Posted by Bird Watcher on April 06, 2007 at 19:27:40:

In Reply to: Re: Do APAPs use Algorhythms? (techie ? posted by Captin Cannuck on April 05, 2007 at 01:54:27:

Guidelines for choosing an APAP:

1. If a straight CPAP machine doesn't work for a person, APAP probably won't work much better. Almost better to be trying Bi-Level (Bi-PAP) if CPAP doesn't work.

2. APAP's are for people who do reasonably well on CPAP already but are looking for better results with problems such as air swallowing, or those who are noticing a lot of sleep difference in therapy results if your weight bounces around a lot, say from winter to summer.

3. APAP's should be thought of as relief machines, not treatement machines. If you want, need, or do better on constant treatment, choose CPAP. I personally do better on Auto mode. APAP's are to relieve the pressure during times during the night when not so much pressure is needed. To get this benefit, you give up that the machine will not always be at the best pressure you need at any second. It's a trade off. Some people don't have constant apneas during their sleep, like me. The more severe cases of apnea or severe cases of O2 desaturation will probably do better on CPAP, BiPAP.

4. All APAP's treat sudden apneas if they occur, but do it a bit differently from manufacturer to manufacturer. How well any machine treats any given person may vary. One isn't better than all the rest. They've all been certified to work for apnea, but some APAP's may let a few apneas slip by without responding quick enough, while another APAP may try to be too aggressive and keep the pressure too high so NO apneas happen. Doing this then defeats the idea of an auto in the first place.

Follow Ups:

---

Copyright ©1995-2008 Sleepnet.com., All rights reserved