DCGI: Don’t use Oxygen concentrators with under 5L/min flow at home

New Delhi, May 17

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The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) on Monday issued an advisory saying Covid infected in home care should not use oxygen concentrators with flow of less than 5 litre a minute.

At present, various models of oxygen concentrators, having different capacities of continuous flow (1 to 10 litre a minute) and widely varying concentration of oxygen, are being marketed.

The drug regulator said those in home isolation should use concentrators with a minimum flow of up to 5 litre a minute or more.

“The advice is to use concentrators that contain oxygen monitors to verify concentration; digital or analogue metres that display cumulative hours of device operation. It is advised that oxygen concentrators of less than 5 litres per minute capacity may not be sold under the misleading label of home-based Covid care. It is further advised that oxygen concentrators must be purchased with consumables required to operate it and user care instructions and protocols, including guidance for replacement of accessories and consumables and safe decontamination of reusable parts, indicating if they are generic or brand related,” it said. — TNS