Mid-South Pulmonary does not sell medical equipment, however, if you are in need of any medical equipment, please call our office and ask to speak to our medical department. Our staff can assist you in getting the equipment needed using the approved vendors on your insurance plan. Below is a brief description of some of the medical equipment we frequently order for our patients.
Oxygen
Oxygen therapy is a treatment that provides you with extra oxygen, a gas that your body needs to work properly.
Normally, your lungs absorb oxygen from the air. However, some diseases and conditions can prevent you from getting enough oxygen. Oxygen therapy can help ensure that you get enough oxygen, which may help you function better and be more active.
Oxygen is supplied in a metal cylinder or other container. It flows through a tube and is delivered to your lungs in one of the following ways:
- Through a nasal cannula, which consists of two small plastic tubes, or prongs, that are placed in both nostrils.
- Through a face mask, which fits over your nose and mouth.
- Through a tracheostomy (TRA-ke-OS-to-me). This is a surgically made hole that goes through the front of your neck and into your windpipe. A breathing tube is placed in the hole to help you breathe. Oxygen delivered this way is called transtracheal oxygen therapy.
Oxygen therapy can be done in a hospital, another medical setting, or at home. If you need oxygen therapy for a chronic (ongoing) disease or condition, you may receive home oxygen therapy.
Nebulizers
With over 31 million people diagnosed with asthma in America alone, nebulizer machines are extremely vital for providing therapy and treatment. Nebulizer machines are even more vital for the 10 million plus children who are diagnosed with asthma. Asthma is the leading chronic illness of children in the United States and the leading cause of school absenteeism due to chronic illness. Therefore, having a nebulizer machine in the home, as well as a portable nebulizer machine that children, as well as adults, can use while on the go, is very important to have.
Nebulizer machines use compressed air to deliver asthma medicine as a wet aerosol – a fine mist that can be inhaled. The most common medications used in a nebulizer machine are bronchodilators, such as Albuterol, Salbutamol, and Fenoterol. These medications are used to help open up air passages. Nebulizer machines are also used to administer inhaled steroids and cromolyn.
Nebulizer machines have three main parts: a cup that holds the medication, a mouthpiece or mask attached to a T-elbow, and a thin, plastic tube that connects the mouthpiece to the compressor. There are home and hospital models of nebulizer breathing machines, as well as portable nebulizer machines.
Medical air compressors are used to drive air through the tubing to the nebulizer. The nebulizer then converts the liquid medication into a mist that can then be inhaled directly into the lungs. Medical air compressors typically come in two types: a stationary tabletop model that uses electricity from an 110V outlet in your home and a portable unit that uses a battery, or may operate from the cigarette lighter in your car.
Nebulizers are either disposable or non-disposable. Disposable nebulizers are typically used only for a few weeks because they are subject to breaking and the particle size is affected. The particle size of the mist is important because it determines where in the lung the medication will be deposited. Non-disposable nebulizers last from six months to a year without changing the particle size in the mist.
People with severe asthma are likely to have severe attacks that require the use of nebulizer breathing machines. For these people, having a nebulizer at home can help prevent frequent visits to a health-care provider or hospital. For infants and children, nebulizers deliver drugs to the lungs more effectively than inhalers do.
CPAP
CPAP, or continuous positive airway pressure, is a treatment that uses mild air pressure to keep your airways open while you sleep. CPAP is used for people who have breathing problems, such as sleep apnea.
This treatment is done using a CPAP machine. CPAP machines have three main parts:
- A mask or other device that fits over your nose or your nose and mouth. Straps keep the mask in place while you're wearing it.
- A tube that connects the mask to the machine's motor.
- A motor that blows air into the tube.
Some CPAP machines have other features as well, such as heated humidifiers. CPAP machines are small, lightweight, and fairly quiet. The noise that they make is soft and rhythmic.
Overview
CPAP is the most effective treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a common disorder in which you have pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while you sleep. When this happens, not enough air reaches your lungs.
In obstructive sleep apnea, your airways collapse or are blocked during sleep. The blockage may cause shallow breathing or breathing pauses. When you try to breathe, any air that squeezes past the blockage can cause loud snoring. Your snoring may wake other people in the house.
The mild pressure from CPAP can prevent your airway from collapsing or becoming blocked.
