Background: Decades of clinical research into pulsed oxygen delivery has shown variable efficacy between users,\nand across a userâ??s behaviours (sleep, rest, activity). Modern portable oxygen concentrators (POCs) have been\nshown as effective as other oxygen delivery devices in many circumstances. However, there are concerns that they\nare not effective during sleep when the breathing is shallow, and at very high respiratory rates as during physical\nexertion. It can be challenging to examine the determinants of POC efficacy clinically due to the heterogeneity of\nlung function within oxygen users, the diversity of user behaviour, and measurement issues. Representative bench\ntesting may help identify key determinants of pulsed-oxygen device efficacy.\nMethods: Three contemporary devices were bench-evaluated across three simulated breathing behaviours: activity,\nrest, & oronasal breathing during sleep. Emphasis was placed on breathing patterns representative of oxygen users.\nResults: All three POCs performed well during simulated breathing during exertion and at rest. Differences in\ntriggering ability were noted for the scenario of oronasal breathing during sleep.\nConclusions: The results are supportive of contemporary POC triggering abilities. The differences shown in ultimate\ntrigger sensitivity may have relevance to oronasal breathing during sleep or other challenging scenarios for pulsed\noxygen delivery, such as dominant mouth breathing during exertion or unfavourable nasal geometry.
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