Frankly, I am not sure how important your machine is to you. If it broke in the middle of the night, what would it mean to you? Inconvenient? Would it merely mean you are going to snore all night and wake up grumpy?

For some of us it might mean life or death. Literally.

If your unit is super important, do you have a backup plan to replace it?

I am bringing this up to get you to thinking about it. What if you lose electricity from 9pm to noon the next day? You could buy a cheap inverter on sale at your local car parts or Harbor Freight (online for many). Put a deep cycle battery with it and you are probably good for all night and then some. These 400 watt, modified sine wave, inverters can be bought (on sale) for around $25.
That takes care of most of our members (I hope).

BUT if your CPAP/BiPap breaks ... what does it mean to you? Will you sit up all night grumbling or snore your way through the night? I don't want to scare anyone --- just get you to thinking about it.

Ramp it up a notch (poor pun) and the ST/SV users have a more serious problem. How can we replace our broken units at 2am? Do YOU have a backup plan?

I have only one SV and it acts as a Ventilator for me. It will announce a power outage with a loud alarm. But if it fails? I don't know what would happen. I would continue to get oxygen through the connector, but my lungs need the ventilation. I do not have a backup plan and that worries me.

I have thought about setting my Respironics BiPap Auto up as a CPAP. My nightly average IPAP runs 15-23. Could I set up the BiPap Auto as a CPAP and run an EPAP of 17 and an IPAP of 17? Or an IPAP of 25? I don't know if that would work.

DSM -- you are running an SV --- what is YOUR backup plan? We have some RTs on here who are pretty smart, along with SW, RG, Nighthawk and others whose nickname escape me at the moment.

I tried setting my SV up like an ST with a prescribed number of breaths per minute. I tried "practicing" 12 breaths per minute and even slept with my machine on 12 breaths per minute -- Apnea rate of 47.2, so I am not doing well with that idea. I can buy an ST used a lot cheaper than an SV, but the opiates have severely limited my mental discipline.

CCHS is not a forgiving disease and I stand a good chance of dying. I need a backup plan. I am looking for a used SV. The cheapest new one I have found is a little under $3500.

Ideas are welcome. Brainstorming is how society moves forward in many areas -- so if YOU need a backup plan -- what is it?

For most of you, this may represent "mental gymnastics", but for some of us a backup plan is deadly serious. You are welcome to PM or email me if you don't want to post your idea here. Some RTs have a legitimate concern over liability and I understand that. At least think about your own situation if you lose AC power, your machine breaks late at night and so on.

Thankfully I am not in as serious straits as you. We live in a rural area and encounter quite a few power outages each year. We have two portable generators. One in a "generator house" w/exhaust directed away from the house and the other on a "dolly" is more portable.

I have a Resmed S8 AutoSet Vantage I was on before being switched to my new Resmed VPAP Auto and can get by w/that as a backup if my VPAP croaks on me. Not ideal, but it beats the alternative.

I also have 4 of the "E" 02 tanks. (Or are they the Bs? I can never keep the sizes straight). I have COPD.

I have two spare machines; an auto M in the bedroom, and a 420E in the car. Both of these machines are packed with mask and hose; and are ready to grab and go. I also have a spare 420G somewhere in the spare bedroom. I have lots of spare masks and hoses. I have a continuously charged CPAP battery that can be quickly packed and grabbed; this battery provides continuous backup power to my CPAP.

dllfo,

We have a backup machine for every E0471 device that we have out on a patient. They are setup to the patients RX and tagged with the patients name, they are not used for anything thing else except as a backup machine for that patient. Since E0471 devices are labeled as "Ventilators" my manager and I agreed that we would manage them under the ventilator portion of our service. This may sound like overkill to some, but I believe that it's just good customer service, and provides peace of mind to my patients. We do have someone on-call 24/7, not just for the items above, but just in general.

I think you are spot on about being concerned with a backup machine. I don't remember how you got your machine, if it is through a BM DME company they "should" be providing you with a backup for your SV if it should fail.

akcpapguy wrote:dllfo,

We have a backup machine for every E0471 device that we have out on a patient. They are setup to the patients RX and tagged with the patients name, they are not used for anything thing else except as a backup machine for that patient. Since E0471 devices are labeled as "Ventilators" my manager and I agreed that we would manage them under the ventilator portion of our service. This may sound like overkill to some, but I believe that it's just good customer service, and provides peace of mind to my patients. We do have someone on-call 24/7, not just for the items above, but just in general.

