One of the major problems for patients who must have supplemental oxygen relates to their mobility and this problem can be even greater when traveling. Their options for mobile oxygen units are oxygen tanks that carry liquid oxygen; oxygen cylinders that hold compressed oxygen gas; and finally portable oxygen concentrators that extract oxygen from surrounding air.
Over the last few years mobility has been a major focus of manufacturers and as a result of their efforts patients today are much more mobile and therefore freer to move around, to participate in many types of activities that were virtually impossible just a few years ago. Today portable oxygen concentrators have become the most popular alternative as they are lighter, they are more maneuverable and since they do not store oxygen as such, but retrieve it from the air that surrounds us they are much more practical.
The US Department of Transport, through the FAA have authorized various models of portable oxygen concentrators to be carried and used on board all airplanes that fly over U.S. airspace. This means that carriers must allow passengers to bring on board any of the authorized portable concentrators. The authorized units now number 11 as in early 2010 four more models were added to this list.
This list is now composed of the following:
Delphi Medical Systems RS-00400
Invacare XPO2
AirSep Lifestyle
AirSep Freestyle
IInogen One
SeQual Eclipse
Respironics EverGo
DeVilbiss Healthcare's iGo,
International Biophysics Corporation's LifeChoice,
Inogen's Inogen One G2
Oxlife's Independence Oxygen Concentrator.
FAA regulations state that all U.S. carriers and all airlines that fly over U.S. airspace must permit any passenger that needs supplemental oxygen to bring on board a portable oxygen concentrator that has been approved. These approved oxygen units should have the manufacturers label indicating it is an FAA authorized concentrator.
The use of these units is allowed during all phases of the flight and this means from the moment the passenger boards the plan until he disembarks - in other words during taxing, flight, takeoff and landing.
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