A & B Medical OFFERS BREAKTHROUGH TECHNOLOGY THAT GIVES NEW INDEPENDENCE, IMPROVED HEALTH TO HOME OXYGEN PATIENTS
New technology can help the more than one million mostly older people on home oxygen therapy as treatment for emphysema, bronchitis, and other chronic respiratory conditions
Moscow Mills, MO, Dec. 14, 2006 - For the individual diagnosed with respiratory disease requiring continuous home oxygen therapy, life can suddenly seem very limited. Everyday activities once taken for granted, such as doing the laundry or going outside, are no longer so simple.
A breakthrough in portable home oxygen technology is changing all that. A new system now available is improving the health, longevity and quality of life for people on home oxygen therapy.
Most people on home oxygen suffer from emphysema, bronchitis or other chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. More than 16 million Americans, mostly older people, have been diagnosed with COPD, according to the American Lung Association, and more than one million are on home oxygen therapy. Recent emphasis on health care cost containment has promoted faster hospital discharges, which has increased the need for home oxygen therapy.
The accepted treatment for advanced COPD is continuous oxygen, and it has been proven effective. "The biggest issue is compliance," says William Corrao, M.D., with University Pulmonary Associates in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. "The older technology is cumbersome and not user friendly. It doesn't allow people to easily get up and out of the house, and it attracts a lot of attention. People are embarrassed to be seen with the equipment; they get short of breath moving it around, so they don't use it."
The new technology now available addresses those issues. It enables patients to refill their own compact cylinders at home easily and safely, rather than depending on having oxygen delivered to their homes on a regular basis. One 4.5 lb. cylinder provides more than 5 hours of ambulatory time and can be reused over and over. The patient carries the cylinder in an unobtrusive pack worn over the shoulder or around the waist.
"Portable oxygen is an important part of rehabilitation because it enhances a patient's ability to exercise," says James K. Stoller, M.D., M.S., Head, Section of Respiratory Therapy and Vice Chairman of Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. "Exercise makes them stronger and helps them use oxygen more efficiently."
In addition to the direct health benefits, the home-refillable system helps people remain independent and active, which is so important to quality of life. Patients no longer worry about running out of oxygen before the next delivery, and spontaneous trips and out-of-town travel become much easier.
"Until now, when you were on 24-hour home oxygen therapy, you were limited to the 47-foot breathing line from your stationary concentrator or you had to pull around a heavy handcart," says Ed Awalt, President of A & B Medical. "It can be a depressing thing to be tied down like that. We see such an improvement with this new system. Instead of deteriorating emotionally, people keep up their activity level."
The most advanced refillable home oxygen system on the market is the HomeFill. The HomeFill is manufactured by Invacare Corporation, the world's largest home health care equipment company, and distributed by hundreds of home care providers around the country. The system consists of a concentrator, a compressor, refillable cylinders, and a convenience pack with a built-in conserving device that extends the oxygen supply. The 4.5 lb. cylinder can be refilled in about 80 minutes.
"The equipment menu for oxygen patients was pretty limited until the HomeFill came along," says Awalt. "It is a lot easier for respiratory patients to carry a 4.5-lb. pack on their shoulder than to wheel around a 12-lb.cylinder or deal with liquid oxygen."
The other big benefit of the HomeFill system is that it virtually eliminates the cost of delivery. "Insurance companies and Medicare are paying for us to make deliveries like a milkman, once a week or every other week," says Awalt. "Patients have to sit around waiting for the delivery truck, because we are not allowed to leave oxygen cylinders unattended. Once we've set up a patient with the HomeFill, we only need to make one service call per year to check the equipment."
Demand for the new technology is increasing as more homecare providers offer the HomeFill system and more physicians and patients become aware of it. The HomeFill system is available through A & B Medical Supply. Call 1-866-356-4803 or visit our website online at www.Homefillmeds.com.
Invacare Corporation (NYSE:IVC), headquartered in Elyria, Ohio, is the global leader in the manufacture and distribution of innovative home care and long-term care medical products that promote recovery and active lifestyles. The Company has 6,100 associates and markets its products in 80 countries around the world. For more information about the Company and our products, visit Invacare's website at www.invacare.com.