Your oxygen tubing
After 8 years on O2 I am still having kinks and bows in my tubing. I go through it every morning checking and straightening the lines, as every so often one of the bows stops the flow. Any suggestions for keeping the line straight. Any suggestions for hypoxia while on sleep machine with O2?
Hi again, Jake, and thanks for this post. Your concern about kinking oxygen supply tubing is fairly common here in this community, so you are not alone! Many of our members have expressed similar sentiments when it comes to keeping the oxygen hoses straight and the oxygen supply flowing freely.
We actually have some material, published right here on COPD.net, which addresses this concern. For starters, you may want to look over this article, by one of our advocates, Jeffrey J Collins: https://copd.net/living/oxygen-hose.
I do hope you find it to be helpful in a practical way.
If you are using an sleep device (with oxygen), at night, this is designed to provide enough oxygen so as to not experience hypoxic episodes. If you are still dealing with hypoxia at night, you may want to reach out for your physician. The doctor may be able to adjust either the sleep device or the oxygen supply or both to alleviate this condition.
What do you think?
Leon (site moderator COPD.net)
De-kinking your hoses is really very simple. Do this with one hose at a time, and with any new hose before use: Take your rolled up (just as it comes out of the package) hose, and use a (non-swivel) connector to connect the two ends of it so that water cannot get into the hose. Now, fill a pot with the hottest water you can get out of your tap. Submerge the hose and leave it in there for 10-20 minutes. Then remove it, dry off quickly with a towel, remove the connector, and unroll it, stretching it out straight, with a small weight holding ends straight for a few minutes. This will remove the "set" the hose took while coiled up and let it lie nice and flat and straight. Once it is cooled completely it should stay straight. It may sometimes take two attempts to remove the set, but after that you should have no further issues. If it coils back up later on in use, just repeat the process. I also specify the soft "good" tubing from my provider. They send the good soft Salter Labs hoses. Some people use a heat gun, but I don't recommend that with the multi-channel hoses we use. Just good shower-hot water is warm enough. Also, in normal use, never roll/coil the hoses up - that will just make it take a set again. This also why I don't use a reel.
thanks so much for the great and intelligent instructions to stop the tubing problems. I printed out your answer so I am sure of what I am doing. Why didn’t I ask so many years ago. I am laughing at myself right now thinking why and I answer that’s the story of my life! After 85 years I have the right to talk and answer myself. Kloker, bless you for answering my question.
I am printing everything so I can digest it. Many thanks for your quick response, I always know that I am welcome and can get wonderful advice from COPD.net. I don’t join in much but I do read all the great stories as you can pick up ideas from other people. Thanks for this important platform for information. Stay safe.
, I'm so glad you are finding our community helpful. We are here whenever you need us! Wishing you a peaceful day. All the best Sam S. (COPD.net, Team Member).
