The classical four elements of life were defined by the ancient Greeks as Earth, Water, Air, and Fire.
The idea was that everything was made up of these four.
Of these air, where 21% of it is made up of oxygen, is truly the sustainer of life.
All the other elements depend on it to feed it (fire), be part of it (water) and provide life (earth and the need to breath).
All mammals and many other forms of living beings need to breathe oxygen, and until recently the only way our lungs could get it was by breathing in the surrounding air.
Yet there is a large portion of people whose lungs have been damaged in one way or another, that must receive supplemental oxygen as their lungs are unable to absorb enough when inhaling.
Since the last century supplemental oxygen equipment has made this possible.
In the last few years the quality and efficiency of these oxygen units has increased so that now it is quite normal to see people walking around with one of the various types of machines that supply extra oxygen, and this is excellent news as quality of life has been maintained or at least minimally reduced, for these many people.
An important fact is also that the numbers of people that will need additional oxygen will continue to increase over the next few years - this as a result primarily of our smoking habits where the damage surfaces years after.
A brief list of supplemental oxygen equipment: 1.
Delivery Units: Both Portable and Stationary a.
Oxygen tanks that hold liquid oxygen and deliver it as a gas.
b.
Oxygen cylinders that hold compressed oxygen.
c.
Oxygen concentrators that extract oxygen from the surrounding air (the new kid on the block) 2.
Accessories: a.
Nose cannulas and masks.
b.
Pulse oximeters that measure the oxygen saturation of the blood.
c.
Flow meters to regulate the supply.
3.
Carrier assistance.
a.
Trolleys of all types and fit for the individual types of machines.
b.
Bags, satchels, back packs.
This is a brief list, not exclusive, of the type of equipment that is available for those who must have extra oxygen.
The amount of oxygen and how often (all day, part of the day or night, while exercising, etc.
) has to be diagnosed by a doctor - and this will have an important incidence in the actual equipment requirements.
What is vitally important is that a clear description of the patients life style be shared with your physician so that his or her guidance can be more exact.