Frequently Asked Questions about SmartDose TechnologyDo patients have to "qualify" for SmartDose? — in other words — Do patients have to try other units (and fail) before they can get SmartDose?No. SmartDose units are appropriate for any patient prescribed portable units for Long Term Oxygen Therapy. There is no guideline for a patient to "qualify" for SmartDose or to have to try other units and fail first. SmartDose is an oxygen dosing unit and conserver and has no "special" requirements. Can SmartDose be used with a Pendent cannula system?We have not tested SmartDose with a Pendent cannula because the Pendent is intended to be a conserver on its own. The Pendent is effectively a flapper valve that opens when you inhale and closes when you exhale. Our SmartDose units are both doser and conserver and do not require another conserving device in series. Simple cannula from SmartDose to patient should give excellent saturation and conservation and would be considerably less expensive. Do the SmartDose units cost the patient more?No. SmartDose oxygen doser units should not cost a patient more than traditional oxygen conservers and are covered within normal insurance and Medicare payment guidelines. Can the SmartDose Mini batteries be charged from aftermarket chargers with mini-USB connectors — including car accessory port chargers?Mini-USB chargers are standardized in some areas but not in others. All mini-USB chargers will put 5 Volts on the correct connectors, but, in the case of a computer connection, a communications handshaking protocol is required and our Mini does not provide for this. In other chargers, the current is the only question mark. Typically wall chargers or accessory port chargers will have the correct voltage, but may not have as much current. Bottom line? All of the aftermarket chargers should be safe, but charging times may vary and, in some cases, can be quite long. How long will the oxygen in a SmartDose unit last on a patient?Because the SmartDose units deliver a prescribed dose per breath, then adjust when the wearer exerts, this will vary from patient to patient. A patient on a "2" setting breathing at 20 breaths per minute will have more ambulatory time than someone on a "3" setting who is breathing at 35 breaths per minute. This is not specific to SmartDose, however, as duration of all oxygen portables is subject to how the patient uses the unit. Frequently users of other units turn the setting up and sometimes forget to turn it down again, limiting the duration of the unit. With its automatic adjustment technology, SmartDose minimizes the need to "self-titrate" and increases the amount of time the oxygen in the unit will last. View duration table for average duration times. How long will the 300/600 Units last on continuous flow?Keeping in mind that the continuous flow setting on these units are fixed at 2 LPM, the 300 model will hold enough liquid oxygen for 2 hours and 20 minutes, and the 600 model will hold enough for 4 hours and 30 minutes. This assumes that the units are completely full. Obviously, if the unit is not full, these durations will not be realized. How long will the batteries last between charges?The largest drain on the batteries of the SmartDose unit is from energizing the valves to deliver the proper dose of oxygen. These valves actuate with each breath. Because of this, batteries naturally will drain faster on patients who are breathing faster. Our testing has been conducted with higher valve actuation rates, and would suggest approximately 7-8 days of run time between charges on both the SmartDose LOX and SmartDose SD units. The SmartDose Mni product uses just 2 batteries and should last 4-5 days between charges. Of course, results will vary depending on the use time per day, exertion and breath rate. How many charges can I expect from the set of batteries included with my SmartDose unit?The standard response from the battery manufacturers is shown below. Our charger is modest and should allow for >300 charge cycles. "Generally NiMH batteries offer 100's of charges over its lifetime. Many factors affect NiMH battery cycle life, including temperature, storage conditions and shelf life. Also the number of charges you will get out of your batteries will vary depending on the charger you use. In general, fast chargers can limit the NiMH battery lifetime to 150 charges while slower chargers can prolong the cycle life to more than 500 charges." Do the rechargeable batteries in the SmartDose have memory issues?No. "Memory Effect" issues — where batteries appear dead before the charge is actually are depleted because of repeated charges from the same level — were associated with the NiCad batteries. SmartDose units are shipped with NiMH batteries and as such should have no memory issues. What happens when the SD Card in my SmartDose unit gets full of data?Although this is unlikely as 5 years worth of data can be save on the standard 1 GB card included with the SmartDose unit, should the card become full, no further data can be written to the card. The estimated 5 years worth of data storage is based on daily use of 8 hours/day for 5 years. Is there a concern about CO2 retention?While CO2 retention is very real in some oxygen patients, the response to CO2 retention combined with an increase in oxygen dosing, and the potential for respiratory distress is what is in question. It is more commonly believed today that the clamping of hypoxic drive and resulting distress in ambulatory patients receiving oxygen via nasal cannula is not a concern. The original instances that began this train of thought occurred in patients being weaned from ventilators, not ambulatory oxygen patients. SmartDose is probably a safer portable O2 system for CO2 retainers. It offers a controlled (1-2 LPM) auto-adjust feature. The reality is when these COPD / CO2 retainers exert themselves, many of them will begin to “self-dose.” This self-dosing typically occurs as the patient becomes symptomatic (i.e. stuggling for breath, breathing heavier). Often the patients turn the O2 up higher than they need with self-dosing; they think,”…if 1 or 2 LPM is good, 3-4 LPM must be even better…” They also tend to forget to turn their O2 back down again after their symptoms subside, leaving them on higher doses of O2 than they need for longer periods of time. Additionally, when we expect patients to self-dose, we force them to focus on their disease. SmartDose computerized technology will sense a shrinking inspiratory time before the patient becomes symptomatic and will respond by using the lowest flow necessary to meet the patients’ need. Furthermore, SmartDose will automatically reduce the dose to baseline as soon as the need for more “air” subsides. SmartDose takes the focus away from the disease, promotes activity by keep patients better saturated / satiated, and allows patients to focus on what really matters: leading an active quality of life. There are many articles on the internet covering this topic. Two that we find relevant and and clearly written are: Jeff Whitnack's, RRT/RPFT blog Do you sell bags for the SmartDose units?We do offer bags for our SmartDose LOX portables as an accessory, however we have not at this time chosen to offer bags for oxygen cylinders. There are many sources of cylinder bags and there are good products on the market at very reasonable prices. We would add very little value to the bags and adding an additional layer of costs to the patient is not desirable for such an accessory. What bags fit your SmartDose LOX and Gas units?Oxygen cylinders are standard sized, and there are many good bags available on the market. The bags we have tested and that we use with our sales force are from AirLift: AirLift Unlimited, Inc. Have another question about SmartDose that we didn't cover? Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and we'll get an answer for you as soon as we can. |
