Demand oxygen delivery during exercise.

Nine hypoxemic patients with COLD, whose hypoxemia is aggravated by minimal exercise, volunteered for this study. Each subject underwent two treadmill exercise trials at two oxygen delivery settings, each on the DODS and SF delivery systems for a total of four exercise trials. We measured SaO2 via ear oximetry and recorded oxygen usage per minute.

Low-concentration oxygen therapy via a demand oxygen delivery system.

Recent heightened concern about the costs of medical care has stimulated research and development in devices and schemes for saving costs while retaining quality of care. Consistent with that concern is the fact that standard steady-flow oxygen delivery is so wasteful. Almost its entire benefit occurs at the very beginning of inspiration.

A new pendant storage oxygen-conserving nasal cannula.

With increasing interest in reducing the cost of oxygen therapy, we recently designed an oxygen-conserving cannula. It reduces the oxygen supply flow necessary to achieve adequate oxygen saturation, but because it requires the use of a reservoir situated under the nose, some patients find it obtrusive. We therefore designed a similar system but displaced the reservoir away from the face and onto the anterior chest wall where it could be hidden from view by the patient's clothing.