When you’re experiencing symptoms such as dizziness, fogginess when you wake up, chest pain, constant confusion, and high blood pressure, chances are that you are suffering from low blood oxygen levels. Diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and certain lung cancers could be the culprit and cause of these symptoms.
Often, when your physician diagnoses such diseases, they will prescribe oxygen therapy, which is a method of administering medical grade oxygen to individuals with breathing disorders.
If you need oxygen for your lung condition or breathing disorder, you may have to use a portable breathing machine to enable you to continue enjoying life.
WebMD recommends that you choose a device based on:
- Your frequency of travel
- Engagement in physical activity such as going up or down the stairs
- Your weight, physical endurance, and strength
- Your tendency to breathe either through your nose or mouth
- The amount of oxygen your physician prescribes
There are different types of tanks available:
- Home oxygen concentrator
These are also known as standard oxygen concentrators. They are devices that have to sit in your home, and are plugged into electrical outlets. This system works by pulling in air from its surrounding and filtering it, thereby removing impurities and nitrogen. As a result, you are left with medical-grade oxygen.
- Portable Oxygen Concentrator (POC)
POC devises rate high for oxygen therapy as they are small, portable, and battery or electric powered. Because of their mobility function, you can travel anywhere with them, be it on picnics, on an airplane, and even while driving.
They can be charged anywhere, do not have to be refilled and, they can even be strapped on your back like regular luggage.
We reviewed 4 of the best portable Oxygen Concentrators for 2020.
- Inogen one G4
This system was voted by the oxygen concentrator store as the lightest POC of 2020, and its customer review rating was 4/5. It weighs only 2.8 pounds and while using it, you have access to 3 oxygen flow settings and a system that can detect your breathing while regulating itself accordingly.
Its features are:
- 1-3 flow settings for Pulse Dose Delivery
- Extremely lightweight – 2.8 pounds
- Can withstand 5 hours usage with 8-cell battery
- Approved for flight by FAA
This POC weighs significantly more than the previous device. However, at 9.5 pounds, it is the most compact, continuous flow mobile machine for oxygen therapy. One advantage of this device is that it supplies both continuous flow oxygen and pulse dose oxygen. It is the best substitute for bulkier oxygen tasks.
It includes:
- An AC power plug
- Vehicle power plug
- Approved for flight by FAA
- Can run on battery
This device is the best choice for users with busy lifestyles who require continuous flow oxygen.
The internal battery of this device is quite hardy, and will work for 6-8 hours but is dependent on the settings. The pulse setting is extremely quiet, and gently pulses when you take a breath. It beats bigger POCs because of its oxygen delivery, which is the same as four liters per minute.
Features include:
- Packaging includes a carrying case and an option for a backpack
- AC and DC cords come with the device
- Exclusive Pulse Wave Technology
- Weighs 5.5 pounds
- Inogen One G3 POC with DOUBLE BATTERY
Inogen has done well for themselves with their range of POCs. This device has been a must-have in the portable oxygen circles. As much as the Inogen name is reliable in the portable oxygen communities, this device is extremely reliable and is quite compact when compared to other devices in the same field. It is very small, weighs 4.8pounds which is not much if you’ll be carrying it on your back.
Its features are:
- Requires minimal energy to carry around
- Comes with a custom backpack
- 8 cell battery usage gets up to 4 hours/single charge, 16-cell battery lasts for 8 hours
- Flight approval by FAA
- Big range of oxygen settings
- Can be used for night oxygen therapy in the absence of CPAP or BiPAP machine
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