The continuous positive airway pressure or CPAP machine is used to prevent sleep apnea from causing sleep disruptions, oxygen deprivation and even death. CPAP machines are evolving as customer demands and improved technology influence the market place.
How are CPAP machines changing? CPAP machines are getting smaller. This means that your old CPAP supplies may not fit a newer, smaller machine. However, some CPAP machines are made to fit with all CPAP masks, regardless of machine size. It is important to note that you should always ensure that the air hose fits both the facemask and the CPAP machine.
If you are concerned about the fit of your current CPAP supplies with an existing machine, speak with your doctor or the CPAP machine supplier.CPAP machines are getting smarter. Earlier versions of CPAP machines delivered air pressure based on an expected inhalation pattern or in response to air pressure variations as the patient inhaled and exhaled.
Smarter models recognize the air pressure changes as a patient exhales, automatically reducing pressure before the patient starts to inhale. This feature is called exhalation relief. A few advanced units can adjust the titration level based on breathing patterns, but patients should seek medical advice before attempted to adjust the titration pattern of their CPAP machines.Data recording is increasingly common in CPAP machines. More units contain advanced data readout, recording breathing patterns in a digital monitor.
Some units can even forward that information automatically to a doctor for evaluation. Standard USB cables may be used to connect the CPAP machine’s data recorder to the internet for live data feed to your doctor for at home titration tests or sleep monitoring.CPAP machines are becoming quieter.
There were jokes that CPAP machines were as loud as the person whose snoring it was supposed to cure. Quieter devices help sleep apnea patients and their spouses sleep better at night. Less noise during operations also reduces the risk of hearing damage from listening to loud industrial noises for hours on end every night.