juices. The fluids are altered resulting in a thicker, sticker solution that plugs tubes, ducts and passageways of the infected person.
- Sleep Apnea. More common in men, sleep apnea is a serious sleeping disorder that causes the sufferers breathing to stop and start sporadically. Treatment for this condition is physical exercise, weight loss, and the use of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine while sleeping.
For years, our oxygen concentrator company has helped patients of a lung complication breathe easier with a high quality oxygen concentrator. We work with the oxygen concentrator manufacturers directly to give you the lowest cost oxygen concentrators available on the market. In fact, our pricing for high demand models, such as the Simply Go Mini by Respironics, are so low that we cannot list them on our website.
If you or a loved one suffers from any of these conditions, our experienced team at Oxygen Always can help. Call 888-710-1950 today for pricing on oxygen concentrators and to start living free!
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