Just thinking out loud. Considering that Covid, COPD, Pneumonia and other respiratory aliments / afflictions can cause one to not be able to absorb oxygen at a good enough level from ambient air. Have any of you thought about adding oxygen to your preps. I'm mainly wondering about the portable oxygen concentrators or even the stationary type. I'm pretty sure you need to have a prescription for most of the good ones. Any experience with the ones available w/o prescription or should i be looking for a doctor that understands my potential need in the future.
Best to consult your doctor and get a few opinions on the best recommendations for your unique needs!
I was kinda thinking along the lines of .... when there are no doctors available, say during the next pandemic. And one needs to become their own rescue. But I agree, doctor consultation is best for most.
I never knew there could be a danger of too much oxygen in the blood, but there is such a thing. Had a relative in the hospital recently and asked about whether they were on O2. Since their level was 96%, they took the O2 off.
I think 94 - 100 is typical range for healthy adult. They start talking about intubating at 80. between 81 - 88 yeah, you are on oxygen. you may or may not be on oxygen between 88 - 93 but more than likely not other than as support unless is required to maintain this level. I think my goal would be monitor and apply in the mid 80s and raise 1l/min for a half hour and then bump it until it got close to high 80s to low 90s. If it's over say 5L per min and still not moving, I'm gonna be having a problem with the patient. Granted, I'm not a doctor but spent enough time in hospitals over the years to have noticed a pattern. I also stayed at a Holiday Inn Express that one time. I've also seen the results of what happens when you use oxygen near an open flame and excess oxygen is available.
Did hear recently that Viagra helps get oxygen to the body and lungs ,,, even saved a gal about to come off of a respirator ,, and brought her out of a coma . If you're low on oxygen,, might be worth trying .
Most MD orders for as needed 02 use will specify "to keep 02 sat's greater than 90%". Now, does the person have chronic medical problems, such as asthma, copd, emphysema, chf or respiratory infection. 02 may or may not be required for short term or long term supportive use. The hard wrinkle is, would this be during a short or long term disaster or SHTF? 02 commentators require electricity and will only work until there is no longer any electricity. 02 bottle run out and if there is no longer any replacements available, things may not turn out so well. Primary diagnosis must be treated, if possible, so the 02 is not needed any further.
Having an O2 setup was one of the things that made living out in the Alaska Bush practicle for us... We used it a few times in 50+ years we lived there... Once when AlaskaChick had an Emoblism, once when I had a Collapsed Lung, and I remember once when we had a Gunshot incident... All of these times the USCG came, and did a transport to the Hospital, in Town... For us, 911, was a call to them, and response times were on the order for 2-3 hours to get to us... 30 minutes on the ground, another 30-45 minutes to town, and then another 20 minutes to the Hospital, because the Fire-Dept AidCar Guys had to do their assessment, before they would drive the 2 miles to from the Airport to the Hospital... We had a small 7 Liter Aluminum O2 Tank...
That thought occurred to me awhile back. I'm not too young to have a heart attack was wondering if an 02 concentrator might be a good thing to have when out in the sticks or at the BOL. A Medevac crew came in their helicopter to visit those of us who frequent the BOL area back in 2014, and we had a meeting with them to tell us of their capabilities. They could fly there in 26 minutes, stabilize if possible and get to one of two major city hospitals (our choice since they're the same distance). It's the 26 minutes I was concerned about. In that time an individual could suffer brain damage or worse (maybe worse would be better in that case, depending on how you look at it). I briefly looked at some, they were about a grand. Don't recall if you had to have a prescription.
I see O2 concentrators on Craigslist with great regularity. Sometimes priced high, sometimes very low. One used to see medical things like crutches, nebulizers, etc. at Goodwill very cheap but I never see them now. I suspect they fear selling “medical devices” and the lawyers stopped it. Maybe check mom and pop one-off 501(c)3 thrift stores. Another aspect of O2 use to consider is the mask/cannula being used as those affect how much O2 is received and how efficient you are using it. The tube with the little prongs in you nose called a nasal cannula gives the least O2 to the patient. It flows gas constantly and during exhalation that O2 is lost and during inhalation you typically breathe in air at a higher rate than the O2 system is flowing. So you ultimately inhale air with a higher percentage of O2. A mask alone is the next better as it traps some O2 and helps to increase percentage of O2 in the inhaled air and reduces a little bit the amount of O2 wasted. They are less comfortable and people don’t tolerate them as well as a cannula. The best for high percentage O2 delivery is a mask with valving and a bag. During the pause and exhalation parts of the breathing cycle O2 accumulates in the bag and it inflates. During inhalation you breathe in pure O2 from the bag until it is collapsed and empty then the increased suction in will open another valve and fill the remainder of an inhalation with ambient air. If the flow rate from the regulator is high enough that the bag doesn’t totally collapse on inhalation, then nearly 100% O2 is being inhaled. This system is the least comfortable but also wastes the least oxygen. So, in addition to the oxygen source, you must consider the delivery system connected to the patients as well.
Problem I have is I am anemic and 100 % O2 does not mean I am getting enough thru my system, blood loss, blood or lung problems, heart problems, etc, oxygen helps but you also have to have the system in place to use it. I do think that in the short run having a device to concentrate O2 is well worth getting.
I stayed at a Holiday Inn at least 1 time ,,, and it didn't make me a doctor,, so don't bet your life on what I'm about to say ,,,,, but a few weeks ago ,, I read a story of a lady in a coma , and with covid ,, and being kept alive by a ventilator ,,, she was 2 days away from being unplugged and possibly dying right there . But her doctor gave her a heavy dose of Viagra,,, yep ,,, that's right ,, Viagra . Well , it seems the Viagra boosts your 02 levels,, and creates another type of oxygenated something or other ,, that the lungs need ,, that covid depletes So ,, ya might check into this ,,, not sure it would work or not ,,, in Altoids case ,,, it might save his life ,,, and give him a little romp with the wife while he's waiting for that 27 minute Life Flight .
If you are out in the sticks you might also think about getting a small AED and getting you and your friends cpr/aed trained.
