Breathing an idea to life: Injectable oxygen microparticles
An amazing article by on June 27, 2012 please read below...
John Kheir, MD, is a staff physician and researcher in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at Boston Children’s Hospital. As reported this week in Science Translational Medicine, he led a team that created a method for IV oxygen delivery — tiny particles filled with oxygen gas, mixed with liquid and injected directly into the blood. In an emergency, the injections could potentially buy clinicians time to start life-saving therapies. The technology was reported by The Atlantic, Popular Science, Scientific American, Technology Review and other outlets.
It was an ordinary Saturday night in the ICU at Boston Children’s, in the fall of 2006. One of my patients was a 9-month-old girl who was admitted with pneumonia, and was having trouble breathing. I had gone in to check on her just a few minutes before; although she was not feeling well, she reached out and touched my hand as I examined her. I assured her mother she was in the best possible place for her care.
Five minutes later, the code bell alarmed. Our team rushed into her room to the most horrific sight I have ever seen. She lay limp in bed, lifeless. Her face was covered in blood, which we knew came from her lungs. We rushed into position.
My colleague and I placed a breathing tube, while the nursing team performed CPR and administered all of the proper medications. The tube was in the right place, the medications were getting in, everything was happening right on time… but she remained lifeless.
Her oxygen saturation was too low for her to resuscitate, so we decided to put her on a heart-lung bypass machine. This procedure is technically challenging under any circumstances, but here especially when we were performing CPR. Although we were able to get her onto the machine, and her heart was revived, we learned once again the lesson that ICU clinicians hate: The brain is the most sensitive organ to low oxygen delivery. She was no longer the person she could have become. It had all been taken away from her in the 20 minutes her brain was deprived of oxygen. She died three days later.
I was devastated and frustrated. We did everything exactly right. I lay in my bed that night staring at the ceiling. She could not have received better care, and yet she still died. What good was our amazing technology if patients are so injured by the time they are effectively supported?
At the time, I was a fellow – early in my career. I didn’t really know the first thing about research, but I knew that this was a big problem that nobody had an answer for. Why couldn’t we just make a form of oxygen that we could inject into an intravenous line? I found that there was a whole field of research focusing on gas-filled microbubbles that people used for ultrasound contrast agents and for targeted therapy. Maybe we could alter that technology to be able to safely inject oxygen gas.
I had an idea, but no concept of how to approach it. I didn’t have a lab, or money, or a mentor. But the first thing I learned is that inspiration is the sine qua non of important research. Then, I was immensely blessed to find a mentor who took on this ragamuffin researcher with a crazy idea. I met with Frank McGowan, MD, the then-Chief of Cardiac Anesthesia at Boston Children’s — a highly accomplished researcher with nothing to gain (and a lot to lose) from me. But he took me in, met with me often, gave me space in his lab, taught me how to do research, how to write grants and papers, and how to test my ideas in a rigorous way… every essential research skill.
Although we had every likelihood of failure, he took a risk on me. And that is the second lesson I learned: that nothing good ever happens without taking a risk. True accomplishment is what you accomplish when nobody else believes in what you are doing.
The first experiment I remember was the simplest one we performed. It was a Friday evening, and my mentor was stuck in the operating room. I met him there with a vial of test suspension that my colleague, Mark Borden, PhD, had sent me. During a break, Dr. McGowan drew my blood, and we mixed it with the microparticles. We watched my blood turn from blue to red — indicating that the microparticles had successfully transferred the oxygen to the blood. That success was followed by hundreds of failures… blood that did not turn red, problems manufacturing the microparticles, and animals who did not survive even brief injections.
The idea of injecting oxygen into a patient is possibly now less far-fetched than it was six years ago. We have many obstacles to overcome to bring this idea to a patient’s bedside. But even if it never happens, I would rather have tried and failed than to have just turned over in bed that night and said, “that’s too bad… we tried everything.”
Hear more in this podcast.
What is a portable oxygen concentrator?
An oxygen concentrator is a device which concentrates the oxygen from a gas supply (typically ambient air) to supply an oxygen enriched gas mixture
Oxygen concentrators typically use pressure swing adsorption technology and are used very widely for oxygen provision in healthcare applications, especially where liquid or pressurised oxygen is too dangerous or inconvenient, such as in homes or in portable clinics.
Oxygen concentrators are also used to provide an economical source of oxygen in industrial processes, and also known as Oxygen Gas Generators or Oxygen Generation Plants
An oxygen concentrator has an air compressor, two cylinders filled with zeolite pellets, a pressure equalizing reservoir, and some valves and tubes. In the first half-cycle the first cylinder receives air from the compressor, which lasts about 3 seconds.
