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by Dr Jonathan Spanoghe, Riverton Rossmoyne Veterinary Hospital, WA
We undertook a big practice renovation in 2019 and as part of that, we plumbed in oxygen lines throughout the building. They are all attached to the Reliant oxygen concentrator that filters the air and stores concentrated oxygen in a tank.
What’s good about it
The problem with portable concentrators is that if the power goes off, the unit shuts down immediately. As our concentrator has a tank, we have a reserve of useable oxygen, even if the power is off for some time. It’s also nice to forget about ordering oxygen, having it delivered and finding somewhere to store it. The Reliant is a set-and-forget machine.
When the pressure in the tank drops, the unit detects that, kicks in and refills it again. It works independently and we have a constant supply of medical oxygen. MediQuip services the unit once a year to ensure everything is working as it should.
If you’re running a busy practice or emergency centre with lots of patients, it may struggle a bit to keep up. But for a mid-sized general practice like ours, it’s perfect. It’s positioned in its own little room and requires little maintenance or supervision.
What’s not so good
If we have multiple anaesthetic machines using it at the same time, the tank can become depleted. The unit will give an audible alarm that means the oxygen concentration is dropping. It doesn’t happen very often. In fact, it usually happens because someone has forgot to turn off an anaesthetic machine.
