title: Bench Evaluation of Four Portable Oxygen Concentrators Under Different Conditions Representing Altitudes of 2438, 4200, and 8000 m.
abstract: Bunel, Vincent, Amr Shoukri, Frederic Choin, Serge Roblin, Cindy Smith, Thomas Similowski, Capucine Morélot-Panzini, and Jésus Gonzalez. Bench evaluation of four portable oxygen concentrators under different conditions representing altitudes of 2438, 4200, and 8000 m. High Alt Med Biol. 17:370-374, 2016.-Air travel is responsible for a reduction of the partial pressure of oxygen (O2) as a result of the decreased barometric pressure. This hypobaric hypoxia can be dangerous for passengers with respiratory diseases, requiring initiation or intensification of oxygen therapy during the flight. In-flight oxygen therapy can be provided by portable oxygen concentrators, which are less expensive and more practical than oxygen cylinders, but no study has evaluated their capacity to concentrate oxygen under simulated flight conditions. We tested four portable oxygen concentrators during a bench test study. The O2concentrations (FO2) produced were measured under three different conditions: in room air at sea level, under hypoxia due to a reduction of the partial pressure of O2(normobaric hypoxia, which can be performed routinely), and under hypoxia due to a reduction of atmospheric pressure (hypobaric hypoxia, using a chamber manufactured by Airbus Defence and Space). The FO2obtained under conditions of hypobaric hypoxia (chamber) was lower than that measured in room air (0.92 [0.89-0.92] vs. 0.93 [0.92-0.94], p = 0.029), but only one portable oxygen concentrator was unable to maintain an FO2≥ 0.90 (0.89 [0.89-0.89]). In contrast, under conditions of normobaric hypoxia (tent) simulating an altitude of 2438 m, none of the apparatuses tested was able to achieve an FO2greater than 0.76. (0.75 [0.75-0.76] vs. 0.93 [0.92-0.94], p = 0.029). Almost all portable oxygen concentrators were able to generate a sufficient quantity of O2at simulated altitudes of 2438 m and can therefore be used in the aircraft cabin. Unfortunately, verification of the reliability and efficacy of these devices in a patient would require a nonroutinely available technology, and no preflight test can currently be performed by using simple techniques such as hypobaric hypoxia.
authors.affiliation: 1 AP-HP, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière Charles Foix , Service de Pneumologie et Réanimation Médicale (Département "R3S"), Paris, France .
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bunel
authors.affiliation: 2 Sorbonne Universités , UPMC Univ Paris 06, INSERM, UMRS1158 Neurophysiologie respiratoire expérimentale et clinique, Paris, France .|3 Ain Shams University , Cairo, Egypt .
authors.forename: Amr
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shoukri
authors.affiliation: 4 Service du centre d'essais d'AIRBUS Defence and Space , TSOEG25 - Components & Synthesis Tests, Les Mureaux, France .
authors.forename: Frederic
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Choin
authors.affiliation: 4 Service du centre d'essais d'AIRBUS Defence and Space , TSOEG25 - Components & Synthesis Tests, Les Mureaux, France .
authors.forename: Serge
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roblin
authors.affiliation: 4 Service du centre d'essais d'AIRBUS Defence and Space , TSOEG25 - Components & Synthesis Tests, Les Mureaux, France .
authors.forename: Cindy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: 1 AP-HP, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière Charles Foix , Service de Pneumologie et Réanimation Médicale (Département "R3S"), Paris, France .|2 Sorbonne Universités , UPMC Univ Paris 06, INSERM, UMRS1158 Neurophysiologie respiratoire expérimentale et clinique, Paris, France .
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Similowski
authors.affiliation: 1 AP-HP, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière Charles Foix , Service de Pneumologie et Réanimation Médicale (Département "R3S"), Paris, France .|2 Sorbonne Universités , UPMC Univ Paris 06, INSERM, UMRS1158 Neurophysiologie respiratoire expérimentale et clinique, Paris, France .
authors.forename: Capucine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Morélot-Panzini
authors.affiliation: 1 AP-HP, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière Charles Foix , Service de Pneumologie et Réanimation Médicale (Département "R3S"), Paris, France .|2 Sorbonne Universités , UPMC Univ Paris 06, INSERM, UMRS1158 Neurophysiologie respiratoire expérimentale et clinique, Paris, France .
authors.forename: Jesus
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
mesh_terms: D000401:Aircraft; D000531:Altitude; D001274:Atmospheric Pressure; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000628:therapy*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000032:analysis; D010102:Oxygen Inhalation Therapy / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen
keywords: ambulatory oxygen therapy; chronic respiratory failure; equipment evaluation; hypoxic challenge test; portable oxygen concentrator