Diamond Respiratory Care
Patients Win in New Airline Ruling
Oxygen patients will have easier travel, thanks to a new ruling by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) that says airlines must accept certain approved portable oxygen concentrators onboard flights.
 “For a couple of years now, airlines could choose whether to allow DOT-approved oxygen concentrators and many chose not to,” said Cheryl West, director of government affairs for the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC). Further, West said “This ruling makes it mandatory for all airlines to let patients aboard with their approved devices.”

The new rule will make it easier for passengers to use medical oxygen during flights by requiring airlines to allow the use in the passenger cabin of portable oxygen concentrators that meet applicable safety, security and hazardous materials requirements for safe use aboard aircraft. Other types of devices meeting similar requirements that are also permitted include portable ventilators, respirators and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines.
Miriam O’Day, who heads the AARC’s legislative efforts in Washington DC, says:

“This is great news for the patients who must travel with oxygen. Travel will be so much more accessible and convenient for them. It’s safe, it’s secure and it opens many possibilities for those who have been reluctant to travel in the past.” ...


The rule will apply to U.S. air carriers worldwide and to foreign air carriers whose flights begin or end in the U.S.
The new rule takes effect in one year to give airlines time to implement the regulation. You can read the final rule at www.regulations.gov, docket number DOT-OST-2004-19482.
Approved Concentrators Approved Concentrators These are the concentrators approved by the DOT that patients may carry aboard aircraft.
  • Respironics EverGo
  • Sequal Eclipse
  • AirSep FreeStyle
  • AirSep LifeStyle
  • Inogen One
 
Introducing the Keynote

This might just be the most accurate glucometer you can get!

Here at Diamond we're constantly testing new technologies as they become available. Our most recent discovery is the WaveSense glucometer. We were skeptical at first, but having tested it ourselves we found it to live up the the manufacturers claims. In fact, we were very impressed by it's performance. Due to it's advanced testing mechanism it delivers what's probably the most accurate result outside of a hospital lab. The unit itself is very compact and ergonomic. It has has strong memory capabilities, it can download results to your computer (or your doctors!), and it can be used on alternate sites such as your forearm and thigh.

We found the Keynote simple to use with many user-friendly features. The large back lit display can be easily read in almost any situation. The ergonomic rubber grips and feet make it easy to hold. The intuitive user interface makes it simple to see your past results with the push of a button. The KeyNote returns results very quickly too.

Being one of the smallest meters on the market, it's guaranteed to fit in the smallest purse or the tightest pair of jeans.
 
The Keynote uses a very tiny blood sample. In fact, it's the only monitor that comes standard with 3 gauge lancets (super small!).
 
 It is also cleared for alternate site testing on the palm and forearm.
 
The Keynote comes with the ability down load results. The Zero-Click software has been designed for professionals and people with diabetes. The software has been developed with input from prominent endocrinologists, certified diabetes educators, and people with diabetes. Multiple kinds of reports can help you notice patterns over time.
 
                
 
 
 
 
 
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Inogen One Portable Oxygen System
For people with COPD, Emphysema, and other breathing disorders the simplest of tasks can become incredible hurdles. Becoming out of breath from simply answering the door, getting the mail, or taking a shower are issues people with COPD live with each day. The traditional means of treating these diseases, oxygen therapy, means lugging heavy cylinders or being tied to a stationary oxygen concentrator. Leaving the house means lugging cylinders and constantly worrying about running out of oxygen. The Inogen One, a new portable oxygen system,  solves these problems.

The Inogen One is an oxygen system that functions both as your stationary concentrator and as your portably oxygen system. It works just like the ones typically used in the home, but a fraction of the size (it’s about the size of a toaster)! The Inogen One contains a battery pack that allows the user to be incredibly mobile. On a full charge the concentrator will last about 3 hours (at 2lpm). That may sound short, but consider that it can be plugged in and charged anywhere (home and car chargers are included). You can also purchase additional battery packs which will last approximately 3 hours each. 

