Reliable oxygenation conceivable with new design for portable concentrators

[2greys]

As health workers around the world provide care to those infected with SARS-CoV-2 and its many variants, the shortages in medical oxygen continue to deeply impact hospitals already stretched thin. While portable oxygen concentrators have provided some relief to many with respiratory distress, these machines sometimes do not generate enough medical oxygen to meet the fluctuating demands of a patient with worsening symptoms, requiring them to be rehospitalized.

Anticipating the increased need for better oxygen concentrators as the fight against COVID-19 rages on, researchers at Texas A&M University have laid a computational framework to design the most optimal concentrator to filter ambient air and produce oxygen that can scale with patient demand.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant stress to our medical and emergency facilities and a surge of people requiring medical attention, and hospitals have a limited number of ventilation equipment,” said Dr. Faruque Hasan, associate professor and the ​Kim McDivitt ’88 and Phillip McDivitt ’87 Endowed Faculty Fellow in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering. “But we could prevent some cases of hospitalization if we designed a more advanced, compact and portable oxygen concentrator that has flexible operating conditions to deliver as much oxygen as the patient requires.”

The researchers noted that oxygen concentrators based on their design would also help those suffering from other respiratory conditions, like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia and asthma.

engineering.tamu.edu/news/2...

Nature, Scientific Reports. Study Paper:

nature.com/articles/s41598-...

[Delamere]

Brilliant news

[Dilly2]

Very interesting thanks 2greys🤔

[Oshgosh]

This would be a positive development for people like me. I have lung disease and struggle to carry /drag my oxygen concentrator about,due to rheumatoid. ATHRITIS and spine issues,thanks for that.

[skischool in reply to Oshgosh]

I don't think they will be able to help you with this Oshgosh as our poc's have to be a certain weight and size to accomodate the size of the sieves(filters)which filter out the nitrogen contant of ambient air to give us medicaly graded O2 and the power scource (battery) to drive the process.They would be hard put to minimise further on the existing articles and i think this is aimed at a more static market wherebye they can monitor and adjust quality and flow rate remotely on demand?

[Oshgosh in reply to skischool]

That’s a shame.Are you both k ?

[skischool in reply to Oshgosh]

Yes thanks,the fat furry one is asleep next to me on the settee but only because i won't let her sit on my knee and i've just taken delivery of my oxygen from a maskless Baywater driver.you would think that of all pepole they would be the last to abandon masks but nothing suprises me these days.Hoping you are also ok B and life is treating you as well as can be expected.

🙃😻

[Gladwyn in reply to skischool]

Well I’m stunned by that Ski’s. That carelessness could be fatal to someone. I haven’t had anyone from my oxygen services for a good while, about a year as my concentrator thankfully has been working well… touch wood! I did see a lot of them during the height of the lockdown and they were always well masked so I assume they still would be surely!

[Snackjack]

That sounds like good news😊😊

[deni-123red_]

Great news but when will this brilliant design be taken up in the UK I wonder.

[Dilly2]

Please come back your missed😭

[Hidden in reply to Dilly2]

He can’t Dilly, HU has banned him 🤷‍♀️

[Dilly2]

But why