CPAP Machines

Looks like one of our favorite CPAP retailers, CPAP Mart, has discounts on Remstar M Series CPAP machines.  In their CPAP Specials section, they have the Respironics DS200H and Respironics DS200HS CPAP machines, both part of the REMstar Plus M Series and with C-Flex and Heated Humidifier, for below the manufacturer’s advertised price.  The DS200H is less than $809 (they’ll email you the price), and the DS200HS (which adds a SmartCard) is less than $849.  I love it when stores have mysterious secret pricing!

Royal Philips Electronics NV, the company that bought Respironics for $5.1 billion a few months ago, is looking for even more health care companies to buy and add to its multi-faceted healthcare conglomerate.  According to Forbes, earlier this month they bought Dixtal Biomedica e Technologia, a Brazilian firm, for an undisclosed sum, and they haven’t finished swallowing other companies whole.

The acquisition of Respironics for such a large sum shows that Philips is dead serious and can afford most of the medium firms out there.  Already owning Respironics means Philips probably doesn’t need another CPAP machine company, though if their Respironics unit is threatened by the likes of ProBasics, Resmed, Puritan Bennet, or AEIOMed, perhaps with a new type of CPAP machine or an innovative CPAP mask, Philips may have to buy them to protect its investment.

Take a look at this picture of the Swift II CPAP Mask Nasal Pillow, designed to be inserted in your nose as an accessory to Resmed’s Mirage Swift II series of CPAP Masks:

I don’t know about you, but something about that thing makes me want to run a caption contest.  How about:

Worlds Worst Brass Knuckles

Or maybe they’re sort of an extension of those finger moustache tattoos you keep seeing?  Think about it.

Anyway, if you’re wondering how it works, this image of a Resmed Mirage Swift II Nasal Pillows System complete with the pillow attached.  Imagine yourself wearing this as a CPAP mask, and the unusual product begins to make sense:

I’ve noticed people looking around lately for nasal pillows, and had to see what they were talking about.  Apparently, a nasal pillow is a part of a CPAP mask, or a feature in a CPAP mask, where the air is delivered directly into the nostrils, minimizing the amount of contact between the CPAP mask and the skin around the nose.  These can take many forms, like little standalone things that look like ear plugs for your nose (often used by Puritan Bennet masks), or something that looks like a card with two mushrooms coming out of it (often used by Resmed CPAP masks)

U.S. News talked with doctors about the added risk to sufferers of obstructive sleep apnea during surgery.  The same risks patients face during sleep can become even more risky during a medical procedure, for several reasons:

• The patient may have trouble with the anesthesia - especially in obstructive sleep apnea cases (as opposed to central sleep apnea), where the problem is physical and often caused by a problem with properly relaxing the airways, the anesthesia may exacerbate the problem and cause dangerous post-surgery issues.
• The morphine can also mess with proper airway relaxation, causing the sleep apnea to flare up and cause problems.
• Pain medications can, again, cause more problems, especially since sleep apnea sufferers are more sensitive to them.
• Sleep apnea is often underdiagnosed, giving doctors no opportunity to prepare for it and have the proper precautions.

Those with mild sleep apnea don’t have much to worry about, but those who rely on a CPAP machine may need to go on one right after the surgery, in order to avoid complications.  Make sure your doctor knows about your sleep apnea, and that he or she is properly prepared with a CPAP machine on hand, if necessary.

The American Sleep Apnea Association has a great article explaining how you can choose the right CPAP mask and headgear for your needs.  They emphasize:

• Comfort - if the CPAP mask isn’t comfortable, you may not wear it, and thus endanger your health.
• A proper seal, while not being too tight
• The right fit
• The right size
• The right style

Styles, which are mostly a matter of preference, include the more traditional triangular CPAP masks, like this Optilife CPAP mask, or a slightly larger full-face variation for mouth-breathers.  The headgear is important too, so remember to have a matching chin strap, and you can usually get it in the color of your choice.

There are many kinds of CPAP masks, and no one can agree which one is the best.  Your CPAP mask will be a matter of personal preference.  What brand/style do you prefer to use?  Does the color matter?

Two CPAP Machines were donated to the Caledonia Area Ambulance Service (CAAS).  The CPAP machines, which normally cost $600 apiece (CPAP machines at CPAP Mart can cost $595-$825 for Resmed CPAP machines and $670-$2180 for Respironics CPAP machines) were given to assist the paramedics in emergency situations, forcing air into the lungs when conventional CPR isn’t enough.

“The CPAP system increases the volume of oxygen forced into the lungs, opens up the capillaries, and dramatically improves breathing for a distressed patient,” Tornstrom continued. “With these units we can provide immediate medical treatment to a patient suffering from respiratory issues.”

The CAAS staff has undergone a four-hour training course on the use of the CPAP system, and has a unit in each of its two ambulances. With the portable oxygen tank the CAAS has, the CPAP units become portable and can be taken into homes, other buildings, and emergency situations.

A new study about Obstructive Sleep Apnea shows that sleep apnea patients sleep no differently in a hospital than a hotel.  The study shows that there was no difference in sleep parameters between two groups of patients, one housed in a hotel, one in a hospital.

The study measured “sleep onset latency, sleep efficiency, REM sleep latency, total amount of slow wave sleep, and total stage 1 sleep“.

There is a growing trend of hotel-based sleep laboratories, but this study proves that there is no benefit to the patient of being housed in a hotel for a sleep apnea study.  Patients with obstructed sleep apnea are so familiar with hospital settings, due to the chronic nature of the disease, that they do not feel any less comfortable sleeping in a hospital.

Of course, things are different for those of us with CPAP Machines.  A CPAP machine user needs his machine in order to sleep properly at night, and not having that trusty Resmed equipment with a CPAP mask on your face does make a big difference.  I don’t care how comfortable a hotel is, without a Respironics or other CPAP machine, I won’t be staying there!