The leading cause of death in the hospital is infection usually caused by staff, patients, and visitors not washing their hands. Respiratory supplies were changed every forty-eight hours to help prevent respiratory infections. When I got into home health I recognized that patients were not changing their CPAP supplies. I discovered that a lot of patients did not know that most insurance companies would pay for these new supplies. They were very thankful; some of them had never received a new CPAP mask or supplies. Thus the Supply Program was born! My hope in this article is that you will find out how to recognize symptoms associated with Sleep Apnea, learn some new terms, and discover the proper treatment to help you sleep better.
Sleep Apnea Diagnosis
Sleep Apnea can be best defined as someone who stops breathing while sleeping. According to the American Sleep Apnea Association this affects more than twelve million Americans alone! There are three types of Sleep Apnea: Central, Mixed, and Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). The most common form of Sleep Apnea is OSA, which is caused by an obstruction or collapse of the airway. For example, the tongue, palate, orepiglottis can obstruct the airway. Central Sleep Apnea is caused when the brain fails to tell the muscles to breathe. Mixed Sleep Apnea is a mixture of both Central and Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Untreated Sleep Apnea can cause Congestive Heart Failure, Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Headaches, Weight Gain, and Motor Vehicle Accidents. Since most people are not familiar with the symptoms of Sleep Apnea it is most often overlooked and undiagnosed.
Testing for Sleep Apnea with the Edgeworth Sleep Test
A Sleep Test is the most common tool used to diagnose Sleep Apnea. During the sleep test usually half the night will be spent diagnosing whether the patient does have Sleep Apnea. The second portion of the test will be spent using CPAP equipment to document any improvement and measure its effectiveness. The most common test for symptoms is the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. This is not a diagnosis but simply a guideline to indicateto your physician that you may have Sleep Apnea and may require a sleep study. If you suspect that you or a loved one may suffer from Sleep Apnea try answering the following questions:
How likely are you to doze off or fall asleep in the situations described below, in contrast to feeling just tired? This refers to your usual way of life in recent times. Even if you haven’t done some of these things recently try to work out how they would have affected you. Use the following scale to choose the most appropriate number for each situation:
0 = would never doze 1 = Slight chance of dozing 2 = Moderate chance of dozing 3 = High chance of dozing
Situation Chance of dozing
Sitting and reading Watching TV Sitting, inactive in a public place (e.g. a theatre or a meeting) As a passenger in a car for an hour without a break Lying down to rest in the afternoon when circumstances permit Sitting and talking to someone Sitting quietly after a lunch without alcohol In a car, while stopped for a few minutes in the traffic
CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) is the most common treatment for patients who have been diagnosed for Sleep Apnea. The amount of pressure being delivered with a CPAP machine is usually determined by your sleep study and varies for each person. This equipment is only available through an order written by your physician. The biggest problem associated with CPAP is the patient’s inability to tolerate air pressure, the type of cpap mask used, or poor cpap mask fitting. Over a period of time many patients do get used to the pressure from CPAP with practice. I have found that an excellent way to alleviate the discomfort especially during this learning phase is to use the “ramp” feature. The patient can use this feature anytime they are having difficulty tolerating the pressure from CPAP. The “ramp” feature reduces the pressure dramatically and within 30-45 minutes the pressure slowly builds up until optimal pressure has been reached again. The patient will usually fall asleep during this period and not notice the increased air pressure.
BiLevel or BiPAP (Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure) is designed for patients who have a high pressure prescribed or who have trouble tolerating the pressure associated with CPAP. BiPap has two pressures. Inspiratory (inhalation) and Expiratory (exhalation) The Expiratory pressure is dramatically reduced so the patient can tolerate BiPAP. Although this equipment is much more expensive than CPAP most insurance companies will pay for it with the proper documentation.
In conclusion, there are many types of equipment and supplies to treat Sleep Apnea. Selecting the right equipment to handle your personal pressure settings along with a comfortable mask and the right filters and cushions can be quite confusing. Therefore, it is important that you select a company that can not only provide you with quality CPAP machines and CPAP supplies but also with personal service customized for your particular needs. The very best durable medical equipment companies are awarded the Gold Seal of Approval by the Joint Commission so that is also something to look for when selecting a company. Lastly, select a company that specializes in Sleep Apnea equipment and service for your best chance at achieving your goal to sleep better now!
