Nasal cannula
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The nasal cannula is a device used in the hospital or at home to delivery supplemental oxygen to a patient or person in need of extra oxygen. This device is a plastic tube which fits around the head of a person and a set of two prongs which are placed in the nose or nares of the person. These prongs are where the oxygen flows out of. To get oxygen through the nasal cannula it has to be hooked up to an oxygen tank, portable oxygen generator, or to a wall connection in a hospital via a flowmeter. The nasal cannula can have a flow which ranges from 1 liters per minute to 6 liters per minute. There are also infant or neonatal nasal cannulas which use flows of less than a liter per minute, these also have smaller prongs. The oxygen percentage ranges from 24% oxygen to approximately 35%.
The nasal cannula was invented by Wilfred Jones and patented in 1949 by his employer, BOC.
