Switch from bipap the cpap??

I have been using bipap (19/15) for 6.5 years. My ResMed VPAP S died two days ago and I am miserable without therapy. I need help in buying a new machine. I have never tried a single level machine. I borrowed a CPAP machine from a friend which I will try tonight. The machine has 10 years of use and going strong. Do cpap machines last longer as they are simpler?

Testing the cpap machine at 19 seems difficult to exhale. 17 seems OK so I will try that tonight. Since I managed to get comfortable exhaling against 15, my guess is that I could get comfortable at 19 in a few days.

So is bipap really worth it? Do bipap machines fail sooner than cpap machines?
What is the advantage of auto cpap?
Thanks

xxyzx wrote:

TedVPAP wrote:I have been using bipap (19/15) for 6.5 years. My ResMed VPAP S died two days ago and I am miserable without therapy. I need help in buying a new machine. I have never tried a single level machine. I borrowed a CPAP machine from a friend which I will try tonight. The machine has 10 years of use and going strong. Do cpap machines last longer as they are simpler?

Testing the cpap machine at 19 seems difficult to exhale. 17 seems OK so I will try that tonight. Since I managed to get comfortable exhaling against 15, my guess is that I could get comfortable at 19 in a few days.

So is bipap really worth it? Do bipap machines fail sooner than cpap machines?
What is the advantage of auto cpap?
Thanks

==============

my engineering judgement says they should all last the same amount of time

if you have 15/19 bipap you really should not be switching to cpap

i had trouble exhaling at 10 and ended up with 11/14 to be sure to fix OSAs

you should go for fixing your problem properly not getting the cheapest machine or the wrong machine that might last longer or might not

Thanks for the response.
The price of bipap is about twice that of cpap so I was concluding that they have more complexity.

You said you struggled exhaling at 10 but now you are comfortable with 11. I think we eventually get comfortable. I am now used to 15 but I am sure I wasn't 6 years ago when I first started. With a little time, I might get comfortable at 19.

From the reading I have done, it seems like the auto is desirable.

TedVPAP wrote:So is bipap really worth it? Do bipap machines fail sooner than cpap machines?
What is the advantage of auto cpap?

can be.
nope, same *exact* hardware.
they adjust to your changing needs as the night progresses.

palerider wrote:

TedVPAP wrote:So is bipap really worth it? Do bipap machines fail sooner than cpap machines?
What is the advantage of auto cpap?

can be.
nope, same *exact* hardware.
they adjust to your changing needs as the night progresses.

Good point on the hardware being the same.
I see that some cpap machines offer an exhalation relief. Isn't that the same as bilevel (bipap)?

TedVPAP wrote:I see that some cpap machines offer an exhalation relief. Isn't that the same as bilevel (bipap)?

Yes and no.
Bilevel's exhale relief is more versatile because the difference between inhale and exhale is what makes it easier and cpaps/apaps with exhale relief are usually very limited with the amount of reduction that can be attained.
Like with ResMed's exhale relief called EPR...the most the cpap/apap will do in terms of reducing inhale is 3 cm.
Using a bilevel you can have up to 3 like with EPR but you can greater than 3 if you wish...like 4 or 5 or 6 or more if the doctor thinks you need it for some reason.

So it's sort of the same but not exactly the same plus the timing of the reduction is oh so slightly different between EPR and bilevel.
I once tried EPR at 3 on a machine and a bilevel machine with 3 PS (the difference between inhale and exhale) and while both numbers were 3 there was ever so slightly a tiny difference in how it felt in terms of timing. If I hadn't been specifically looking I might not have even noticed.

We do sometimes call the ResMed cpap/apap machines the poor man's bilevel because of the EPR feature and how it works. It works an awful lot like the bilevels work when it comes to inhale and exhale differences. Main problem of course is if someone needs more than 3 cm reduction for whatever reason the cpap/apap can't do it.

Now Respironics machines...their exhale relief is even more different and really because it is flow based you can't really compare it and say it works much like a bilevel.

If your cpap that you got your hands on happens to be a ResMed with EPR available..you might try using EPR maxed at 3 and see how it feels. It might get close enough to what you felt with your bipap that you could get by jsut fine with it.

Pugsy wrote:

TedVPAP wrote:I see that some cpap machines offer an exhalation relief. Isn't that the same as bilevel (bipap)?