(wikipedia,2014)
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the name for a collection of lung diseases including chronic bronchitis, emphysema and chronic obstructive airways disease. (NHS direct)
Typical symptoms of COPD include:
- increasing breathlessness when active
- a persistent cough with phlegm
- frequent chest infections
Oxygen therapy can help! In fact, getting oxygen can prevent all those bad effects that happen when blood oxygen levels drop. Oxygen can reduce the strain on your heart. Oxygen can reduce shortness of breath. It will help you to stay more active and exercise longer and harder. It will help you think and remember better. And it will help you sleep better. Oxygen therapy CAN make a big difference in how you feel.
Oxygen therapy is a medical treatment. It must be prescribed by a doctor. For people with COPD, oxygen therapy can be a helpful part of their treatment plan. The prescription your doctor writes will include:
- If you need oxygen for rest, exercise and/or sleep, and how much in liters per minute (lpm) for each activity.
- How many hours a day oxygen should be used.
- What type of oxygen system you should use.
COPD is one of the most common respiratory diseases in the UK. It usually affects people over the age of 35, although most people are not diagnosed until they are in their fifties.
It is thought there are over 3 million people living with the disease in the UK, of which only about 900,000 have been diagnosed. This is because many people who develop symptoms of COPD do not get medical help because they often dismiss their symptoms as a ‘smoker’s cough’.
COPD affects more men than women, although rates in women are increasing.
Find out more about our services using medical oxygen www.oxygenworldwide.com
Portable oxygen
The first thing that you should consider when purchasing one of these is durability. This actually means two different things. Durability can be talking about the physical housing and how well it stands up to bangs, bumps, and drops. After all, this is a portable unit, designed to be on the move, and therefore much more prone to accidents that could prove very difficult to handle, especially in an emergency. A strong casing and carrier are absolute musts.
However, durability can also refer to battery life. A portable oxygen concentrator is an electronic device and therefore need to be either plugged into an outlet or be running on battery power in order to work. Ideally, the longer the battery life, the less you have to worry about being without oxygen while out and about. Most portable oxygen concentrators these days have battery lives in the range of six to ten hours of use with a double battery, though advancing technology predicts that soon we’ll have batteries that can power a typical concentrator for twelve or sixteen hours, perhaps even longer.
Size and weight should also play a large part in which portable oxygen concentrator you consider buying. In this case, smaller and lighter concentrators tend to be better. They are “portable”, after all, and a 17 pound device is not nearly as easy to tote about town as one might expect. Portable models are getting lighter and smaller all the time, and many these days weigh as little as eight, five, or even three pounds. There was a time not very long ago that the very idea of such a light unit was absolutely unheard of.
There aren’t a whole lot of factors to consider, but all of them are very important. This is a medical device that for many people is the difference between life and death while running errands, visiting friends and family, or just taking a walk. The ability to carry it comfortably and trust that it will work when it’s needed is absolutely key to any such purchase.
Daily life with COPD
Breathing exercises and airway clearance techniques can help clear your airways, strengthen your diaphragm and relieve shortness of breath.
If simple activities of daily living have you "huffin' and a puffin'," then learning how to get the most out of every breath you take should be an essential part of your COPD action plan. How can you manage that? By doing breathing exercises that help optimize your energy.
Most Comfortable Positions for Managing Shortness of Breath
Just can't get comfortable when short of breath? Here are some positions for you to try to help ease your discomfort:
1. Sitting
- : Find a comfortable chair to sit in. Sit with your back against the chair, while allowing your head and shoulders to drop forward. Rest your forearms on your thighs with your palms facing upwards. Make sure that your feet are flat on the floor with your knees rolled slightly outward. Do this until you are able to catch your breath.
2. Sitting With a Pillow
- : Sit in a comfortable chair. Place a pillow on a table in front of your where you are sitting. With your feet on the floor or on a stool, rest your head and arms on top of the pillow. You can also do this position while standing, with your arms resting on top of the kitchen counter, back of a chair or a high tabletop. If standing, remember to keep your knees slightly bent, with one foot slightly forward while you avoid leaning. Do this until your breathing is normal again.
3. Standing
- : With your feet slightly apart, stand with your back to a wall or pole. Keep your feet a comfortable distance from the wall, with your head and shoulders in a relaxed position. Do this until you are able to catch your breath.
Make holidays come true
Counting down the days until summer? OxygenWorldwide could be the gateway to your holiday plans… and a breath of fresh air
By using the right suppliers and preparing your needs your holiday could be happening sooner than you think, our team is here to help.
Historically, oxygen-dependent passengers were met with many obstacles when they tried traveling with oxygen by airplane.
To date, there are 21 oxygen concentrators approved by the FAA to carry on board your flight. They include:
- AirSep Focus
- AirSep FreeStyle
- AirSep FreeStyle 5
- AirSep LifeStyle
- Delphi RS-00400
- DeVilbiss iGo
- Inogen One
- Inogen G2
- Inogen One G3
- Inova Labs LifeChoice
- Inova Labs LifeChoice Activox
- International Biophysics LifeChoice
- Invacare XPO2
- Invacare Solo2
- Oxlife Independence Oxygen Concentrator
- Oxus RS-00400
- Precision Medical EasyPulse
- Respironics EverGo
- Respironics Simply Go
- Sequal
- SeQual SAROS
Please check with your airline before your travel.
