What equipment is used to extract oxygen from the air?

An oxygen concentrator is specifically designed to extract oxygen from the air and deliver it to patients who require supplemental oxygen. It works by drawing in ambient air, which is composed of approximately 21% oxygen and 79% other gases. The concentrator uses a combination of filtration and compression to separate the oxygen from these other gases, concentrating the oxygen before it is delivered through nasal cannulas or masks for therapeutic use.

This equipment is particularly beneficial for individuals with respiratory conditions such as COPD or other chronic pulmonary diseases, as it provides a continuous source of concentrated oxygen at a lower cost compared to traditional oxygen tanks.

In contrast, while a ventilator assists patients in breathing by delivering a controlled mixture of air and oxygen, it doesn't specifically extract oxygen from the air. A nebulizer is a device used to deliver medication in the form of mist to the lungs and is not designed for oxygen extraction. A blood oxygen monitor, or pulse oximeter, measures the level of oxygen in a patient's blood, but it does not function to provide or extract oxygen from the environment. Thus, the definition of an oxygen concentrator aligns perfectly with the purpose of extracting and supplying oxygen, making it the correct answer.