Nasal cannula
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The nasal cannula is a device used in the hospital or at home to deliver 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.[1] 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 one liter 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.
