oxygen concentrator

[wyonel]

Does anyone have any experiences with a Inogen At Home oxygen concentrator? I'm thinking of purchasing one and can't find any current reviews of the product. Presently I rent a concentrator from a DME provider. Thanks for any help.

[grayghost4]

not sure if this is a good deal or not :

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/hab/5312002532.html

[palerider]

sorry, I don't have any experience with that, there's an invacare perfecto 2, it's quiet, humming with a little thump every few seconds... been working great for a year and a half.

[houstonrockets83]

You need to find an Everflow, best concentrator I've seen.

[allen476]

Honestly you are better off renting the concentrator. Maintenance is a big PITA and you need a special reader to make sure what the O2 levels are. The PR Everflow series and Invacare offerings are the ones that you see filters available for. Most manufacturers do not sell the parts to the public. Sieve bed life can vary among manufacturers as well. THE PR and Invacare models are the longest lasting around 50,000 hours. Airsep is the worst at around 12,000.

Also no DME will touch it if you didn't get it from them. They won't even test it. It will be on you and your dime for anything that needs to be sent out for repair.

If you look hard enough you can find used ones. Just make sure that you can easily get filters for it, it has on-board oxygen monitoring, hours are below 10,000, and is low in wattage.

I had a Philips EverflowQ and it was slightly better than my Invacare Perfecto that I have now.

[Stormynights]

http://www.directhomemedical.com/simply ... kV-5PmrQ_N

This is the one I have. You can use it with your cpap machine so it is great for trips.

[TahoeGal]

I am in the process of buying a concentration machine. I considered the simply go- I ended up going with the Inogen. The simply go delivers o2 at a max of 2lpm. The Inogen goes up to 5lpm.

I don't have the machine yet, so I can't give you any feedback on using it. I can say that Charles at Inogen has been very diligent in the quest to buy the machine (yes, his job, but he is really trying) I am having one heck of a time getting the rx out of my sleep doc. It's been 3 weeks. Inogen sent over the rx request several times, and all they need to do is sign it. I have called them several times, alerting them to the request. They do nothing. Ridiculous. I have tried to get them to simply fax the oximetry report to my lung doc. Can't seem to do that either. I called the oximetry dme directly, they said they will fax the report to my lung doc if they have it- I will call my lung doc today and see if they got it... My sleep doc has lost a patient, if they even care.

[lindalrc]

I had the "info transfer" problem once (20 yrs ago) with a podiatrist. Filled out the complaint form and faxed to the State Medical Board. One of the questions was "What could the doctor/office to correct the problem?" Obvious answer: Send the requested documents. Got action in less than a week. Docs do not want to be in the eye of the state medical board.

Be proactive - repeatedly and ad nauseum

[Stormynights]

I had the small Inogen machine for a while until they were out of network for me. I liked the machine but it was pulse only and not usable with cpap machine. I don't know how the larger machine works but if it is pulse only you might want to reconsider. When I got the Simply go I called the oxygen companies until I found one that furnished a portable machine. I just got lucky with the Simply Go. I don't think they end up costing more than the portable tanks. They are a lot easier to handle.

[TahoeGal]

The DME faxed the oximetry report to my lung doc! They were so nice! Now to have him write the rx and fax it in. (I have a copy of the sleep study done by sleep doc. I can get a copy of the brain MRI. I don't have any other things to get, unless I need notes! Good bye sleep doc!) I hope to get my concentrater by the end of the next week. I'll let you know how it goes.

[wyonel]

Thanks all for your comments and suggestions. Please keep me informed Tahogal of your experiences with the Inogen At Home. My interest in this machine is the lightweight portability of it, but I am hoping for some users reviews before taking the plunge of buying any machine. Our local and only provider in our small community is difficult to deal with and charges an outrageous rental fee in my opinion. That is why I am looking to purchase. Thanks again and I'm looking forward to any more information.

[bwexler]

Are you planning to pay out of pocket or get help from your insurance.
If you don't plan on any help from insurance look at Amazon, they may lead you to a supplier.

[TahoeGal]

I'm going to receive my Inogen Wednesday. I'll let you know what I learn.

[TahoeGal]

I did get my unit Wednesday. It is light and relatively small. My estimate is that it's the size of 3 shoe boxes stacked. It is 40 db, not too bad. The unit doesn't have a floating ball to indicate lpm, it is digital, just select your lpm.
It seems to have worked well. My first night was better spo2, but I noticed last night that the line was kinked. I fixed it. Last nights report showed better spo2, at about 92. I am not fully titrated yet. I see my new dr after thanksgiving weekend, and I will bring a pre-o2 and post o2 report.
I am happy with the unit, which fits my lifestyle much better than the traditional units.
I have contact info. Pm me if you're interested.