: COVID-19: How Oxygen-at-Home via Concentrators Can Be a Life Saver #IndiaNEWS #Coronavirus On April 19, Nagpur-based Simran Nashine logged into her Twitter account to seek help for 41-year-old Girish

COVID-19: How Oxygen-at-Home via Concentrators Can Be a Life Saver #IndiaNEWS #Coronavirus
On April 19, Nagpur-based Simran Nashine logged into her Twitter account to seek help for 41-year-old Girish Kesai, a COVID-19 patient. His oxygen saturation levels had dropped to 82%.
It had been well over 24 hours since his health had started deteriorating, and the wait for a hospital bed with an oxygen facility was only increasing. Fortunately, within the next few hours, Girish was able to receive admission. In those critical hours between his oxygen levels dropping and him finally being admitted to the hospital, his life depended on an oxygen concentrator.
This machine filters oxygen from the atmosphere and helps patients access it through a mask or cannula.
“The machine helped maintain his oxygen levels and prevent his health from deteriorating faster. It bought us time to scramble for an oxygen bed for further treatment. Without the concentrator, it would have been difficult to sustain for long,??? Simran tells The Better India.
Like Girish, millions of COVID-19 patients across India are struggling to breathe during the initial stages of infection. Hospitals and the medical infrastructure are overwhelmed, resulting in a lack of oxygen beds and ventilators. If the administration of oxygen is delayed, a patient’s health can deteriorate so fast that the results can be fatal.
Buying time in crucial hours
Oximeter used to check saturated oxygen levels in a person.
Aarti Nimkar, former president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Pune, says an oxygen concentrator can be a life-saver during cases in which a patient needs mild oxygen.
“Ideally, oxygen levels in the body should be above 95. However, in COVID-19, the disease causes lung fibrosis and affects breathing among patients. A feeling of breathlessness, shortage of breath, chest pain and other respiratory issues are common symptoms. In such cases, the patients need oxygen therapy at the soonest, as the levels may start dropping. Such patients need assistance to compensate for inadequate breathing capabilities,??? she says, adding, “The device can help boost oxygen levels if they drop to 80-85. ???
She adds that the devices are available in 5-10 litres per minute flow capacities, cost between Rs 25,000 and Rs 60,000, and should be used under the supervision of doctors. “The machine can buy crucial time for patients. They may rely on the device before the ambulance arrives and they are hospitalised,??? Aarti adds.
Aarti says the device can help boost a patient’s oxygen levels from 85 to up to 90 or 95, and even maintain these parameters to some extent. “Increased levels reduce the struggle for the patient and risks of health complications caused due to shortage of oxygen,??? she adds.

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