Invacare XPO2 Portable Oxygen Concentrator Review

Being faced with a new diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) might seem scary, with an avalanche of fears rushing through your mind – ‘would I live long?’, ‘can I still do some of the things I love to do?’. All of these are valid, but presented with the option of oxygen therapy gives hope.

You may already be on oxygen therapy but not really understand what it means. A recap in the simplest terms, it is the use of oxygen as treatment in patients who cannot get enough of it on their own for one reason or the other. To improve the quality of life of patients with such challenges, the use of oxygen concentrators has become the most convenient and could be in the form of portable oxygen concentrators or home oxygen concentrators, as opposed to the former use of oxygen tanks. An oxygen concentrator pulls the room air in, and separates nitrogen from it, leaving behind pure oxygen for the patient to breathe in.

Invacare Corporation, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of home oxygen units have developed a device that will give you limitless freedom at home. You would be able to go on walks with your friends or pets, participate in exercise routines and even partake in more tedious tasks if you feel up to it. This is the Invacare XPO2 portable oxygen concentrator. It has been referred to as one of the lightest, most versatile, and smallest portable oxygen concentrators on the global market. But, I won’t spill so much of the beans yet. Let’s get into the review.

What Features does the Invacare XPO2 Portable Oxygen Concentrator have?

Special features:

Sensi pulse technology: This is an ingenious addition to this device from Invacare. It enables the unit to produce the same volume of oxygen per minute regardless of the user’s breath rate at the moment, thereby maintaining a steady constant minute volume. If the breath rate decreases, the unit is prompted to pulse larger doses of oxygen to raise the saturation levels in the body. The same happens if the breath rate increases.

Other features:

Size, Weight and Design

How big is it? Would I be able to carry it around comfortably? Is it stylish? The Invacare XPO2 as earlier highlighted is one of the tiniest and lightest portable oxygen concentrators. It can easily be slung onto your side during a walk in the park and you’ll barely notice it is there if you’re really engaged in your activities.

It is 10 inches in height, 7 inches in width, and 4 inches in depth, weighing about 6 pounds alone and approximately 7.3 pounds with an optional supplemental battery. Its compact design allows for ease of movement at home and outdoors.

Pulse Dose Settings

This Invacare device has pulse settings 1 through 5 which can comfortably serve patients with a broad range of chronic respiratory conditions. Most portable oxygen concentrators cannot do this. The many different flow settings are quite helpful for patients who alter their flow rate according to what they are doing, usually when moving from rest to high-intensity activities or vice versa.

What is the Battery Life like?

To meet patient demand during strenuous tasks, Invacare has designed a unit that can be used for travelling or prolonged periods. It has an internal battery which can serve you for about 2.5 hours on a flow rate of 2. But with an additional external battery, your device can serve you for an extra 2.5 hours i.e 5 hours in total. Having a supplemental battery would always be to your advantage when going on long flights or road trips.

The device has a charging time of about 3 hours. Both internal and external batteries do not have a separate battery recharger. Charging is done via a DC power supply whilst travelling in a vehicle or AC supply when you are at home.

Control Panel

The Invacare XPO2 has an easy-to-understand control interface with large buttons and legible symbols to aid those with some visual problems. The control panel consists of the on/off button, directional buttons to make adjustments where necessary, and a battery gauge button.

Having the battery gauge button on the control panel is to relieve you of the burden of being concerned about running out of oxygen. When you press the battery gauge button, it will light up to let you know how much power the internal battery has. That’s not all, the external battery has its own battery gauge that is embedded in it. Fascinating!

Oxygen Purity

This Invacare machine delivers oxygen concentrations ranging between 87% and 95.6%. This measures up with its competitors quite well.

What is the Noise Level?

It produces a noise level of 45 decibels at the setting of 2, which is slightly higher than the hum of your refrigerator or the sound level in a library.

What Accessories come with the Invacare XPO2 Portable Oxygen Concentrator?

1. Shoulder strap
2. Custom carrying case: This and the shoulder strap not only make movement easy but also serve as protection for the device. Extra batteries can be kept in the side pouches of the bag.
3. Internal battery
4. Additional supplemental batteries
5. AC and DC power adapters
6. Travelling cart
7. User manual

Is the Invacare XPO2 FAA-Approved?

Yes, it is. Its compact design and impressive long battery life make it a very good travel companion. No more struggles with clinically robust equipment. Travelling with a loved one would not only be possible but would be memorable.

Is there a Warranty?

Yes, it has a limited warranty for 3 years.

Final Thoughts?

In truth, there isn’t much to say about this lovely portable oxygen concentrator. It would give you the comfort you deserve with so much ease. Unlike other portable units, fluctuations in your breathing patterns would not manual changes in the flow rate settings. You would be able to maintain your active lifestyle. Therefore, I strongly recommended this Invacare XPO2 portable oxygen concentrator.