Oxygen concentrators: Which one helps treat Covid-19 patients?

Not all oxygen concentrators They do not work in the same way, nor are they all intended to treat patients with different levels of severity due to Covid-19.

Nor are all the recommendations circulating on social networks completely accurate for the treatment of these patients, as some may worsen their conditions.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) explains that oxygen concentrators are devices that should be sold and used only with a prescription because “administering oxygen to yourself without first talking to a doctor can do more harm than good".

Yuliana Miranda, cardiopulmonary therapist, details that not all models fulfill the function for Covid-19 and clears up the most common doubts about concentrators for readers of El Sol de México:

What oxygen concentrators do work to treat Covid-19?

Medical grade ones like Phillips Millenium. and EverFlo, JUMAO, Olive 10 Liters, Invacare and DeVilbiss. They take in the air from the room and filter out the nitrogen.

The therapist details that there are several liters, but the most required is 5 liters and they offer 95% oxygen concentration.

“Whether you put 0.5 or 5 liters, your patient will always get 95% and with that they maintain stable saturation,” he says.

Which concentrator does not work to treat Covid-19?
It is not that the device itself fails, it just does not meet the needs to treat Covid-19. The DEDAKJ model and similar devices are part of this category.

It has become popular on social networks and sales pages, but it is not functional for these patients because these concentrators are for home use and do not provide the recommended concentration for this lung pathology.

“The more liters you add, the less percentage of oxygen you provide to the patient. Example: you put 2 liters in, but it only receives 90% oxygen when medical equipment gives 95%,” says Miranda.

And although they offer 9 liters per minute, a biomedical engineer verified that they do not provide the same concentration of oxygen. Through an oxygen monitor she confirmed that at 4 liters per minute (LPM) the home concentrator offered 52% oxygen while the medical concentrator delivered 91%.

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“That (the domestic one) is not recommended for Covid patients,” says the cardiopulmonary therapist.

Before buying one, check the technical sheet. If they offer you more liters, but lower purity, analyze it according to the doctor's prescription.