Using a Power Station as Backup for Medical Devices

What the FDA asks you to plan

The FDA’s booklet for home device users is a fill-in plan rather than a rulebook. It asks you to find out, from the manufacturer or your provider:

• Whether the device has a backup battery, and how long it runs on it.
• Whether it can operate on another power source, and what type.
• Whether you could be harmed if it stops for a short time, and how long that is.
• Whether you need supplies for a minimum of 3 days, and whether any must be kept at a certain temperature.

The answers decide what a power station needs to do. The second question matters most: ask whether your model is approved to run from an inverter or a DC source, and which cords to use. Ready.gov gives the same advice in shorter form: talk to your doctor about how you’ll power medical devices and store medicines in an outage.

CPAP and oxygen concentrators

These two sit at opposite ends. A CPAP without the humidifier is about 30 W for an 8-hour night, so even a mid-size station covers several nights, as the first kit shows. Details and makers’ figures are on our CPAP page.

A home oxygen concentrator runs around the clock at roughly ten times that, and its compressor needs a large surge to start. The third kit is set to 4 hours on purpose: that is a bridge until backup cylinders take over, not a day of oxygen. Our oxygen concentrator page lists published power figures by model. Your supplier is the one to ask how many hours your cylinders last at your flow rate.

Insulin and refrigerated medicine

The FDA recommends storing insulin in a refrigerator at about 36–46°F. In an emergency, manufacturer vials and cartridges, opened or not, may be left unrefrigerated between 59°F and 86°F for up to 28 days. Avoid freezing it (don’t use insulin that has frozen) and keep it out of direct heat and sunlight. Pump users have stricter limits: the FDA says to throw out pump insulin exposed to temperatures above 98.6°F.

Ready.gov advises replacing refrigerated medicines if the power is out for a day or more, unless the label says otherwise. A compact fridge on a power station, as in the second kit, is one way to avoid that. Check the label of each medicine, since the rules differ.

Utility medical programs: useful, but not a guarantee

Many US utilities run programs for customers who rely on powered medical equipment. Programs vary by utility, so check yours. Two examples:

• Florida Power & Light sends special notices before and after hurricanes to customers in its Medically Essential Service program, but says participation “does not provide priority restoration after a storm, nor does it guarantee uninterrupted service.”
• PG&E in California offers its Medical Baseline program with extra energy at the lowest rate and additional alerts before planned safety shutoffs. Eligibility is based on medical need, not income.

At the federal level, a Department of Health and Human Services program run with CMS helps communities plan for at-risk Medicare beneficiaries, including more than 4.6 million people living independently who rely on electricity-dependent equipment or services. Signing up with your utility helps people know you’re there. It doesn’t keep the lights on, which is why your own backup still matters.

Tips

• Ask your equipment supplier which power sources your model supports, and write the answer in your plan.
• Once your supplier confirms the station is a suitable power source, test it on a normal night and note how long it lasts.
• Keep the station charged year-round, and check it monthly. A backup that sat at 20% for months won’t cover a night.
• Keep a second option ready, such as backup oxygen cylinders or a place you can go that has power.

Questions

Other uses

• What Size Power Station Do You Need for Camping?
• Can a Power Station Run an RV?
• What Size Power Station Do You Need for a Hurricane?

Sources

1. fda.gov/media/80782/download
2. fda.gov/drugs/emergency-preparedness-drugs/information-regarding…
3. cpp.edu/em/documents/power-outage-safety-tips-readygov-pdf.pdf
4. fpl.com/mesp
5. pge.com/en/account/billing-and-assistance/financial-assistance/m…
6. empowerprogram.hhs.gov