Oxygen HANDI MEDICAL SUPPLY User manual
Thank you for choosing Handi Medical Supply
for your home care needs.
You can reach us by calling 651-644-9770 or 800-514-9979
Oxygen................................................................................... 2
Your order........................................................................... 2
Oxygen Safety......................................................................... 2
Oxygen Cylinder...................................................................... 4
Oxygen cylinder parts.......................................................... 4
Oxygen delivery................................................................5-6
Oxygen conserver................................................................ 7
Troubleshooting your oxygen cylinder................................... 8
Oxygen Concentrator .............................................................. 9
Oxygenconcentratorparts•Wheretoplaceconcentrator•
Turningonconcentrator•Attachingoxygentube ................. 9
Troubleshooting oxygen concentrator..................................10
Humidifier Bottle....................................................................12
Settinguphumidier•Rellinghumidierbottle•
Cleaning humidifier bottle...................................................13
Cleaning Schedule .................................................................14
Traveling with Oxygen ............................................................14
ReorderingOxygen ................................................................14
Oxygen Instruction Checklist ..................................................15
Oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is a drug. It must be ordered by a doctor or a nurse
practitioner. Your order will tell us how many liters per minute
(lpm) you need and how many hours per day you should use the
oxygen.
Oxygen is a gas; this gas does not have a taste or a smell. In the air
we all breathe (room air) there is 21 percent oxygen. When your
heart and lungs are working well, this is enough oxygen to keep
your body healthy. If you have a problem with your heart or lungs
you may need added oxygen; this is called supplemental oxygen.
Today we are here to set up and teach you about your supplemental
oxygen system(s) and supplies.
Your order:
_________ Liters per minute (lpm)
_________ Hours per day
Oxygen Safety
Oxygen is safe to use in the proper conditions. Oxygen will not
catch fire but it will make anything that is already burning, burn
hotter and faster. e containers that the oxygen is in must be
stored correctly.
Please follow these safety rules when using your
oxygen:
➜Post your “Oxygen In Use” sign on your front door or
window
➜Keep oxygen equipment away from heat, such as:
•Open flames
•Space heater
•Stove
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➜Do not use grease or flammables near oxygen equipment
•Use water-based products (KY jelly, Aquaphor)
•Do not use petroleum based lotions
•Do not use any oil-based toiletries (lotions, hair products)
➜No smoking!
•Do not smoke or allow anyone to smoke in the room that
you are in
➜Oxygen cylinder storage
•Oxygen cylinders are under very high pressure
•They must be secured if standing up-right in a base or
cylinder holder – if one of these is not available lay the
cylinder flat
•Never store cylinders in a closed area such as a closet or
trunk of a car
➜Electrical outlet
•Do not plug an oxygen concentrator into an outlet that is
powering appliances
➜Home address
•Make sure you can see your address from the street both
day and night
➜Emergency or natural disaster
•IF YOU HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY DIAL 911
•If you have trouble with your equipment call Handi Medical
at (651) 644-9770
•If there is a natural disaster please listen and follow the
emergency directions from local authorities.
➜Smoke Detector
•Make sure your smoke detector is working
➜Cooking
•Keep your oxygen cannula away from heat source
•Instead of the cannula being secured under your chin; secure
it behind your head while cooking
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Oxygen Safety continued
➜Area Rugs
•Please remove area rugs to reduce the chance of tripping
➜Hand Washing:
•The number one way to control the spread of germs is to
wash your hands – always wash your hands before you
handle your oxygen equipment
•Wet both hands with warm water
•Using soap and running water, rub hands together
•Make sure to get the backs and palms and between the fingers
•Wash hands for at least 1 minute
➜Oxygen Tubing
•Longer oxygen tubing can be a hazard for tripping
•If you would like colored tubing it will be provided for you
Oxygen Cylinder
An oxygen cylinder contains almost 100% pure oxygen. e oxygen
in these cylinders is under very high pressure. e pressure is
measured in pounds per square inch (psi). A full cylinder will
have 2000-2200 psi; as the oxygen in the cylinder is being used
the pressure will decrease until the cylinder is empty. A cylinder
of oxygen is always green in color.
The cylinder system has the following parts:
➜Cylinder: stores the oxygen
➜Regulator: controls the pressure and the flow of oxygen
coming out of the cylinder
➜Stand, cart or carrying case: keeps the cylinder from falling
over
➜Tank wrench: needed to open the cylinder so the oxygen can
go into the regulator
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The delivery of oxygen is either by:
➜Nasal cannula: small prongs fit into your nostrils
➜Face mask: fits over your mouth and nose
➜Oxygen tubing: connects the cannula to the oxygen system
Cylinders come in different sizes. The oxygen will last longer or
shorter periods of time depending on the size of cylinder you
have. The size of the cylinder and your flow rate determines
how long the oxygen tank will last (please see chart on page 7).