Yes and no.
Bilevel's exhale relief is more versatile because the difference between inhale and exhale is what makes it easier and cpaps/apaps with exhale relief are usually very limited with the amount of reduction that can be attained.
Like with ResMed's exhale relief called EPR...the most the cpap/apap will do in terms of reducing inhale is 3 cm.
Using a bilevel you can have up to 3 like with EPR but you can greater than 3 if you wish...like 4 or 5 or 6 or more if the doctor thinks you need it for some reason.

So it's sort of the same but not exactly the same plus the timing of the reduction is oh so slightly different between EPR and bilevel.
I once tried EPR at 3 on a machine and a bilevel machine with 3 PS (the difference between inhale and exhale) and while both numbers were 3 there was ever so slightly a tiny difference in how it felt in terms of timing. If I hadn't been specifically looking I might not have even noticed.

We do sometimes call the ResMed cpap/apap machines the poor man's bilevel because of the EPR feature and how it works. It works an awful lot like the bilevels work when it comes to inhale and exhale differences. Main problem of course is if someone needs more than 3 cm reduction for whatever reason the cpap/apap can't do it.

Now Respironics machines...their exhale relief is even more different and really because it is flow based you can't really compare it and say it works much like a bilevel.

If your cpap that you got your hands on happens to be a ResMed with EPR available..you might try using EPR maxed at 3 and see how it feels. It might get close enough to what you felt with your bipap that you could get by jsut fine with it.

Thanks for the distinction. Makes sense. Tonight's machine is an old REMstar Plus without C-flex.

TedVPAP wrote:Tonight's machine is an old REMstar Plus without C-flex.

That is an old dinosaur for sure. CFlex wouldn't have offered much help anyway...the most reduction it might give you is 2 cm at the setting of 3 if it had it, which of course this old dinosaur doesn't have. I have used C Flex in past...it's not all that great IMHO.

I am going to be nosy because I am a woman and I can do that...
How come resorting to this old dinosaur ...or is it just short term until you can get a new or newer bilevel machine?
No insurance?...Cost?

Since you were doing well with Bi-PAP, I would get a new Bi-PAP machine or have the old one repaired. Hopefully, your single level machine is a temporary loaner.

Pugsy wrote:

TedVPAP wrote:Tonight's machine is an old REMstar Plus without C-flex.

That is an old dinosaur for sure. CFlex wouldn't have offered much help anyway...the most reduction it might give you is 2 cm at the setting of 3 if it had it, which of course this old dinosaur doesn't have. I have used C Flex in past...it's not all that great IMHO.

I am going to be nosy because I am a woman and I can do that...
How come resorting to this old dinosaur ...or is it just short term until you can get a new or newer bilevel machine?
No insurance?...Cost?

I don't have a backup machine so I borrowed from a friend. I will be buying auto cpap or auto bipap as soon as I can get a new script.
I haven't seen my original specialist in many years so they don't want to give me the script. The DME who provided my original machine 6 years ago insists on a new script.

In the mean time, the dinosaur is saving me. I set it to 17 and slept great.

D.H. wrote:Since you were doing well with Bi-PAP, I would get a new Bi-PAP machine or have the old one repaired. Hopefully, your single level machine is a temporary loaner.

I am curious to know why you don't use exhalation relief.
Also, how important do you think the humidifier is? I have always used it with my ResMed VPAP S but I never tested to see how important it is.
Thanks

TedVPAP wrote:

D.H. wrote:Since you were doing well with Bi-PAP, I would get a new Bi-PAP machine or have the old one repaired. Hopefully, your single level machine is a temporary loaner.

I am curious to know why you don't use exhalation relief.
Also, how important do you think the humidifier is? I have always used it with my ResMed VPAP S but I never tested to see how important it is.
Thanks

I assume that you got this from my profile.

The machine was delivered with it turned on. I was using CPAP since 1999; this was CPAP #4 for me (#3 had broken, and I reverted to #2 as backup until #4 was delivered). None of my prior machines had this; I found it very annoying and noisy.

I am going to confirm with the sleep doc on my next visit that there is no medical benefit to using this feature.

BTW, thanks for reminding me to put that question on my list.

Humidifier important or not? For some people it is critically important (I am one of those) but others can go without it or put water in the chamber but no heat.
Google "cpap rhinitis" and read up on what happens to people like me if our nasal mucosa and sinuses get dried out...it is pretty miserable.
It's an individual thing and there's really no right way or wrong way....there's just what works for the individual.

Also the humidifier with water in it can act like a muffler or buffer to any machine motor noise...makes the machine less noisy.

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