Are you familiar with Hepatopulmonary Syndrome and oxygen use?

My husband had a liver transplant six weeks ago. The After the transplant, it was discovered he has hepatopulmonary Syndrome, a complication of liver failure. The new liver is doing well, and this transplant is the cure for hepatopulmonary Syndrome. But the healing process for the lungs takes between six months to a year. He is currently on oxygen, and he has not yet seen the lung specialist--though he has an appointment.

He has a home oxygen concentrator, and we usually set it between 4LPM to 8LPM. His levels drop when he sits or stands. For our frequent, required trips to the doctor, we must bring an oxygen tank, and the oxygen runs out during our one-hour-trip unless we set the tank to 3LPM or lower.

Should this worry us? We measure his oxygen via a finger monitor. What if his oxygen drops below 85? Is this okay for the duration of the trip? I'm concerned this may harm him.

Before my lung transplant I was on oxygen, 4L at rest and 8L with exercise or activity. For my trips to Mayo I had a Double Tank Cart so the tanks were more stable, and would stop to change tanks when needed. My oxygen supply company was very helpful with supplying me with the double tank cart and tanks. I had 10 large and 7 small tanks so I would not run out. I used their small tanks for quick in and out tasks.
Hope this helps,

Hello @caregiver4
When I still worked in Respiratory Care, now and then we would have to re-instruct patients/family on the use of their O2 tanks upon leaving the emergency room. It usually included keeping the oxygen saturation at or above what the doctor ordered. Whoever your home care/O2 provider is should be able to also provide you with more information and answers to your specific questions. Very important .

You're more than likely using what are called 'E" cylinders which would only last 1 hour and 28 min @ 8LPM.
For transport I always recommended taking an extra tank or two to compensate for unexpected delays.

There is a conversion factor for every size O2 tank. For the E tank it's .28
You can always calculate how long your tank will last at any given LPM.
.28 x PSI (pressure in the tank) divided by LPM then divided by 60min equals the duration.
Ernie

Thank you for the info! Much appreciated!

Thank you, Ernie! Great info!

@caregiver4 I think you might follow-up on what Ernie suggests, and the next time you take your husband for an appointment, call in advance, and ask for an appointment with a respiratory therapist. You could explain much of this to them and get their advice. Ask your primary care doctor for a referral (just in case).
And take Ernie’s advice! Take extra O2 tanks in the car. You really don’t want your husbands oxygen levels to go to 85 or below!
When is your husband’s appointment with the lung specialist? Will you start now to make a list of questions and concerns?

I had my oxygen company bring me extra tanks for my spouse. The goal is 90% oxygen unless your provider said 85% is okay. Before transplant, I had 7 large tanks for our trips, I kept on hand. And more if we were going places. Ask your oxygen company for extra tanks for your travel needs. Different sizes are also available.