more about CPAP therapy devices
The year is 1980. A man goes to a hospital and the doctor there, Dr. Sullivan, confronts him with his diagnosis: severe sleep apnea.
You can guess three times what the treatment was like back then. If you came up with “tracheostomy,” you’re right.
This procedure involves cutting a hole in the throat to prevent breathing through the nose and mouth. This is quite painful and also leaves you with a hole the size of a small coin in your throat.
However, this story takes a surprising turn when the man refuses this treatment and Sullivan offers him an alternative treatment. This alternative is forever consigned to the history books.
As a test subject, a technique was used on him that had previously only been used in experiments with dogs. An appointment is made that evening and the doctor converts a vacuum cleaner into a makeshift continuous positive pressure ventilator (CPAP).
This device works excellently and for the first time the patient sleeps like a log. Since then, CPAP therapy devices have evolved exponentially.
In order to understand how CPAP therapy devices work, we have no choice but to take a closer look at the symptoms they are intended to treat.
This technique is most commonly used to treat sleep apnea and respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). In the former case, those affected cannot find restful sleep due to regular pauses in breathing, which lead to a lack of oxygen. If this condition is not treated, they will suffer from chronic fatigue. In the latter case, children are born with unfinished lungs that lack a substance called surfactant (this is the substance that prevents the alveoli from collapsing).
Now that we understand the problem at hand, how do we solve it?
Well, that's pretty simple. Since the airways are compromised or collapsed, all we need to do is make sure they are open. This is exactly what a CPAP machine does. It increases the pressure in the throat to prevent the alveoli or airways from collapsing.
The doctor advises you to have CPAP treatment. What's next for you?
The obvious next step is to perform a titration study. To do this, you visit a sleep laboratory and receive a suitable face mask (a CPAP therapy device consists of 3 basic parts: the mask, the hose and the air pump). It is absolutely crucial to find a mask that fits comfortably. The mask can be either nasal, a full face mask or with nasal pads and is then connected to the device. The air pump supplies ambient air to the throat area through the hose.
A medical employee from the sleep laboratory observes you throughout the night and measures the pressure at which hypopneas or apneas occur or do not occur. Start with the lowest pressure and then gradually increase it. This process is called calibration. From this examination, the doctor can prescribe CPAP treatment.
The mask fits, the titration was carried out and the CPAP therapy device was purchased. What now?
For the first time in years, the treatment has given you a restful level of sleep. That was still during calibration. With your doctor's prescription you can now order your own device. Before you know it, you'll be in the middle of the world of continuous positive pressure ventilation and the journey to making this experience as comfortable as possible for you begins.
Using such a device may result in allergic reactions. This is because the mask rests on the skin of the face. The vast majority of all users have no allergic reactions whatsoever. For the few who are allergic, allergic reactions vary depending on the material used. Signs of an allergy can include redness, rashes, or itching.
CPAP treatment can also cause dry mouth, nasal congestion, runny nose, nosebleeds and sneezing.
Dry mouth can be remedied with a device that warms and moistens the air sucked in or with a chin strap that prevents the mouth from involuntarily opening during sleep (this could be the trigger for the dry mouth).
A saline nasal spray before bedtime also helps prevent such side effects.
Most side effects of CPAP treatment are relatively mild and are well tolerated by the vast majority of patients.