Scott Ridl

Scott joined American Medical Sales and Rentals in 2008 as a Web Manager and Content Writer. He is a writer and designer. He is extensively trained on oxygen therapy products from leading manufacturers such as Inogen, Respironics, Chart, Invacare, ResMed and more.

Scott works closely with respiratory therapists and oxygen specialists to educate the community about oxygen therapy products, COPD, asthma and lung diseases. He writes weekly columns and is passionate about educating the community on oxygen therapy and respiratory issues.

How Many Batteries do I need on my Flight?

Over the past several months, the NHOPA Executive Office has received many inquiries concerning the number of POC batteries that are needed for specific airline travel. For example, one individual was trying to schedule a flight from Fairbanks, Alaska to Atlanta, Georgia to visit close friends. Another individual was planning a business trip from Portland, Oregon to New York City.

From our research on POC batteries, we found that the general rule of thumb is to plan for one and one half -times the length of the flight including layovers. For example, if you book a five hour non-stop flight you will need approximately 7.5 hours of batteries.

November 8, 2012April 5, 2021 Scott Ridl

Portable Oxygen Concentrators – What You Need to Know Before You Buy!

The information included in the following article has been shared by Roxlyn Cole, NHOPA Vice President, from American Medical Sales and Repair located in Centennial, CO and from “The Pulmonary Paper”.

Portable oxygen concentrators offer users an incredible amount of freedom that is often unavailable to those on oxygen therapy. A user may feel like mobility is limited and interferes with a lifestyle one was accustomed to. POCs (portable oxygen concentrators) give those who desire an active lifestyle the ability to keep up with family, friends and travel. However, that convenience comes at a price. A portable oxygen concentrator can be expensive depending on features and individual needs. It is important to consider your options carefully before making a purchase to ensure that you find the right device for you that will fit your needs. Before you commit to buying your own POC, visit all manufacturer websites to see what is available and to compare pricing through the designated dealers, AND ask to try it out before you buy it!

November 5, 2012August 27, 2020 Scott Ridl

Quality Matters – Benefits and Outcomes of Medicare

You may have heard about Medicare’s increasing interest in measuring the benefits and outcomes of services that Medicare pays for. This represents a fundamental shift away from paying for a service that is provided regardless of whether that “procedure” is effective or not. All areas of health care are being held accountable to show that a patient is better off after a service or treatment than he/she was before that intervention. Services that have been demonstrated by solid research to be effective are incorporated into professional practice guidelines to help practitioners remember to utilize those practices. One well-known example of this “standard of care” is an aspirin a day after a heart attack (unless there is a medical reason not to prescribe this drug to a particular patient).

Pulmonary rehabilitation is another example of an evidence-based service. In fact, practice guidelines for pulmonary rehab have given both exercise training and improvement of dyspnea symptoms the highest grade of 1A. This grade indicates that science has shown significant benefits and outcomes for both these measurements in patients who receive pulmonary rehab compared to similar patients who don’t participate in a pulmonary rehab program.

November 5, 2012April 15, 2021 Scott Ridl

Pulmonary Rehabilitation “Use it or lose it?”

Of all the forms of rehabilitation that are available in medicine, pulmonary rehabilitation is a relative newcomer. For example Cardiac Rehabilitation has been available to patients with cardiac disease since at least the 1940’s. Actually exercising for 30 minutes a day for 6 months was prescribed by a Dr. William Heberden for his cardiac patient’s way back in 1772. Staying with Cardiac Rehab for a moment, the term “Myocardial Infarction” a heart attack in layman’s terms was first used in 1912. About that time it was thought that the damaged heart muscle needed time to heal completely. Therefore 6 weeks of bed rest was the order of the day, with stair climbing prohibited for a full year after the MI!

In the 1930’s an incredible 80% of post heart attack patients were on full disability. In the 1940’s hospitals began to develop “cardiac work evaluation units” to evaluate a patient’s ability to go back to work. These evolved into the modern Cardiac Rehabilitation programs. During and following WW2 manpower needs spurred cardiologists to review the need for absolute bed rest following cardiac events. Well designed studies proved that long term bed rest decreased functional capacity, sapped morale, and caused its own set of complications.

