Oxygen Use at Home

O2. We can’t live without it. As we get older, our ability to convert oxygen is compromised as heart and lung capacity diminishes. Medicare covers most instances where you may require supplemental oxygen. Along with the oxygen cylinders comes miles and miles of tubing so you can have freedom to move about the house.

Why are patients who are on oxygen more likely to fall than those who aren’t?

The answer may surprise you. Falls associated with patients taking oxygen aren’t related as much to the lack of oxygen to the brain as the piles of extra tubing that allows them the convenience of roaming from room to room.

Oxygen delivery companies deliver large, plug-in-the-wall systems to provide heart and lung patients a continuous supply of higher concentrations of oxygen. In addition, spools of clear plastic tubing allow you to virtually walk throughout your house including stairs connected to the oxygen tube. Like a garden hose, the coil of tubing stays neat and tidy for about a day until you begin to move about the house.

Clear plastic tubing trailing a patient who may be unsteady on their feet is an accident waiting to happen. Falls are an ongoing concern as you get older. Add to the risk of falling plastic tubing wrapped around your feet, and the question is not IF you will suffer a fall but WHEN.

There are precautions you can take to minimize the risk of falling. The most obvious is to disconnect the oxygen when moving about. If that isn’t possible, try to clear the path in front of you of any unused tubing, and hold the extra tubing in one hand as you walk. This prevents the tubing from going between your feet and causing a fall. In addition, if the tubing gets snagged while you are walking, it won’t pull the unit off your face causing possible injury.

You should be trained on how to safely use oxygen in the home. Training needs to go well beyond the no-smoking sticker near an open oxygen tank. Safe use of plastic tubing throughout the home is overlooked as an important safety training need.