This past May, I wrote a column called “Keeping Concentrators New Car Smell Fresh”. It referenced how to deal with foul smelling rental equipment being returned to a DME company. The odor could have come from several sources, but the most common cause was almost always smoking. The odor had been absorbed into the machine and the DME had found it next to impossible to get out.

I detailed how, when I was at the Cleveland Clinic, we purchased a purifier that would take these odors out easily and effectively. It allowed us to restore the equipment to pristine condition for use by the next patient.

I received many requests asking where they could find this product. I forwarded the information and asked each respondent to let me know how it was working. Here are just a few of the many responses I received:

JM said: “Yes. We have the purifier and it works wonders.”

BW said: “Thanks for the great article. We purchased the purifier and have used it several times on equipment that had odors our cleaning tech could not remove. After only one hour the odors were completely gone. Thanks again, Bob.”

DC said: “Great article regarding equipment cleaning. We purchased the purifier after you gave us the name and I must say it really works. We no longer are deciding whether to throw out bad smelling equipment or just store it on the shelf. Usually a one hour treatment will take care of the odor. Thanks again for the information. That purifier is saving us a ton of money.”

I do not get any compensation from the company that sells these devices and will not publish the brand name. However, If you missed my first article and have equipment that has odors you cannot remove, or are spending big dollars sending returned equipment out for another company to clean, I will be happy to pass on this information to you: bmcquown@applied-inc.com.

Smoking is such a powerful addiction that it often overrules common sense. If you have patients you know or suspect are smoking while using their oxygen concentrator, you can warn them of the dangers of smoking around oxygen.

But unless you are living with them, you really cannot control what they are doing while on their oxygen. However, there is one thing you can do to help protect them, their surroundings and your equipment.

Attach OxySafe™ bi-directional thermal shut-off devices to their oxygen tubing. For less than $9 you can equip their tubing with two OxySafe fire safety devices. One will connect to the out port of the concentrator. The other will connect just before the patient’s nasal cannula. Should your patient then accidentally come into contact with a heat source igniting a fire, the OxySafe will quickly extinguish it.

To see OxySafe in action, visit: applied-inc.com/oxysafe. It truly is a lifesaver.