Bengaluru: Consult before using oxygen at home, doctors warn

BENGALURU: With many Bengalurens buying oxygen cylinders and oxygen concentrators for medical emergencies at home, doctors have warned against indiscriminate use without proper consultation.
External oxygen support was earlier recommended for Covid-19 patients who struggle to breathe even after discharge. But with the rapid rise in cases, many patients recovering from breathlessness at home are using either cylinders or concentrators.
For example, a 43-year-old man from Whitefield, one of thousands who use oxygen at home, could not find a hospital bed when he began suffering from breathlessness, but managed to get into the emergency section of a hospital near Marathahalli.
“Staff stabilised my condition and a CT scan showed the extent of infection,” the man said. “A doctor told me how to use an oxygen cylinder at home and prescribed medicines. I began using 4-6 litres per minute intermittently in the day and throughout the night. It was gradually reduced,” said the techie, who has recovered. Right use of oxygen, besides medicines and daily consultations with the doctor helped, he said.
Educating patients and their kin on monitoring oxygen saturation and quantity of oxygen needed is crucial, said Dr Pratyush Miglani, consultant, internal medicine, Sagar hospitals. He said reconsulting the doctor to clear doubts is extremely important.
“Oxygen is an integral part of treatment and patients must know how much to consume. It should not be beyond prescribed values,” said Dr Miglani.
Fire hazard
Besides, patients should also ensure cylinders and concentrators are kept far away from flammable objects, doctors say. Elderly and physically challenged patients may find it difficult to use, but for the rest, it is a simple enough mechanism, said Dr Ravindra Mehta, chief of pulmonary, critical care and interventional pulmonology, Apollo speciality hospitals.
“Using oxygen cylinders at home is now a norm with the pandemic. How to use and how much to use can be explained through a video call. Anyone with moderate infection, whose saturation is below 93% and who cannot get a hospital bed can use it,” said Dr Mehta.
He said that about 50% of cases he deals with use oxygen at home. Those who get oxygen and steroids at the right time recover quickly, he said.
Demand for oxygen cylinders and concentrators has skyrocketed. Suppliers say many healthy families are stocking up for a potential medical emergency. Syed Tousif Masood, who heads Mercy Oxy, a wing of Mercy Mission, says they have got more than 4,000 calls in the past couple of days for cylinders. The NGO had 500 cylinders, all of which have been taken. “We install the cylinders and instruct patients or their kin on how to use them,” said Masood.
Oxygen concentrators work by separating oxygen molecules from nitrogen in the air to form a concentrated gas of 90–95% pure oxygen. Concentrators that were available on rent earlier are now unavailable even for sale.