Liquid Oxygen- Helios & Helios Marathon A Guide for Patients in the Home Contact Name: Phone number:
Table of Contents Contents Receiving Liquid Oxygen in the Home... 2 Instructions for Liquid Oxygen-Helios in the Home... 3 Checking the contents and attaching the nasal cannula.... 5 REFILLING YOUR PORTABLE UNIT... 7 Frequently Asked Questions... 10 Troubleshooting... 12 Troubleshooting continued..... 13 How to replace the 9-volt battery in the Helios stationary.... 14 Moisture Container:... 15 1
Chapter 1 ICON KEY What to Expect What to do Questions & Answers Receiving Liquid Oxygen in the Home Y our doctor has ordered for you to receive Liquid Oxygen at home. Receiving Liquid Oxygen in the home is safe and effective. We would like to share some basic information with you in this booklet. Please contact your local Advanced Home Care branch if you have more questions. What you should expect? Liquid Oxygen is very cold and can cause injury and damage if not used properly. You will still have an oxygen concentrator for use while at home. The Liquid Oxygen stationary unit may be set-up in a garage, breezeway or basement out of the way, and will be used as your portable. Liquid oxygen should not be set-up in areas where heat may be excessive. Liquid Oxygen is cooled to -170C degrees. It becomes a liquid that is light blue in color. What can I expect after Liquid Oxygen is set-up in the home? You will receive a bi-weekly call from our Oxygen Follow-up team. You will be asked how much oxygen is in your stationary. How to read the stationary will be covered later in this guide. You will need to go to your doctor appointments as scheduled. Always use oxygen at the prescribed amount and duration. For example: 2 liters continuous (all the time) or: 1 liter PRN (as needed) 2
Chapter 2 Instructions for Liquid Oxygen-Helios in the Home What you should do? USING THE Liquid Oxygen Helios portable. You will need to determine which Liquid Oxygen reservoir you have received. Both the Companion and Helios reservoir will fill the Helios Liquid Oxygen portable. Let us review the Helios Liquid Oxygen stationary. Liquid Oxygen Fill Connector: Used to fill the Helios portable with liquid oxygen. Release Button: Used to disengage the portable from the reservoir after filling. Contents Indicator: Displays amount of liquid oxygen remaining in the Reservoir. Moisture Container: Used to collect water that may accumulate. 3
Let us review the Companion Liquid Oxygen stationary. Liquid Oxygen Fill Connector: Used to fill the Helios portable with liquid oxygen. Contents Indicator: Displays amount of liquid oxygen remaining in the Reservoir. Release Button: Used to disengage the portable from the reservoir after filling. How do I read the contents indicator? If you have the Helios statinonary tank, you will need to see how many green lights apear. Press the blue button to see the lights. The Helios has eight lights. As you use the liquid oxygen conteitns, the number of lights shown will decrease. If you have the Companion liquid oxygen stationary, you will need to see how far down the green line is. 1/1- Full ½- Half full 0- Empty, you will need a refill. This gauge indicates that this particular stationary is ½ full. 4
Checking the contents and attaching the nasal cannula. The following step-by-step instructions will help you operate your portable liquid oxygen unit. Step 1: Check the amount of liquid oxygen in your unit. The Helios liquid oxygen portable contents are checked just like a produce scale in a supermarket. Hold the strap with one hand. Allow the weight of the contents to pull the portable down towards the ground. When the portable unit is not in use, the liquid oxygen it contains will evaporate within 24 hours. Be sure your unit has enough oxygen in it to accommodate your expected usage time. If your Helios portable needs to be filled, continue to Step 1 on page 6. 5
Note: Dual-Lumen Cannula An oxygen cannula delivers oxygen from the portable unit to your nose. The cannula has two connections. One is to sense when you inhale, the other is to deliver oxygen to you while you inhale. Step 2: Attach the oxygen tubing to the oxygen outlet on the side of the unit. Helios Marathon- Counter clockwise is continuous mode. Clockwise is conserving. DO NOT USE setting unless you have talked to your doctor. Step 3: Adjust the oxygen flow by turning the knob until the prescribed liter number appears and the switch clicks into position. Be sure not to set the control knob between number positions or no oxygen will flow. Your doctor has prescribed the oxygen flow rate for you. Never change this liter flow without instructions 6
from your doctor. REFILLING YOUR PORTABLE UNIT To refill your portable liquid oxygen unit from the stationary reservoir, follow the steps below. Step 1: Wipe the filling connectors on both the portable unit and the stationary reservoir with a clean lint-free cloth. These fittings must be dry. Moisture could cause the units to freeze together. Helios Marathon Helios Step 2: Turn the flow control knob on the portable unit OFF. 7
Step 3: Attach the portable unit to the stationary reservoir at the filling connectors. Center the portable unit connector over the reservoir connector. Step 4: Lower the unit into the shaped recess or onto the connector. Once the unit is resting on the connector, hold down firmly until the filling process is complete. Step 5: Open the fill valve by pulling the fill lever down on the back of your portable unit. This will start the filling process. About 30 seconds into the filling process, close and the vent lever one or more times to break up any ice that may began to form around the valve stem. This will help prevent the vent valve from freezing open. As the unit is filling, you will hear a hissing noise. When the unit is full, the hissing noise will change and you will see a small cloud of white vapor at the connection. Always remain with the units while filling. 8
