BALL GROUND, GA – CAIRE’s award-winning FreeStyle Comfort portable oxygen concentrator with proprietary autoSAT technology is now available in the United States.
This patented, clinically proven feature is most well-known for being a key innovative oxygen delivery feature on the Eclipse 5 transportable oxygen concentrator, used by clinicians and healthcare providers as part of hospital discharge programs for newly prescribed oxygen patients. The autoSAT technology adjusts oxygen delivery to deliver a consistent volume of oxygen with the patient’s breath rate during activity or at rest.
“Today’s announcement is a major step forward in serving today’s oxygen therapy users with the technology they need to support a more active lifestyle and better quality of life. Instead of the respiratory patient having to adapt to their portable oxygen device, this device adapts to them through our patented technology,” said Ken Hosako, president and CEO of CAIRE Inc.
Portable oxygen concentrators, operational via battery or electrical power, take ambient air, filter it, and then deliver up to 95 percent purified oxygen to the user. The convenience of being able to plug in and recharge anywhere has contributed to the increasing popularity of portable oxygen concentrators among individuals prescribed long-term supplemental oxygen therapy to treat severe respiratory conditions, including Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
Last month, the FreeStyle Comfort with autoSAT was prominently featured in a study by Georgia State University published in the Pulmonary Therapy journal. The bench study compared FiO₂ delivery from portable oxygen concentrators, wall oxygen, and a standalone concentrator (CAIRE Companion 5™) using a respiratory failure-specific lung simulator replicating an adult with chronic respiratory disease at 15-40 breaths/min.
Among the portable oxygen concentrators tested, the FreeStyle Comfort, with or without autoSAT, consistently achieved the highest or equivalent FiO2 at elevated breathing rates (30-40 bpm). However, at lower rates (15-20 bpm), results varied by device.
The FreeStyle Comfort with autoSAT at 40 breaths per minute on setting 2 and sensitivity 5 delivered a statistically significant higher FiO₂ (0.25 vs 0.24, p < 0.01) than wall oxygen. Also, of note, fixed-bolus technology like autoSAT helped sustain FiO₂ during exertion, reducing the need for patients to manually adjust settings—potentially supporting therapy adherence.*
The study was funded by CAIRE, but independently conducted and analyzed at Georgia State University. No clinical outcomes in patients were measured.
“As a respiratory therapist, I’ve seen how discouraging it can be when portable oxygen doesn’t seem to meet a patient’s needs. The FreeStyle Comfort with autoSAT technology adapts to each breath, helping restore confidence in therapy and giving patients back the freedom they may have thought was lost,” said Cara Collins, RRT, RRT-NPS, and CAIRE product manager.
The FreeStyle Comfort is manufactured at CAIRE’s global manufacturing headquarters, located north of Atlanta. The 5-pound FreeStyle Comfort is designed with an innovative ergonomic, curved shell and delivery features to ensure oxygen is provided with each breath. In addition to the autoSAT technology, this device offers other smart oxygen delivery features, such as CAIRE’s UltraSense technology, which ensures that oxygen is delivered in conjunction with the patient’s breath rate, and autoDOSE, which ensures delivery of oxygen even if no breath is detected.
The new device introduces enhanced functionality through an expanded control menu, giving users the ability to personalize their oxygen therapy with features such as autoSAT technology, adjustable breath sensitivity, and convenient airplane mode for travel. Designed with ease of use in mind, the device also meets FAA guidelines for in-flight use on commercial airlines.