To connect the oxygen regulator to the cylinder
➜Remove the tape that is around the stem of the regulator
➜Make sure brass and rubber washer is in place
➜Position the regulator around the stem of the cylinder
➜Make sure the pins in the regulator fit into the stem of the
cylinder
➜Hand tighten the regulator in place
Turning the cylinder on
➜Using a tank wrench turn the stem of the cylinder counter
clock-wise
Reading the regulator
➜The regulator controls two things:
•The pressure coming out of the cylinder
•The flow of oxygen coming out of the cylinder
➜The regulator shows how much pressure is in the cylinder; as
the oxygen is used the pressure (psi) will fall – until it is empty
and time to switch to a new tank
➜Adjust the liter per minute to match your order
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Oxygen Cylinder continued
Attaching the oxygen tube
➜Secure the oxygen tubing to the regulator’s port
➜Secure your cannula to the oxygen connecting tube
➜Place the prongs into your nostrils (prongs should curve into
your nose)
➜Keep the nasal cannula in place by putting it in back of your
ears and securing it under your chin
Turn off your oxygen
➜When not in use turn off your oxygen
➜Take off your nasal cannula
➜Turn the stem on the cylinder clock-wise to close the cylinder
➜The needle on the pressure gauge will drop to zero
Humidifier bottle
Humidifier bottles (“bubblers”) are usually not needed unless your liter
flow is greater than 4 liters per minute. Humidifiers are not used with
portable oxygen systems. Please see humidifier information under
concentrator section.
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E Cylinder of Oxygen Duration
Pressure 1 2 3 4 5
Gauge liters per liters per liters per liters per liters per
Reading minute minute minute minute minute
2000 psi 8 hr 4 hr 2.5 hr 2 hr 1.5 hr
1500 psi 6.5 hr 3 hr 2 hr 1.5 hr 1 hr
1000 psi 4 hr 2 hr 1.25 hr 1 hr 30 min
500 psi 2 hr 1 hr 25 min 15 min 5 min
M9 Cylinder of Oxygen Duration
Oxygen Conserver
An oxygen conserver is a regulator that only delivers oxygen when you
inhale. This is why it is called a conserver – it conserves the oxygen in
the cylinder. The flow that you get from a conserver is not measured in
liters per minute because it is not a continuous flow system; gas is
delivered in a pulse.
There must be a specific order from your doctor or nurse practitioner for
an oxygen conserver. Not everyone will do well with an oxygen conserver.
A Handi Medical clinician will do an oximetery test to make sure that
your oxygen saturation level does not drop with this system. Each maker
of conservers conserves oxygen differently. We cannot make one chart
that will fit every type of conserver. You will get specific information
on your type of conserver.
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Pressure 1 2 3 4 5
Gauge liters per liters per liters per liters per liters per
Reading minute minute minute minute minute
2000 psi 4 hr 2 hr 1.25 hr 1 hr *
1500 psi 3 hr 1.5 hr 50 min 45 min *
1000 psi 2 hr 1 hr 30 min 20 min *
500 psi 1 hr 15 min 5 min 0 *
*Not recommended
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Oxygen Cylinder continued
Troubleshooting Your Oxygen Cylinder
Trouble
Oxygen
not flowing
from the
nasal
cannula
or mask
Solution
Look at the pressure
gauge and replace with
new cylinder
Place cannula in glass
of water and look for
bubbles from the flow
Check for kinks in tubing
Make sure there is only
one washer in place
Cause
Cylinder is empty
Oxygen flow seems
low
Oxygen
cylinder
makes a
hissing
noise
Turn the valve open.
Check flow setting on
regulator
Replace the washer
between cylinder and
regulator
Call Handi Medical
(651) 644-9770
Tighten
Tighten
Cylinder valve is
closed or liter control
knob is turned off
Leaking at the
washer
Regulator is not
working
Cannula kinked
Connections are loose
Regulator is not tight
Any other
concern that
you can’t
resolve?
If not resolved with
the two steps above
call Handi Medical
Call Handi Medical
(651) 644-9770
Leaking at the
regulator
Change to new cannula
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Oxygen Concentrator
An oxygen concentrator is an electrically powered machine that
takes room air, separates the oxygen from the other gases, and
delivers the concentrated oxygen to you.
An oxygen concentrator has the following parts:
➜Power switch: to turn on/off the concentrator
➜Flow regulator: to adjust the flow (in liters per minute)
➜Electrical plug: to plug into an electrical outlet
➜Alarm system: to alert you if the power is interrupted
Where to place your concentrator
➜Place in an open area (never place in a closet)
➜Place away from any heat source
➜Place at least 6 inches from walls, curtains, bedding (anything
that could block the air inlet
Turn on your concentrator
➜Plug the concentrator into a grounded outlet
➜Turn the concentrator ON (alarm will sound until pressure is
reached)
➜Adjust the flow to your ordered setting in liters per minute (lpm)
Attaching the oxygen tube
➜Secure the oxygen tubing to the flow port
➜Secure your cannula to the oxygen connecting tube
➜Place the prongs into your nostrils (prongs should curve into
your nose)
➜Keep the nasal cannula in place by putting it in back of your
ears and securing it under your chin
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Oxygen Concentrator continued
Troubleshooting Your Oxygen Concentrator
Trouble
Oxygen is not
flowing from
your cannula
Concentrator not
operating
Solution
Check to see if flow
is coming out of the
concentrator – if it is,
check your system
for leaks
Place cannula in glass
of water and look for
bubbles from the flow
Check plug
Switch to your
portable or back up
oxygen system
Reset circuit breaker
In case of an
obstruction or
kink that is
blocking the flow,
replace tubing
Tighten the
connections in the
tubing system
Check the power
source – make sure
that a light switch is
not operating the
outlet
Cause
Loose connections,
kinks or obstruction
in tubing
Plug not pushed into
the electrical outlet
Electrical power
outage
Concentrator circuit
breaker set off
No power at the
outlet
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