About The Author:
Lloyd Mote is a licensed Respiratory Therapist with over twenty years of experience. He is also the Chief Executive Officer and founder of Americare Respiratory Services, Inc., which has been awarded the Gold Seal of Approval from the Joint Commission.
Sleep apnea in layman’s term is described as a state of the body when the respiratory procedure stops for almost ten seconds during his sleep. This can happen up to four hundred times during the course of a single night’s sleep, and can have serious recursion son the health of the person sometimes even leading to death if it is not treated properly.
The cause of his peculiar disease varies from being hereditary to a unhealthy lifestyle system. Smoking, drinking, fatigue, stress and many other such reasons are responsible for sleep apnea. It can give rise to your blood pressure level, cause distraction in your work, make you feel irritated and even cause a accident while driving.
It’s obvious that sleep apnea is a serious problem. if you want a permanent solution then you can opt for surgery, however if you think your problem is not very critical then you can go for varioussleep apnea machines like CPAP, or BiPAP.
Both these sleep apnea machines have the same function. They help the patient to breath by forcing the air into his nostrils by means of a air tight mask that is secured severely on his face by the help of elastic bands. The two most popular machines that are used to treat this disorder is known as CPAP machine and the BiPAP machines.
The CPAP is widely recommended for people who have mild sleep disorders. It works on a one way mechanism and helps a person to inhale the air. it is cost effective and is also portable which makes it a good choice for mild sleep apnea patient.
However if you re patient of some kin d of heart disease then BiPAP is the ideal choice for you because it work s on two way mechanism. It maintains the pressure while breathing in and breathing out of the air. In case a person happens to miss his breath for a certain period of time the BiPAP forces air into hi s mouth, to reestablish the regular breathing procedure. BiPAP also give a patient much more comfort because pressure inside the face mask is controlled.
There is advanced form of CPAP machine known as ACAP which automatically adjust the amount of pressure that should be used during the respiration process, so that the patient is relieved from exerting high amount of pressure during normal breathing procedure.
The utility of the sleep apnea machine are also enhanced by the use of various machine accessories like a humidifier, breath counter, cotton face masks, mask liners etc, to make the experience more soothing for the patient.
I’m Antonio?has written a number of medical treatment that were published in diffeirent?popular article directories via internet.
Have you been diagnosed with sleep apnea? Your doctor could prescribe one of two types of sleep apnea machines for your sleeping disorder, a CPAP or BiPapmachine. Which one do you believe is the best? The CPAP has been a lifesaver, literally. Keeping airways open so those who have sleep apnea can sleep without the dangers of not breathing.
The Differences Between the CPAP and the BiPAP
The CPAP machine is designed to increase the pressure when you inhale to keep the airways in the nose, throat and mouth from closing while you are sleeping. This has been a great help to many people who suffer from sleep apnea and may stop breathing several times a night.
On the other hand, the BiPAP machine may help as well. Using the same setup as a CPAP with tubing, masks and a machine, the BiPAP uses a different setting. The CPAP uses one pressure and the BiPAP uses two. These two pressures are called inhalation pressure (IPAP) and the exhalation pressure (EPAP).
Where the CPAP works as the person using it inhales, the BiPAP provides more breathing assistance. They have been prescribed for patients who have congestive heart failure and other serious diseases affecting the heart and lungs. People with nerve and muscle problems may also benefit from the BiPAP machine rather than the CPAP machine.
The BiPAP is preset with two settings. The pressure when inhaling and exhaling is monitored. When the person sleeping does not breathe for a certain mount of time, the BiPAP increases pressure and forces them to take a breath. There are higher level CPAP machines that do this as well. These machines need a BPM (breathes per minute) setting that is targeted to your particular breathing needs.
