If you’ve ever employed a continuous positive airway tension (CPAP) machine to manage obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) for long enough, you are aware that the fight for smaller, quieter devices has been raging for a long time. The battle is over. There is no longer the sound of a CPAP machine sound more loud than the snoring from the person who is using it. Additionally, modern CPAP devices are sleeker and smaller than the older models, and offer advanced features to assist all OSA patients to better manage compliance. If you’ve not had a look at the CPAP devices of the present then you’re in the dark about some amazing features that will improve the CPAP experience more enjoyable.
Manufacturers of CPAP machines such as Philips Respironics, ResMed, DeVilbiss Healthcare, and Fisher & Paykel Healthcare have made significant strides over the last couple of years to develop CPAP machines that are not just better equipped with features such as exhalation relief as well as data recording, auto titration, as well as humidification heated, but also have put in the effort to create CPAP machines appear less like medical devices and more like common household items like clock radios. The efforts made by the manufacturers can help increase the patients’ satisfaction with CPAP therapy, which in turn increases the level of compliance for patients.
Silent. This is the perfect term to describe any CPAP machine that was designed during the last 18 months. This DeVilbiss Healthcare IntelliPAP boasts a recorded noise level of 26 dBA. If you think of the library’s whisper is as low as 30 dBA, then you’ll be able imagine just how quiet this machine made by DeVilbiss is. Does your current CPAP machine meet that standard? The latest models made by Respironics and ResMed are certainly able to be praised for their the quietness. The newer machines aren’t similar to the noise-alikes from freight trains of the past.
Features like exhalation relief or auto titration have been able to in increasing the patient’s satisfaction with CPAP therapy. Exhalation relief allows patients to exhale with an automatically lower pressure. The CPAP device detects the completion of the inspiratory cycle and can decrease the pressure needed to exhale up to three centimeters H20. Exhalation relief is available from the majority of major manufacturers and can be labeled as C-FLEX (Respironics) or A-FLEX (Respironics), SmartFlex (DeVilbiss) and EPR (ResMed). Auto-titrating equipment, also called Auto CPAP or APAP, are now becoming more common within the CPAP therapy field as well. Titration can be adjusted automatically by the machine to create more pressure when required or less when needed. Certain patients may be able to see that having a preset pressure for all times isn’t always the most effective treatment. Certain factors like drinking alcohol, sleeping position and prescription medication may influence the method by which CPAP adjustment is made. A CPAP that is Auto can adjust the air flow according to the need and offer the treatment you require for the particular night.
Fisher and Paykel Icon CPAP machineThe most recent machine available comes from the New Auckland-based Fisher & Paykel Healthcare. The Icon Premo is the latest model from the company. Icon Premo is designed differently from any other model before it, with the footprint of 6.5″ square. It comes with an forward-facing digital clock on the display which creates the whole machine to look as if it’s an ordinary alarm clock placed at the table by your bedroom. Actually, it can also be used as an alarm clock, with the inclusion of AlarmTunes that lets users to play MP3 songs direct from your CPAP machine to kick off your day. The features of the machine aren’t simple but. Fisher & Paykel is recognized for its innovations in humidification, including ThermoSmart. ThermoSmart Technology, featuring the unique heating breathing tube provides higher, more customized levels of humidity that last throughout the night, regardless the temperature of the surrounding. The higher levels of humidity allow for normal airway conditions to be maintained without the adverse effect of rain-out or condensation as it is often referred to from CPAP sufferers. The Icon’s humidifier is integrated into the device, so there is no requirement to have two separate devices. The new Icon is definitely one to keep an eye on in the field.
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