November 5, 2012October 23, 2018 Scott Ridl

AMSR Offers Concentrator Repair Services to Better Patient Health

Oxygen concentrators are increasingly prevalent in the health and medical market for patients who suffer from a variety of related illnesses, such as COPD, sleep apnea and emphysema. These devices are so crucial to quality of life that any broken pieces or malfunctions must be addressed immediately in order to preserve patient livelihood. American Medical Sales & Rentals is the leading company to provide repair services for the majority of makes and models of concentrators.

When patients suffer from conditions that result in a lack of oxygen, they must obtain oxygen therapy through concentrators. These machines help to deliver oxygen through a mask or a series of tubes, depending on the model of concentrator the patient chooses. Patients breathe easier with oxygen concentrators than on their own because the machines remove nitrogen that exists in the normal air people breathe.

November 5, 2012September 10, 2018 Scott Ridl

Western Colorado Lung Health Conference

John More our Customer Service Manager had the pleasure of attending the first annual Thomas L. Petty M.D. Western Colorado Lung Health Conference held in Grand Junction, Colorado on September 29, 2012. The participants heard wonderful talks from the following speakers. Louise Nett RN, RRT, FAARC explained why the conference was named after Dr. Petty and explained some of the research Dr. Petty did which helped the medical community to understand the benefits of supplemental oxygen for lung disorder patients.

John Goodman BS, RRT explained the improvements in how oxygen is delivered to patients. John just lost his Mother recently and told a wonderful story about his niece surviving a double lung transplant. Dr. Joel Bechtel did a wonderful speech helping the participants to understand what lung disease is and how they can better live with lung disease. Dr. Bechtel spoke about a trip he made to India and an article he had published with a number of doctors from India for the International Journal of COPD.

November 5, 2012December 14, 2015 Scott Ridl

Symptoms & Treatments of Sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis of the lungs (pulmonary sarcoidosis) often causes a dry cough, mild chest pain, or shortness of breath. Sarcoidosis of the skin and other areas can cause a scaly rash, red bumps on the legs, sore eyes, or swelling and muscle pain. Other general symptoms may also occur including fatigue, fever, weakness, and weight loss.

Because these symptoms are common in other diseases as well, sarcoidosis can be difficult to diagnose. To diagnose it, doctors will generally conduct a physical exam and order lab tests including pulmonary function tests (to test the lung’s abilities), and a lung X-ray. In the X-ray, the doctor will look for enlarged lymph glands in the chest, which could indicate sarcoidosis.

September 28, 2012October 23, 2018 Scott Ridl

What is Sarcoidosis?

Sarcoidosis (pronounced sar-coy-doe-sis) is a diseased caused by small areas of inflammation. 90% of cases are in the lungs (pulmonary sarcoidosis), but it can affect any part of the body including the skin, liver, lymph glands, spleen, eyes, nervous system, muscles, bones, heart, and kidneys.

Sarcoidosis causes the immune system to overact and damage the body’s own tissues. It creates clumps of inflamed cells that can interfere with an organ’s normal functions.

The cause of sarcoidosis is unknown. It is not contagious and most researchers believe that it is an immune system disorder caused by a failure in the body’s natural defense system. Others believe that it may be the result of a viral respiratory infection or environmental toxins and allergens. These triggers generally do not bother most people, but can provoke the immune system to develop inflammation in people prone to sarcoidosis.

September 26, 2012July 25, 2023 Scott Ridl

Symptoms of RSV

Symptoms of RSV are similar to colds and other respiratory infections. They may include coughing, sneezing, stuffy or runny nose, sore throat, fever, loss of appetite, wheezing, and trouble sleeping. Very young infants may become irritable, have difficulty breathing, and show decreased activity. Severe cases of RSV can also result in bluish skin color due to a lack of oxygen and difficulty breathing.

Most people show symptoms of RSV within 4-6 days of being infected and will recover within 1-2 weeks. However, people can continue to be contagious for 1-3 weeks after they have stopped manifesting symptoms.

RSV is diagnosed through a chest X-ray and mucus sample that is analyzed for presence of the virus. However, because the symptoms are very similar to a cold, the disease often goes undiagnosed.

September 24, 2012September 1, 2020 Scott Ridl

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a common virus that leads to mild cold-like symptoms in healthy adults and children, but can be more serious in young babies and those in high-risk groups.

RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small airways in the lung) and pneumonia in infants under one year old. It is very contagious and almost all children are infected by the time they are two, but only a small percentage develop a severe illness.

September 20, 2012September 8, 2020 Scott Ridl

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