Oxymiser Cannulas

CMongoose

CMongoose

Pre-takeoff checklist
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CMongoose
I have an oxygen system with the Skyox Oxymiser Cannula.

sky-ox-oxymiser.jpg

I've tested it out on the ground, seems a simple enough arrangement. The tube is supposed to go over your ears and then loop back onto your chest where the pendant sits (see below). It works well in the comfort of home, but trying it out in the air today while wearing a headset was less successful. First with the headset on (lightspeed zulu) there really wasn't enough tube to loop around and put the pendant on my chest. With the pendant behind me and the tube looped over the headset cups, it just felt like the cannula was delicately balanced and about to fall off. In fact it did, a lot.

Trying to put the thing on reminded me of the photos of George W. Bush trying getting lost in a rain poncho at the recent inauguration.

So, the simple question is: Does anyone have one of these cannulas and wear a headset? If so, how do you wear the cannula?

oxy_15cf_cannula_3.jpg
 
I don't quite understand why the cannula "doesn't fit" with the headset? I use a slightly different type, but it also loops over the ears as shown in your photograph.
Put the cannula on first, headset over your ears after that. I use a David Clark noise cancelling headset and it seals fine with the cannula tubes behind the ears.
 
That's probably the mistake, trying to don over the headset instead :). I was worried that the ear seals wouldn't work
 
The temple arms on some pairs of sunglasses I wear cause more problems with headset seal than the cannula tubes.

Try it with your Lightspeed, I think it should work.
 
Just use a standard cannula. They're smaller diameter tubing and that stupid pendant doesn't save you any O2. You only need about 2-4 lpm anyway, and at that setting a fully charged tank should last longer than you have fuel on board. (At least, mine does.) I also find that the standard cannulas have a greater variety of lengths available, for both the feed tube and the loop. The smaller diameter loop tubing is far more comfortable, and more pliable than the Skyox stuff. Get one with a long enough loop and you can wear it over the ear cups on your headset instead of over your ears, and it works fine.

Edited to add: Standard nasal cannulas are about $7 for a pack of 5, opposed to the Skyox crap that costs $30 for a single cannula. Man, they're making money hand over fist on that one.
 
Rykymus said:
Just use a standard cannula. They're smaller diameter tubing and that stupid pendant doesn't save you any O2. You only need about 2-4 lpm anyway, and at that setting a fully charged tank should last longer than you have fuel on board. (At least, mine does.) I also find that the standard cannulas have a greater variety of lengths available, for both the feed tube and the loop. The smaller diameter loop tubing is far more comfortable, and more pliable than the Skyox stuff. Get one with a long enough loop and you can wear it over the ear cups on your headset instead of over your ears, and it works fine.

Edited to add: Standard nasal cannulas are about $7 for a pack of 5, opposed to the Skyox crap that costs $30 for a single cannula. Man, they're making money hand over fist on that one.
Click to expand...

While I don't disagree on the silly price, I don't understand how it doesn't save O2. When using one, you do have to remember to use a flow-meter that is calibrated for the saver. The markings will indicate higher altitudes for the same flow. The savings isn't huge, but it is real.

Basically, when you breathe out, the device fills with pure O2. When you breathe back in, the first portion of your breath will be that concentrated O2. As that is inhaled, ambient air from the plane is drawn into the pendant with your breath. Now it's providing ambient plus the regular O2 flow. Then, when breathing back out, that ambient air is again purged out and replaced with pure O2. There's still wasted O2 during your breath out, but it's somewhat less.

Is it worth 10X the price? Hard to say: unlike the medical canula that are designed to be thrown out, this one gets used repeatedly and is personal. Will you skip enough expensive O2 fills to make up for it? Will you get to take longer flights or carry smaller bottles? Each pilot would have to do their own math.
 
Just cut all the stuff off and stick the tubes in your mouth, like Clark Gable in "Test Pilot".
 
I have the same system and had no problems with it going over the top of the headset. IMO it's the best value in Oxygen systems out there.
 
Shepherd said:
Just cut all the stuff off and stick the tubes in your mouth, like Clark Gable in "Test Pilot".
Click to expand...

LOL...if you can manage to do that and breathe in through your mouth and out through your nose...it would work basically the same as the pendant/mustache.
 
I use cannulas over my ear with my Zulu 2's. While it does allow a smidge more ambient noise in it is not as bad a even wearing sunglasses.
 
I've used both my skyox system (with and without the pendant) and a regular medical O2 tank (same size, different regulator, for single feed only). Same altitude, some PaO2 results, same 2lpm setting on either system, and the same amount of pressure drop from a tank pressurized to the same level to start with. I see no difference in PaO2 readings or amount of oxygen utilized.

Really, unless you have some underlying medical issue, below 15k ft, 2lpm should be enough for you.

The idea of the pendant is similar to a non-rebreather mask used by EMS. But that is a mask that at least somewhat seals to your face. A cannula is just an unsealed feed, and your inhalation through your nose is not really going to draw air out of the pendant than it will out of the atmosphere. There just isn't any vacuum being created by your nasal inhalation. And there is no one-way valve on the pendant that I can see, so I don't see how that pendant is helping to reduce O2 usage.

I could be dead wrong, but so far, those have been my observations when comparing both systems. Considering I can buy a box of fifty nasal cannulas for the same price as one of the pendant-style ones, and they're more comfortable to use, I'm happy with them.
 
I don't know how it works but you can see the pendent compress when you breath in and expand when you breath out so it is doing something.
 
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