In light of the new ruling, passengers must still meet certain pre-boarding conditions, including advance check-ins, having a fully charged battery for 150% of the flight time, a doctor's statement of medical necessity and properly packaged extra batteries.
For more information on oxygen travel, portable oxygen back up and travelling with medical oxygen, please speak with our team or make an enquiry at www.oxygenworldwide.com
What we do at OxygenWorldwide
OxygenWorldwide (What We Do) OxygenWorldwide is a company under Dutch management established in 1993.
OxygenWorldwide is based in Spain and operates internationally.
Our objective is to make travel for those who need oxygen as carefree as possible.
All OxygenWorldwide employees are multilingual. Our customer service staff speaks five languages.
OxygenWorldwide arranges oxygen delivery worldwide for oxygen users on holiday or staying abroad for a longer period of time, also in case of a tour through several countries.
OxygenWorldwide arranges oxygen at airports until the moment you board the plane and from the moment you deplane*.
OxygenWorldwide arranges oxygen at home after hospital discharge.
OxygenWorldwide arranges oxygen for individual users, insurance agencies, emergency centres and oxygen suppliers in your home country.
OxygenWorldwide delivers liquid oxygen (LOX), cylinders and (portable) concentrators.
OxygenWorldwide has an international network of oxygen suppliers and works with associates worldwide.
OxygenWorldwide can assist you in English, Spanish, German, French and Dutch.
* Available in certain countries only.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us
How you can breathe your way to good health
Why is breathing properly important?
Breathing correctly means that our bodies are being supplied with the right amount of oxygen, replenishing our brain and other vital organs with essential nutrients.
If you are not breathing correctly, your body can be robbed of oxygen, leading to a host of conditions.
Your skin can suffer as it is not receiving enough fresh oxygenated blood, your muscles can tire easily during a workout as they are not getting the right amount of oxygen and you can feel constantly tired and lethargic because there are not enough vital nutrients being carried in the blood.
Breathing incorrectly can also affect the levels of carbon dioxide - or CO2 - in the blood. While oxygen is important for our bodies to function properly, CO2 is just as vital.
Fiona Agombar, a yoga teacher and author, explains, 'You need a balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide. If you breathe too fast, you breathe off too much carbon dioxide, which, in turn, will make your whole system too alkaline.
'A certain level of CO2 is necessary for your cells to maintain the correct level of acidity and to function properly.'
What effect does breathing incorrectly have on my health?
When we are babies, we all take deep, relaxing breaths from our abdomen - watch your children when they are asleep to see how their stomach rises and falls rather than their chest.
As we get older, stress often changes the way we breathe. When we are stressed, our bodies operate on the 'fight or flight' response to whatever is scaring us. This means we take short sharp breaths to help prepare for the 'fight' we will have to face.
But prolonged periods of stress mean we constantly breathe like this, only ever using the top third of our lungs. This causes us to breathe as if we were permanently hyperventilating.
This leads to a poor exchange of oxygen and CO2 in the bloodstream, depriving our bodies of both vital gases.
The physiological effect of a lack of CO2 can make you feel 'spaced out' and can lead to panic attacks, insomnia, dizziness and extreme fatigue, while lack of oxygen can rob your organs and muscles of a proper blood flow.
Hyperventilating also increases the heart rate, leading to palpitations and contributes to feelings of anxiety and being out of control.
When victims are having a panic attack, the best remedy is to let them breathe into a paper bag. This means they are re-inhaling the exhaled carbon dioxide, boosting their levels of CO2 back to normal.
How can I breathe correctly?
To breathe properly, you need to use your diaphragm, the large sheet-like muscle that lies at the bottom of the chest cavity.
To find your diaphragm, sit comfortably or lie on your back on the floor. Place your left hand on your upper chest and your right hand on your abdomen, in the 'gap' of your rib cage.
When you breathe in and out, your left hand should remain still and only your right hand should move up and down. If your left hand is moving, your breathing is too shallow and you are not using your diaphragm as you should.
Try to alter your breathing so only your right hand moves as you do so. Yoga teacher Fiona Agombar has a few tips to make sure you are breathing properly.
'One in-breath and one out-breath are one cycle,' she says. 'Try to slow your breathing down to eight to ten cycles per minute without breathing from your upper chest area. Aim to breathe slowly and smoothly.'
Slow, rhythmic breathing will help regulate the flow of oxygen and CO2, slow the heart rate - easing anxiety - and ensure your circulation is carrying the optimum amount of nutrients around the body.
Regulating your breathing will also help boost your performance during aerobic exercise as your muscles will be fully replenished with the right amounts of energy-giving oxygen.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-140722/How-breathe-way-good-health.html#ixzz351X0PMin
Find out more about oxygen and travel when needing medical oxygen abroad: www.oxygenworldwide.com
