Low Flow Variable Performance Device Simple Mask
So if you are administering oxygen, you can use a mask. This Simple Mask has to be running at 5LPM (liters per min) at the very least because anything lower will not administer the oxygen. Why? Well since there are holes on the mask, anything lower than 5 LPM of oxygen will escape to the outside world instead of coming into the patients lungs. The biggest mistake is running the mask at like 2LPM for example. The patient will NOT get enough oxygen from the simple mask. Usually the FioO2 of the simple mask is about .35-.55. This can vary from different medical books but that is about the average.
This is a Low Flow Variable Performance because
1) It is “low flow”
2) It is Variable Performance
Alright basically what I’m trying to point out is that for every patient there is in the hospital, they will not get the exact FiO2 because there are so many reasons. For example, the person can be an existing COPD patient ( Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) or another reason is AGE. Those are some examples of factors why the patient might not get the FiO2. If you have 2 patients and both are on a Simple Mask at 8LPM both of them will get 8 LPM but when you go and take their FiO2 level it will NOT BE THE SAME because it is Age dependent.