With the rise in demand for medical oxygen, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) issued an advisory on oxygen concentrators, listing out the specifications recommended by it for home-based Covid-19 care.
The advisory, issued Sunday, warns against ‘misleading’ brands that don’t meet the recommended specifications.
According to the CDSCO, oxygen concentrators which ‘provide a continuous flow of concentrated oxygen (of more than 90 per cent) from room air through one oxygen outlet,’ is recommended, along with those having a minimum of continuous flow of 5 litres per minute or more.
The CDSCO, in its two-page advisory, also says the oxygen concentrator ought to have an oxygen monitor to ‘verify concentration’ and a ‘digital or analogue meter that displays cumulative hours of device operation’.
Avoid these ‘misleading’ claims:
The CDSCO warns against brands misleading consumers by selling concentrators that fall short of these specifications.
‘It is advised that oxygen concentrators of less than 5 litres per minute capacity may not be sold under the misleading label of ‘for home based Covid care’,’ the CDSCO advisory further states.
The concentrators must also be sold with the equipment required to operate the machine, user care instructions and technical maintenance protocols. The CDSCO also says it is ‘strongly advised’ that sellers display the oxygen percentage and capacity clearly on the packaging.
‘The aim of this advisory is to provide minimum parameters that must be verified by people before using an oxygen concentrator for Covid-19 case management in home setting,’ the advisory notes.
