Nowadays, oxygen concentrators and ventilators are common medical equipment. Many people do not understand the difference between a ventilator and an oxygen concentrator. They regard the ventilator as an oxygen concentrator and mistakenly believe that the ventilator can also produce oxygen. In fact, otherwise, there is a big difference between the working principle of the ventilator and the oxygen concentrator.

First of all, how does the ventilator work?

During voluntary ventilation, the inhalation action generates negative pressure in the chest cavity, and the negative pressure of the alveoli and airway occurs through passive expansion of the lung, which constitutes the pressure difference between the airway opening and the alveoli to complete the inhalation. After inhalation, the thorax and lungs elastically retract, and the opposite pressure difference is generated to complete the exhalation.

Therefore, normal breathing is due to the "active negative pressure difference" between the alveoli and the airway orifice generated by the body through the breathing action to complete the inhalation. After inhalation, the thorax and lung elasticity retract to produce the passive positive pressure difference between the alveoli and the airway orifice and exhale. To meet the needs of physiological ventilation.

Secondly, the principle of the oxygen generator is to use molecular sieve physical adsorption and desorption technology. The oxygen generator is filled with molecular sieves, which can absorb nitrogen in the air when pressurized, and collect the unabsorbed oxygen. After purification, it becomes high-purity oxygen.

From the above content, it can be seen that there is a big difference between a ventilator and an oxygen concentrator. Simply put, the ventilator is like a large fan to provide flow, while the oxygen concentrator is more like a sieve, which removes the oxygen in the air. Sift it out.

The oxygen generator provides medical oxygen with a concentration of 90%-96%, which can be obtained by connecting the oxygen tube to inhale independently. The ventilator provides a certain amount of pressure, helps people open the airway, reduces the work of the human respiratory muscles, and allows the patient to inhale air and exhale carbon dioxide in the body with less effort.

Generally speaking, a ventilator is not necessary to use an oxygen concentrator, but the use of a ventilator generally requires the use of an oxygen concentrator at the same time. Therefore, the ventilator cannot replace the oxygen concentrator, nor can the oxygen concentrator replace the ventilator. In some cases, the two must work together.