Fill time is approximately one minute for the Helios, and two minutes for the Helios Marathon. Step 6: When the unit is full, slowly close the fill valve. Step 7: Disengage the portable unit from the stationary reservoir. If the unit does not separate easily, do not force it. The units may be frozen together. Wait until the units warm up and they will separate easily. DO NOT TOUCH any of the frosted parts of the connectors. Liquid oxygen can cause frostbite to the skin. Step 7: Reattach the nasal cannula to the oxygen outlet on the portable unit. Your unit is now ready for use. Liquid oxygen will slowly evaporate from a portable unit. To avoid excess waste, fill the portable unit about an hour before your outing. Always keep your portable in an upright position or flat on its back side. If the liquid portable is accidentally tipped in improper position, you may hear hissing and see oxygen vapor escaping. Always store the portable unit in a well-ventilated area. 9
Chapter 3 Frequently Asked Questions Questions & Answers Can I continue to lead a normal life with my oxygen? Yes! You can still be active and mobile with your oxygen. It is possible to continue working, shopping, vacationing do all the things you normally do! What if I have difficulty breathing, even while using my oxygen? Difficulty breathing is not always associated with lack of oxygen. It is true that your oxygen needs may change. However, your physician should evaluate any shortness of breath you may experience. You should NOT increase your oxygen flow-rate without your physician s authorization. Will I become addicted to oxygen if I use it continuously? No! Oxygen is not addicting. When oxygen is no longer needed to supplement your body s needs, your physician will discontinue it. 10 Is oxygen a drug? Yes! Oxygen is a drug and should only be used as instructed. As with any drug, too much can be harmful and not enough may not have the beneficial effect desired. Be sure to always follow your physician s instruction.
Will my oxygen tank explode? No! Oxygen does not burn or explode. However, it does support combustion and therefore, it causes materials to burn faster. What do I do if my nose gets dry? Lubricate with Surgilube, nasal air jelly, or saline spray. How can I clean the Helios portable or liquid oxygen stationary? Do NOT use alcohol, solvents, polishes, or any oily substance on oxygen equipment. If cleaning is necessary, use only warm water and a mild dish washing detergent. Dampen a cloth in the detergent and water solution and wipe the outside surfaces of the equipment until clean. CAUTION Do not allow water into any of the controls, the fill connector, or the oxygen supply connector. Never attempt to repair or disassemble this equipment. You could create a hazardous condition or cause equipment failure. If you have problems, questions, or are unsure if equipment is operating properly, please contact Advanced Home Care. 11
Chapter 4 Troubleshooting Trouble Probable cause Remedy Liquid oxygen portable will The portable may have been overfilled. Let the portable set for 45 minutes, not allow any oxygen to The liter flow is on 0 come out of the nasal Nasal cannula is not on liquid portable and attempt to use the portable again. cannula. correctly. Set liter flow to prescribed amount. Place nasal cannula on liquid portable correctly. Liquid oxygen portable was filled the night before and is empty by the next day. Liquid oxygen portable seems to not last as long as it use to. Liquid portable needs to be filled one hour before using. Patient may be taking more breaths. Portable is not filling up completely. Never fill the liquid portable a day ahead of time. Liquid oxygen evaporates quickly. Other arrangements may have to be made to accommodate the patient. Make sure the liquid portable is full by checking for a hissing, gargling noise while filling the liquid portable. When I press the blue button on the Helios tank, nothing comes on. Liquid oxygen tank is spraying out oxygen when the liquid portable is taking off the lox tank. Liquid oxygen tank is empty, but the patient has only used it a hand full of times. Liquid oxygen tank continues to make a hissing sound. 9 volt battery is dead. Replace 9 volt battery. Crystals have formed around the filling port. Use a long stick, broom, to tap the nipple on the filling port. Liquid oxygen evaporates quickly. All liquid oxygen tanks will evaporate about 1lb- 2lb a day. Liquid oxygen tank may have been just filled by one of our liquid drivers. Liquid driver has overfilled the lox tank. Allow liquid oxygen tank to set for 24-48 hours. You may continue to fill liquid portables. 12
Troubleshooting continued.. A few things you should know about the filling ports above. #1, the Companion filling port. This will be the filling port that you will find on the Companion 100lb and the 50lb stationary. This port will fill any of the 4 liquid portables that Advanced Home Care offers. You should have either the Helios or Helios Marathon. #2, the Helios Universal. This fill port will fill any liquid oxygen portable that Advanced Home Care offers. #3, the Helios non-universal. YOU MUST USE A HELIOS OR HELIOS MARATHON BRAND LIQUID PORTABLE. 13
How to replace the 9-volt battery in the Helios stationary. A yellow light appears on the Reservoir contents indicator when the battery needs to be replaced. This should happen very seldom. Advanced Home Care will change the battery on your next scheduled refill date. If you need to see how much liquid oxygen is in your stationary, you may use a coin to open the battery door as shown above. Use only a 9-volt alkaline battery as pictured. 14
Moisture Container: If moisture is collected, empty by pulling out the moisture container and pouring the water into a sink for disposal. To reinstall the moisture container push it into the Reservoir housing until it is held firmly in place. Empty the container when the water reaches the full (1/1) line or water may spill onto your floor. 15