MD80 CAPTAIN REPORTS FAILURE OF ALL RESPONSIBLE AGENCIES TO ENSURE PROPER AUTHORIZATION FOR A PASSENGER'S OXYGEN CONCENTRATOR. FAILURE OF THE UNIT CAUSES IN-FLT ISSUES.

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DURING BOARDING IN ZZZ; THE AGENT INFORMED ME THERE WOULD BE A PAX USING AN OXYGEN CONCENTRATOR AND ASKED ME IF THERE WAS ANYTHING SPECIAL THAT WOULD NEED TO BE DONE. I TOLD HER I WOULD LOOK IT UP AND THAT IF SHE HAD ANY OTHER QUESTIONS CUSTOMER SVC WOULD BE A GOOD SOURCE OF INFO. THE MANUAL INDEX LISTS ONLY 1 REF TO OXYGEN CONCENTRATORS; ON PAGE X. TURNING TO PAGE X; I FOUND LOTS OF INFO REGARDING DANGEROUS GOODS FORBIDDEN UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES; TIRES; CONSUMER COMMODITIES; MUNITIONS OF WAR; ETC; BUT ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ABOUT OXYGEN CONCENTRATORS. I FIGURED THAT THE INDEX WAS WRONG; SO I TURNED BACK 1 PAGE; AND I FOUND A REF TO OXYGEN CONCENTRATORS ON THE PREVIOUS PAGE. THIS REF INDICATES THAT CONCENTRATORS ARE PERMITTED AS CARRY-ONS; BUT ONLY FOR CERTAIN AUTH BRANDS; AND AN ENTRY IS GIVEN WHICH SHOWS THE BRANDS THAT ARE PERMITTED. I ASSUMED THAT THIS WAS THE 1 REF IN MANUAL THAT WAS REFERRED TO WITH THE INCORRECT PAGE IN THE INDEX; SO I CLOSED THE BOOK AND GAVE THE CODE TO THE AGENT WORKING THE FLT. SHE THEN TOLD ME THAT SHE HAD ALREADY CALLED CUSTOMER SVC; AND THAT THEY VERIFIED THAT THE UNIT IN QUESTION WAS AN APPROVED BRAND; AND THAT THERE WERE NO PROBS WITH TRANSPORTING THE PAX. WE DEPARTED; AND THE PAX'S UNIT IMMEDIATELY BECAME FAULTY. MUCH OF THE ONBOARD OXYGEN WAS USED; AND WE VERY NEARLY DIVERTED UNTIL A FLT ATTENDANT FIGURED OUT HOW TO CHANGE THE BATTERIES ON THE PAX'S UNIT. I AGAIN OPENED PART 1 TO GET GUIDANCE ON WHAT SPECIFIC INFO WOULD BE NEEDED BY THE PHYSICIAN-ON-CALL IN DISPATCH; AND WHEN I OPENED MANUAL; I JUST HAPPENED TO OPEN THE BOOK TO PAGE Z; WHICH IS AN ENTIRE PAGE DEVOTED TO PORTABLE OXYGEN CONCENTRATORS. AS IT TURNED OUT; THE PAX WAS REQUIRED TO HAVE A NOTE FROM A PHYSICIAN; WHICH SHE DID NOT. SHE WAS REQUIRED TO DEMONSTRATE AN ABILITY TO OPERATE HER OWN UNIT; WHICH SHE COULD NOT. THE FLT ATTENDANT WAS REQUIRED TO HAVE BEEN PROVIDED WITH PAPERWORK REGARDING THE CUSTOMER'S USE OF THE UNIT; WHICH WE NEVER RECEIVED. THE ONLY THING WE DID ON THE REQUIRED LIST OF ITEMS BEFORE DEP WAS TO VERIFY THAT THE UNIT WAS ON THE APPROVED LIST FOR USE INFLT. I FEEL THAT I WAS MISLED BY THE INDEX IN THE BOOK; WHICH CONTAINED ONLY 1 REF TO OXYGEN CONCENTRATORS; WHEN ACTUALLY THERE ARE 2. ALSO; THE 1 LISTED REF WAS FOR THE WRONG PAGE. WHILE I REALIZE THAT I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ENTIRE CONTENT OF THIS MANUAL; THE INDEX LED ME DOWN THE WRONG PATH. ALSO; CUSTOMER SVC DID NOT SEEM TO KNOW THE PROC FOR CARRIAGE OF A PAX WITH AN OXYGEN CONCENTRATOR; AND URGES CAPTS TO ALWAYS TAKE THE ADVICE OF CUSTOMER SVC.