Both machines are designed to make sure the users breathe a set number of times per minute. One of the main benefits of the BiPAP machine is the pressure is decreased as the person breathes out. This keeps them from having to work as hard at breathing and the person is able to have a more restful sleep.
The BiPAP machine is not large or noisy. They are designed to make the least amount of noise possible so you can sleep. The inclusion of a humidifier may be included with the BiPAP making it a higher end machine than the CPAP.
The main difference between these two machines will be the needs of the patient. The one that will help each individual with the specific breathing problems they have will be based on doctor’s examinations and recommendations. A sleep test will be conducted to allow the doctor to see exactly what settings are needed on the type of machine required.
The CPAP machine will be used for mild sleep apnea. Make no mistake, this can be a dangerous condition. It just depends on the levels of sleep apnea to govern the needed machine. Both machines are quite beneficial and are crucial to keeping sleepers breathing when they have problems.
In conclusion, remember, the sleep apnea machines are not designed to be used as ventilators. They do not breathe for you. They merely make sure you take the number of breaths per minute that your doctor believes is right for you. After doing tests to determine what the correct number may be, the doctor will advise you as to which machine he thinks you need.
Dianna Smith is a dedicated internet researcher of health issues including sleep apnea. She shares her research on her website, Sleep Apnea Made Simple. If you suffer from sleep apnea or other sleeping disorders, visit http://www.SleepApneaMadeSimple.com to learn much more about this condition.
BiPAP and CPAP Machines are medical device designed to fight the effects and risks of sleep apnea. BiPAP Machines stands for Bi-level Positive Air Pressure Machines, where as CPAP Machines stands for Constant Positive Airway Pressure Machines.
BiPAP machines are more suitable for treating obstructive sleep apnea as it contains a more sophisticated compressor than CPAP Machines, enabling them to provide two levels of air pressure to the patient while they are sleeping. Many patients find this to be more comfortable than the constant pressure provided by CPAP machines.
To make you better understand CPAP Machines provides one constant pressure to the patient where as BiPAP Machines provides two levels of pressure: one for inhalation and a lower pressure during exhalation.
Both are the electric device containing a compressor connected to a long tube and a nasal mask (or nasal pillows) which are worn by the patient during the sleep. The machine delivers air with a predetermined amount of pressure to the patient’s airway through a nasal mask keeping the airway open and free of obstructions while the patient is sleeping which allows sufficient amount of air to enter the lungs and preventing apnea.
Although both BiPAP Machines and CPAP Machines are proved helpful, it should not be forgotten that it is a palliative measure, not a permanent cure. Though undoubtedly it is an effective treatment for treating snoring and sleep apnea, but we cannot always rely on machines. Also before purchasing the machine must consult your doctor about what features you will require for your unique sleep apnea.
Supplier of CPAP machines, CPAP Masks, headgear, humidifiers and other BiPAP CPAP Equipments from Respironics, ResMed, Invacare, EVO, Puritian Bennet, Fisher Paykel. Call Toll-free: 1-877-501-2111 & get the best quote.
This video is intended to aid respiratory therapists and others in the proper fit of a standard BiPAP mask. The fit system may change but the concepts should be used to assure proper sizing.
InnoMed Technologies™ original Nasal-Aire® interface is designed to work with CPAP, bi-level and Auto Titration devices. This revolutionary design involves no bulky headgear or straps, can be worn over the ears or down on the chest, and is designed for the ultimate in patient comfort and convenience. The Nasal-Aire wears like an oxygen cannula and cleans easily with soap and water.
InnoMed Technologies™ original Nasal-Aire® interface is designed to work with CPAP, bi-level and Auto Titration devices. This revolutionary design involves no bulky headgear or straps, can be worn over the ears or down on the chest, and is designed for the ultimate in patient comfort and convenience. The Nasal-Aire wears like an oxygen cannula and cleans easily with soap and water.
Paul on his machine called Bipap while he is vocalizing
Introduction to BiPAP Series
An overview of two pressure sleep apnea machines.
ResMed mirage-micro by www.advanscpap.com CPAP and BiPAP Supplies: Sleep Apnea Treatment cpap masks