The Portable
Patients that need a portable lightweight
supply of oxygen will have the choice of four different size
cylinders. The cylinders are given an industry code letter according
to thier size. The letter "E" designates the largest cylinder. The E
cylinder is often used with a wheeled cart. The next size smaller is
a "D" then comes the "C" cylinder, and the smallest cylinder is the
"B" size. The D,C,and B cylinders are often used with a carry case
that has a sholder strap. The patients liter flow will determine the
time each cylinder will last.
The
Regulator
Attaches to the top of the back-up cylinder and consists
of two gauges. One gauge is the pressure or contents gauge. This
gauge tells you how much oxygen is in the cylinder. The other gauge
is the flow gauge. This gauge shows you how much oxygen is flowing
from the cylinder. It is marked in liters per minute (LPM). There is
a liter control knob on the regulator that will adjust the liter
flow.
Attaching the
Regulator
Remove the protective tape from around the neck of the
cylinder. This is usually a white plastic strap with a gray washer
inside.
- Open the cylinder valve
slightly by turning the valve counterclockwise with the wrench
provided. This will blow any dust out of the cylinder outlet.
NOTE: MAKE SURE THE TANK IS NOT POINTING AT YOU OR
ANYONE.
- Make sure that the
regulator has a washer attached, if not use the washer that was
under the protective tape.
- Slide the regulator over
the neck of the cylinder and line up the pins on the regulator
with the holes in the neck of the cylinder. Make sure the washer
does not fall out.
- Hand tighten the Tee
screw on the regulator by turning clockwise.
Operating the
Portable:
- Slowly open the cylinder
valve (A cylinder wrench will be provided) counterclockwise. The
needle in the pressure gauge will register the amount of oxygen in
the cylinder.
- Check the flow gauge and
adjust the liter flow with the liter control knob. Make sure you
set the liter flow to the prescribed liter flow rate.
- Attach the supply tube to the
regulator. Fit the nasal canula or mask to the patient.
Turning off The
Portable:
- Using the cylinder wrench, turn
cylinder valve clockwise.
- DO NOT TURN FLOW
KNOB - leave the flow knob
set at the patients liter flow, this will allow the oxygen to
bleed out of the regulator.
- Check to make sure the contents gauge
drops to zero.
Need to know how
much time is left in a cylinder?
Below is a program that will calculate the time remaining in
your portable oxygen cylinder. Here are the steps to follow:
1.
Choose your cylinder size. Wheeled cart size is "E"
000000000000000000000000 Carry case size is
"D"
2. Choose your liter
flow from the drop down menu
3. Choose
the pressure (Look at the pressure gauge attached to your regulator
and find the nearest pressure reading below).
4. Click on
"Get Tme Left".
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