[Equipment] Replacement for Respironics BiPAP AVAPS C-Series

[hagemusha]

My friend lives in a part of Africa where it is very difficult to purchase CPAP/BPAP machines. He has been using the Respironics BiPAP AVAPS C-Series machine for many years and is in need of a replacement. Without really knowing his machine settings or sleep test results, I'm considering helping him to purchase a Respironics DreamStation BiPAP machine. Would the Respironics DreamStation BiPAP machine have all the same features as the Respironics BiPAP AVAPS C-Series? Both machines are made by Respironics, so I'm hoping the newer model (DreamStation) would have the same features plus more, but would like to get some opinions from you guys before making the purchase. Thanks! And Happy Holidays!!

[DeepBreathing]

Hi Hagemusha, welcome to Apnea Board.

AVAPs machines are generally used to treat more complex cases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other conditions which may occur with or without sleep apnea. The AVAPs can certainly treat obstructive apnea but there are other machines to do that at a lower cost. So I guess the question is: Why does you friend have an AVAPs, and would an ordinary CPAP or bilevel suit him as well?

The current Dreamstation range does include an AVAPs and from a quick look at the specifications it seems to be a direct replacement of the earlier machine. You can see the manufacturer's page for each machine here:

https://www.philips.com.au/healthcare/pr...r/overview

https://www.philips.com.au/healthcare/pr...ifications

[hagemusha]

Thanks for the reply! 

My friend has been using this machine for many years and I don't know his exact sleep apnea condition. Long story short, they can only rent imported sleep apnea machines in that part of Africa and it costs something like $2,000 CAD every 3-4 months. The fee was covered by insurance and there was also a company that subsidized this cost for him over the years, but this company can no long offer a subsidy so I offered to look for a machine while I'm in Canada. It is better for him to just purchase a machine in the long-term rather than continuing to rent for that cost. I think I will just go ahead and get the Respironics DreamStation and then he can bring it to a doctor there to apply the appropriate settings. Thanks again!

[Fats Drywaller]

Here's one Philips product page (USA) for the Dreamstation replacement for that old machine:

https://www.usa.philips.com/healthcare/p...ventilator

Brochure (PDF, 2 pages): https://philipsproductcontent.blob.core....69d34b.pdf

Apparently no link to a PDF of the user's guide there, but maybe on some other Philips web site.

[hagemusha]

Thanks Fat Drywaller! I'll see if I can get that DreamStation model. Happy Holidays!

[dmeRT]

i would recommend replacing an AVAPS machine with an AVAPS machine. just a regular bipap will not have the same features as an AVAPS bipap.

[Fats Drywaller]

i would recommend replacing an AVAPS machine with an AVAPS machine. just a regular bipap will not have the same features as an AVAPS bipap.

Yes, definitely. That's why I provided a pointer to information about the Dreamstation BiPAP AVAPS. Any downgrade from that is not recommended, to say the least.