Apnea Machines: Promising a Better Quality Of Life for the Apnea Patient
Recurrent pauses in breathing are perhaps one of the worst and most distressful symptoms of sleep apnea. It is therefore the aim of every doctor treating an apnea patient to restore normal breathing in the quickest possible way.
There is perhaps no other tool available to the doctor, other than apnea machines to achieve this difficult and critical goal. If you are a prospective user of a sleep apnea machine, you ought to be feeling a bit jittery; after all, apnea machines do look scary, what with the device, masks, hoses, etc. It is indeed difficult to imagine going to bed every night with such a package lying on the bedside table.
Before you understand what apnea machines are, it makes sense to know what this type of therapy is all about. The sleep apnea machine is also referred to as CPAP machines where CPAP stands for Continuous Positive Air Pressure.
CPAP therapy is a process of providing artificial ventilation for promoting obstruction-free breathing. The operation involves pumping in pre-measured pressurized air directly in to the lungs of the patient to keep the air way open during sleep. CPAP therapy is by far one of the most effective therapy options for treating sleep apnea.
Apnea machines: what are they?
The components of a typical sleep apnea machine consists of device generating pressurized air, hose connecting the device to the CPAP mask work by the user and CPAP mask that can be worn on the nose, mouth or both. The mask is a conduit for the pressurized air to reach the lungs of the user, as he or she inhales air during sleep.
The primary job of the sleep apnea machine is to ensure break-free supply of pressurized air to the lungs of the apnea patient with the help of the mask, in order to prevent any collapse of the airway during sleep.
Apnea machines: expanding capacity
The amount of air that needs to be pressurized and pumped in is decided by the treating doctor, depending on the severity of the condition as revealed during the sleep apnea test. The unit of such pressurized air is cm/H2O and the average requirement of a patient suffering from obstructive sleep apnea is between 6 and 14 cm/H2O. An average sleep apnea machine is capable of delivering more pressure and specialized apnea machines can deliver up to 25 or 30 cm/H2O.
Apnea machines: immediate efficacy
The best aspect of using apnea machines is that it assures relief from the first night of use. Since CPAP therapy is usually recommended for long term, the user of sleep apnea machine ought to take good care of the device as well as keep the CPAP mask in good and working condition for getting the best out of the equipment.
Apnea machines: suiting a variety of needs
Since its introduction in the ’80s, apnea machines have undergone several innovative value additions to suit a range of needs from a variety of patients. These days there are two types of apnea machines available: BiPAP (Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure) and APAP (automatic positive airway pressure) machines. While the user has the flexibility of altering the quantum of air during inhalation and exhalation in the BiPAP sleep apnea machines, the APAP machines offer automatic adjustment for increased patient compliance.
Learn more about Apnea Machines. Stop by Douglas Kidder’s site where you can find out all about different types of sleep apnea machines and what it can do for you.