This means that going to the store, fishing with your grandson, or walking your granddaughter down the isle are all within your grasp!
Traveling with traditional oxygen tanks is quite complicated. You need to have a good supply of cylinders and lug a heavy concentrator with you. Not to mention that airlines prohibit compressed cylinders onboard.

With the Inogen One traveling is a breeze. Since it’s FAA approved all major airlines will allow you to take it with you and use it during flight! Some airplanes are even equipped with power supplies in the seats. These are the same power supplies that lap top computers are plugged into. Be sure to ask the airline you’re traveling on if power is available in your seat.

If your travels take you out of the country your Inogen One comes with an auto-sensing power supply. It can be plugged into any countries power right out of the box!

The Inogen One operates as a “pulse-dose delivery system”. This means that it delivers oxygen on demand (when the person breathes in).  It can accommodate prescriptions from one to 5 liters of oxygen per minute (LPM).  It contains a lithium-ion battery, and has a car charger, which comes in handy on road trips.  It is also very quiet and weighs just less than ten pounds.

At Diamond, we strive to bring you the latest innovations to restore your independence. We believe the Inogen One is a device that can restore independence for many people. The Inogen One is a remarkable device and will work great for most people. However, some oxygen users have difficulty tolerating pulse dosed systems and require a continuous flow of oxygen. We do have other options for these patients.

If you would like to discover how you can benefit from the Inogen One, we invite you to contact our expert staff today. We will work with you and your physician to find the solution that is right for you. What are you waiting for, reclaim your independence!

Questions about portable oxygen concentrators or the Inogen One? Call us! 1-800-977-3002
 
Broccoli good for COPD patients

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who suffer with the chronic breathing disorder known as COPD may benefit from a second helping of broccoli at dinner, research published today suggests.

COPD, which stands for "chronic obstructive pulmonary disease," is a progressive lung condition that is mostly seen in smokers and former smokers. It is characterized by emphysema and chronic bronchitis, which obstructs air flow to the lungs.

Dr. Shyam Biswal from The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore and colleagues have found a correlation between more severe COPD and a decrease in lung concentrations of a specific protein called NRF2, which defends the lung against inflammation-related injury. Broccoli contains a compound that helps stabilize NRF2 levels in the lung.

Biswal and colleagues analyzed tissue samples from the lungs of smokers and former smoker with or without COPD. When compared with healthy lung tissue, COPD lung tissue showed a marked decline in the activity and concentrations of NRF2-dependent, inflammation-fighting antioxidants.

This defect seen in the COPD lung appears to be associated with reduction in another protein called DJ-1, whose main function is to stabilize NRF2 and prevent its degradation.

Clear signs of cell-damaging oxidative stress in the COPD lungs were also evident.

In the lab, the broccoli compound sulforaphane was able to restore the antioxidant imbalance in COPD lung tissue, the researchers found.

These observations point to the potential of using drugs to boost NRF2-regulated antioxidant defenses in the lung in patients with COPD, Biswal and colleagues conclude in a report in the latest issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

"Future studies should target NRF2 as a novel strategy to increase antioxidant protection in the lungs and test its ability to decrease exacerbations and improve lung function in patients with COPD," Biswal said. 

Increasing NRF2 "may also restore important detoxifying enzymes to counteract other effects of tobacco smoke," Dr. Peter Barnes of the National Heart and Lung Institute in London, writes in a commentary published with the study. This was been achieved in animals by isothiocyanate compounds, such as sulforaphane, which occurs naturally in broccoli, he explains.

In a written statement, Dr. John Heffner, past president of the American Thoracic Society, commented that "mounting evidence over several decades underscores the importance of oxidant-mediated damage for the development of COPD in addition to other lung diseases."

"This study adds greater precision to our understanding of the specific antioxidants that may protect the lung against (COPD) to allow clinical trials based on valid pathophysiologic principles," Heffner added.

SOURCE: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, September 2008.
 
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