Today, I want to talk about the OxyGo® Portable Concentrator, and tell you what I like about it and why it's different from other POCs. The OxyGo is a 4.8 lb. portable concentrator that meets most of the needs of today’s portable oxygen patients. The OxyGo may be used in the home, institution, vehicle, airplane and various mobile environments. The OxyGo comes with a carrying case (with both carrying handle and adjustable shoulder strap), a/c and d/c power cords, and the standard 8 cell battery. A patient instruction manual and quick reference guide is also included.
The OxyGo is a pulse dose concentrator with 4 settings. Each setting increases 240 ml/min over the previous setting. At setting one, the concentrator is delivering 240 ml/min while at setting 4, the OxyGo is putting out 840 ml/min. The OxyGo provides a constant minute volume to the patient, adjusting bolus volumes based on the patient’s respiratory rate to maintain a constant oxygen output.
There is no internal battery in the OxyGo thus eliminating service calls to replace a bad internal battery. The OxyGo battery can literally be changed in seconds (by the patient) if needed.
The display panel on the OxyGo is easy to read and operate. It includes the on/off button and + and – buttons to change your pulse flow settings. There is a display window which gives you 3 pieces of information: your flow setting, battery life, and if your audible alarm function is enabled or not.
What I really like about this concentrator is:
1. It’s lightweight and durable. We have had less than 1% service calls out of thousands of units sold.
2. There are no internal batteries to go bad thus eliminating downtime and service calls.
3. The sieve beds can be changed in seconds and are affordable. Folks, the two most notorious problems that affect portable concentrators is the internal batteries go bad and the sieve beds go kaput. This concentrator not only addresses those problems but I could replace both the sieve beds and batteries in under one minute with ease.
4. Most importantly, it works. It will oxygenate the majority of your patients.
5. Your patients can sleep with this unit. You will not have to make special arrangements for your oxygen patients who travel if they have this unit. The OxyGo is all they need.
6. It’s made in the USA.
I recently heard from a patient using and loving the OxyGo who told me that every time he steps out of his home people come up to him asking him where he got it.
If you are investigating how to get into the non-delivery model or are looking to improve the system that you currently have, I would strongly encourage you to give the OxyGo a close look.
