Synchronization and Performance of Portable Oxygen Concentrators in Pulsed Oxygen Therapy

Pulsed oxygen (O2) therapy, which synchronizes O2 delivery with inhalation, offers an enhanced level of comfort and O2 consumption. We aimed to assess the synchronization of Portable O2 Concentrators (POCs) and evaluate their performances. We used a mechanical lung model (ASL5000) equipped with a Fast O2 Measurement (FOM) sensor to measure FiO2 and assess the compliance of POC settings. We simulated 300 ventilatory cycles for each device across various respiratory dynamics using a "normal" lung model. The main parameters evaluated were the % of correctly triggered boluses (synchronization), FiO2, average bolus triggering delay, and bolus volume delivered. Seven POCs were tested under standardized conditions. The synchronization between the POCs and the simulated patient showed a high percentage of correctly triggered boluses across most devices, indicating effective synchronization capabilities. Asynchrony generally appeared for low (10 bpm) or high (40 bpm) respiratory rates. FiO2 delivered by the POCs varied significantly (p<0.001) with some devices achieving higher O2 fractions than others, but all POCs delivered a FiO2 of at least 28% at minimum setting. The bolus triggering delay showed variability among devices (p<0.001), suggesting differences in responsiveness and dosing accuracy. High synchronization rates contrasted with significant variations in FiO2 and triggering delay indicating disparate device performances. <fig><object-id>erj;64/suppl_68/PA1367/F1</object-id><object-id>F1</object-id><object-id>F1</object-id><graphic></graphic></fig>