Re: Re: oxygen equipment: helios and little green tanks

[Guest guest]

I just got a marathon on thursday

It's heavy, but it works great

Lincare gave me a copy of the "Approximate Use Times"

Continuous Flow varies from C1 at 10.5 hours to C6 at 1.5 hours

Demand Flow varies from D1.5 at 22.5 hours to D4 at 9.5 hours

I keep changing the flow depending on what i am doing

Sitting is D2 - D4

Activity is C2 - C4

We left the house yesterday at 11 am and it worked at various levels until the drive home between 8 - 9 pm

I didn't even have to hook up a little green tank that I carry for when the old helios would run out.

The marathon is heavy and I wheel it around in a baby stroller. I did that with the Helios too.

The carry case comes with a single strap, back pack straps and another strap whose purpose i am not sure of

demand at 3 lpm should be 11.5 hours

Pink Joyce IPF 3/06 Pennslvania

I talk my share too but it still doesn't take me as much oxygen aswalking fast. Although it won't solve the problem of lasting longer,another advantage of the Marathon is that it has continuous settings inaddition to the demand. One reason your talking may be getting to youmore on the Helios is if you breathe mostly through your mouth whentalking and not through your nose. I have problems with the demandsometimes when I'm really suffering from allergies. I'll even have toswitch to continuous or to the alternate cannulas which have both in andout for both nostrils.As a piece of added information on Helios Plus and Helios Marathon, thesettings are not equal to what you would get on other equipment at thesame flow. A Helios only delivers approximately 22 ml of oxygen at 2lpm. By comparison, Caire portables (carried by many fewer suppliers)deliver 30 ml at the same setting.

Therefore, Helios 3 lpm is roughlyequivalent to Caire's 2 lpm. The higher settings on the Helios are evenworse as 4 lpm is not equal to double 2 lpm on the Helios Plus. It'sstill only 35 ml. Any demand system is based on equivalent formulas andassumptions as to number of breaths per minute and length of eachbreath. Now, once you understand that it's livable. But, don't bealarmed at the flows you require on Helios. I actually find my SATS arehigher and I'm getting more oxygen on 3 lpm continuous on the Marathonthan i do on 4 lpm demand. So, I turn it up as follows 3 lpm demand then4 lpm demand then 3 lpm continuous then 4 lpm continuous. Of course oncontinuous it uses runs out much faster.The amount of time you'll get is also estimated based on breaths perminute. Helios shows exaggerated times because they base theirs on 16breaths per minute while others base on 20 per minute.> > >> > > > Thanks everybody for your suggestions. I put calls in to my> > pulomnary> > > > and emailed the nurse practicioner. Waiting to hear from them.> > > >> > > > --with the 2 Helios's, does the liquid o2 in the second one> > > > evaporate before you get to use it?> > > >> > > > Bruce--the Marathon is heavier than the Helios. However, i thinki> > > > will need a marathon in the near future because of a increase inthe> > > > lpm. Right now i use 4 lpm when active. If it goes any higherthe> > > > helios won't be enough.> > > >> > > > *Pink Joyce IPF 3/06 Pennslvania*> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > >> > >-----------

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