Oxygen Tubing at Home

[Phil40]

I wanted to share something that has recently happened.

I care for Mum who has had LTOT at home for several years. She moved from London to Bournemouth with the same equipment and always had about a half mile of oxygen tubing lying around.

Despite the obvious health hazard Mum being Mum refused to follow the suggestion of having different oxygen outlets piped in to different rooms to clear up the pipe until the inevitable happened in October and I went round to find her on the floor with the oxygen tube looped round her leg like a snare.

This led to hospitalisation during which she agreed to the tubing being changed.

The really helpful guy at the Oxygen company and Respiratory Nurse team got it actioned quite fast and it was, as I kept telling her, really easy.

This has reduced the trip hazards by an enormous amount and is much easier to manage.

But what has also been consistent is Mums oxygen saturation levels are higher than for a long time.

I wonder if ;

1: there was so much tube previously the pressure was not working well reducing O2 flow

2: there was at least one firestop valve; probably never changed

3: the tube itself had not been changed and everything clogs up sooner or later.

It may of course simply be coincidence but I am posting this and suggesting anyone on LTOT make sure the tubing is ok; been maintained and get it piped round if you can. Certainly Mum is doing well at the moment.

Breathe well everyone and I hope everyone can enjoy Xmas, I certainly am keeping my fingers firmly crossed.

Phil

[RibvanRey]

I don't know what LTOT is but I have been on O2 24/7 via a single point condenser and a long tube for Years. I believe that the tube that one can have is limited. I do know that the longer tubing does reduce the flow. My tube has never been changed either. Although I have been through 4 machines. The flow is also higher via a nasal cannula than a face mask. The single fire break is required.

Kind regards, Rib

[Phil40 in reply to RibvanRey]

LTOT i think is Long Term Oxygen Therapy which is what you are on. I had read about different suppliers having different protocols around tubing length; the pressure is low and it totally makes sense there is a point where it is not enough to go on metre after metre. And any valve like the fire break valve will get clogged up eventually and the tubing gets stood on and crimped etc. I would get them to at least change the tubing and valve; my Mums O2 sats have been totally different since it was all changed. I am seriously doubting it is just coincidence as she is the most stable she has been for a while. Seems such an obvious thing to try after it was done! Like all the other things I find out about a year too late on average.

[RibvanRey in reply to Phil40]

I certainly don't disagree with you Phil. I have simply detailed what I have so that you could compare the low level of service that your Mum and I appear to share.

I asked to have a fixed point in 3 rooms when the O2 was first prescribed but was told no chance. I was offered a chap to come out and staple the tube to 2 rooms in my bungalow. I leave it loose so that it can follow me around the building. I can even sit outside without using my portable tanks.

I have 15 metres running at 4 litres per minute.

HTH. Rib

[Phil40 in reply to RibvanRey]

15 metres seems a lot of tubing to be lying around. I don’t see why you can’t have 3 fixed points in a bungalow? When the man was doing Mums I was talking to him about it all (and telling him where to drill through the wall doing least damage) and she has 2 fixed points but the switches he used at the points were capable of having about 5 points; the oxygen runs in sequence from number 1 to number 2 to number 3 etc so to use number 3, number 2 and number 1 have to be passing the oxygen through. Anyway, it has made a big difference and is easy to do.

I can understand 5 points in a 3 storey house being tricky but all they have to do is drill holes through the walls for the tubing.

I think you can look it up on line and see how it’s done.

[jjnanna in reply to RibvanRey]

Must say for the short time I was on it the length of tubing was amazing ... always said I was gonna strangle myself with it !! Luckily off it now ... phew !

[didi17]

My partner is on LTOT 24/7 at 8 - 10 lps, we have the tubing plumbed in and two points one for the bedroom and one for the living room. We have also a large 'can' of oxygen for the bathroom. He also has condensers on both points, and they do clog up. I regularly have the tubing changed, the accumulation of limescale is astonishing despite using boiled water. Also the firebreaks need to be changed regularly they also get blocked. Our oxygen engineer leaves me spare connectors and firebreaks so I can change them for my partner, myself. If you don't ask you don't get. After some arguments with the oxygen company at the beginning, some 18 months ago, I now cannot fault the service. I can well believe that your mother's tubing has some sort of blockage, and the tubing can get brittle with age and use. Oh and the tubing drives me crackers, am forever tripping up it has a mind of it's own but the long length does give my partner the freedom to move about without have to change masks/cannulas. Merry and Safe Christmas to you all.

[Phil40 in reply to didi17]

Absolutely true; if you don’t ask you don’t get which is why it’s so helpful here when you can read these things and ask for them!

That fire break was never changed in Mums tubing, but the whole sorry saga of Mum and her amazing lack of care plan I have documented often here, so really that’s no surprise.

[Hacienda]

Air Liquide, My Ox Supplier are Brilliant. They contact me for the maintenance visit every 3 months. I have not long moved into a Bungalow from a 4 Bed House ( Stairs). They have Plumbed me in to Living room and Bedroom, I shower with Ox on, so enough tubing allows this. I keep my Converta clean and change my cannulas regularly. My Hubby checks my fire adapters. Anthony, my last Ox Technician, said he will enjoy his visit as my equipment is nice & Clean......I do understand about the Tubing getting wrapped around our ankles, in my other house this happened a lot and some times I forgot I had it up my Nose, and it Yanked me back like a Catapult LOL...HO HO Everyone have a Merry Christmas. XXXX Carolina XXX

[Martymack69]

I’m on O2 24/7 @ 4-1/2-5 liters. How often should I change my nasal cannula? Thanks for your help and hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas.