Supplemental oxygen patients find freedom in new delivery system

There’s nothing easy about supplemental oxygen.

You’ve got the tubing (nasal cannula) that hangs on your ears and loops under your nostrils. And you’ve got the tank of oxygen that has to be carried around. And the tank has to be filled on a regular basis.

If that describes you or a friend or family member, you might want to look into trans-tracheal oxygen. In an outpatient procedure, doctors make a small incision in the trachea. After the incision heals, a catheter delivers oxygen through a discreet tube.

In spite of the invasiveness, many patients report a sense of liberation. Breathing is easier, and they’re finally free of the embarrassing tubing that sometimes causes sores around the nostrils.

This system has possible side effects, such as pain and bleeding. But according to Ivanhoe Newswire, patients who use trans-tracheal oxygen live an average of two years longer than patients who use traditional supplemental oxygen equipment.

To Your Good Health,

Jenny Thompson

Source:
“Secret Oxygen Supply” Ivanhoe Newswire, 11/16/09, ivanhoe.com