Do machines need check-ups?

[TheManseHen]

Another question fellow Pap-ers...

My machine has seemed to work well these 4 years as best I can tell. My numbers have been consistently low this past year (which in itself makes me wonder if things are still working right...) I have noticed the feature where if I pulled the nose pillows away from my face a few seconds straight the machine would turn itself off, which was helpful for when needing to blow nose or talk or get up for the loo, without having to reach over and press button off. Lately it sometimes doesn't shut off that way and just keeps blowing.

Also the last few days I've been getting pre-dawn headaches which are something I used to have before I was well treated for the apnea. 

Is there any way that the machine can be not functioning at peak as far as pressure output? Does anyone ever take their machine into the DME for any kind of check up or testing?

Thanks in advance, 


Susan

[DeepBreathing]

Hi Susan. Our machines are mechanical and electronic - all mechanical things eventually wear out and break, and electronic things can develop faults. Generally, from what I have seen written, CPAP machines are very reliable but they do occasionally break. Your DME can do a simple pressure test to ensure the blower's OK. (Or you can do it yourself if you want to make a manometer out of some transparent plastic tubing.

In my case the humidifier developed a fault - Resmed replaced it under warranty and also replaced the blower motor. It's running much quieter since then. There is a discussion here: http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...aintenance

[Sleeprider]

It is possible to inexpensively check the pressure on your CPAP. The pressure settings are in centimeters of water (cm-H2O). One technique is to set the CPAP to a known fixed pressure and turn off any auto-start/stop functions. Get a tall water glass or pitcher and fill it 3/4 with water. Use a fabric tape in centimeters and align the zero (0) with the top of the water. Tape the measure to the container so the numbers increase as they go down. Now, just turn on the CPAP and slowly insert the tube into the water until the flow stops, and note the depth in centimeters. That is the water pressure that your CPAP is displacing in cm-H2O. If it matches the setting fairly closely, your CPAP is probably producing an accurate therapeutic pressure. This is not a precision measurement, but is good for screening.

There are fancier methods of measuring pressure, and your DME has the equipment to easily do this. If you have a working relationship with a DME they will probably do this without charge. There are gauges or "manometer" that measure in cm-H20 that can be purchased at Amazon and many online DMEs to do this measurement. If the pressure is considerably off, a DME will probably compare repair costs with replacement and most of the time replacement wins. If the pressure is accurate, you have peace of mind.

[ardenum]

Its weird but thats what my machine was doing at the beginning, sometimes shutting off sometimes not, then it fell to the ground twice and now it always shuts off.

[TheManseHen]

Thanks All, 

I shall take my machine over to the DME tomorrow and see if they can check it out. 

Susan