I think you are spot on about being concerned with a backup machine. I don't remember how you got your machine, if it is through a BM DME company they "should" be providing you with a backup for your SV if it should fail.

I think you provide excelent service for your patients. Too bad that , I'm sure isn't the norm. If all DME's thought like you do, we would be getting our moneys worth using your service, My hat's off to you and your boss.

The higher end machines are in the shortest supply, and their users needs are more critical and should be treated as such. I have a back-up for my APAP and a Pro2 to back-up my back-up, and enought supplies for a year.

With the cars I have and a spare battery I could get by a week with out electric to power them. Without power life wouldn't be good anyway, I'd probably get in the car and drive to power. Jim

WOW, a machine to back up all those you have out? I knew our RTs on this forum were a step above their contemporaries. Congratulations sir.

Apria is hard to understand. Our local branch manager and I talked about it and if I understood him correctly, the SV is SO expensive, Apria does not keep a back up. In fact, and this sounds very strange, they don't even keep the SV on their "books". That is not to say they are doing anything crooked, I figure it is his way of saying the expense and the support costs are in a different "bracket" than most of their equipment.

They do NOT have a backup for me. I would have to guess I am hard on the SV. Running 30cmH2O for 30 straight minutes (approx.) might wear the machine out faster. I wish they had one here. I know they have someone on call but without the appropriate machine, it does me no good.

I can find an ST for a good price, but due to years on morphine (for pain), my discipline and ability to ... function normally has been impaired. I tried breathing 12 times a minute, but when I sleep, I obviously can't remember that. I put my SV on a backup breathing rate of 12 breaths per minute and my apnea rate was 47 per Encore Pro. Full Auto works.

That is why I am trying to brainstorm about using the Respironics BiPap Auto as a CPAP or set it on a titration of 20 EPAP and 25 IPAP. OR buy a used SV. The last time Apria replaced a machine it took about 7-10 days. My machine did not quit completely, so I made it, but it showed me I cannot count on them. I need a plan B.

I have two 12 Volt AGM batteries I can run in our bedroom, with the inverter. So I have the back up electrically, just not a machine I am sure of. I cannot even sit up and sleep anymore. If you missed a previous post, I went to sleep in a chair, my Medic Alert dog "alerted" my wife and they could not wake me up. It took a half hour before they thought to use my M9 bottle, but my breathing was too shallow to activate the Pressure Demand Regulator. They finally put me on 100% continuous oxygen and I "woke up". I knew they wanted me to wake up, but I could not remember how. Guess my brain was pretty low on oxygen. My Medic Alert dog saved me 3 times in May. My part of the bargain with her is to stop going to sleep without oxygen and my Ventilator. I haven't got a good back up plan yet.
I hope everyone else has. I bought an Oxygen Concentrator and now I guess I will buy an SV ... I just haven't figured out which bank to rob.

Sorry about that, thought I was logged in.

akcpapguy wrote:dllfo,

We have a backup machine for every E0471 device that we have out on a patient. They are setup to the patients RX and tagged with the patients name, they are not used for anything thing else except as a backup machine for that patient. Since E0471 devices are labeled as "Ventilators" my manager and I agreed that we would manage them under the ventilator portion of our service. This may sound like overkill to some, but I believe that it's just good customer service, and provides peace of mind to my patients. We do have someone on-call 24/7, not just for the items above, but just in general.

I think you are spot on about being concerned with a backup machine. I don't remember how you got your machine, if it is through a BM DME company they "should" be providing you with a backup for your SV if it should fail.

WOW, that is enough to make one want to move to your area. Does the area that you serve tend to be more isolated? From my interpretation of your user name, you are in Alaska, I believe.

Still, regardless of the location, some folks have a need for a backup machine, and that access should be a 24/7 arrangement.

This whole scenario makes my straight CPAP with an inverter (such as described above) seem feeble in comparison. Do not get me wrong, though--I am counting my blessings, now more than EVER.

Thanks for the suggestion that we prepare for emergencies. We have been reminded of the Homeland Security suggestions from time to time on late-night TV; this is simply an application of that preparedness for short-term emergencies. My question is that the recommendations I have seen suggest a 3-day supply of food, water, and medications. So, how does one find a 3-day power source that is cheaply and easily stored and used?

Karen

I have my first machine which will only blow at 10 cm and cant' be changed because of a software problem with it. I guess I could get by on that until I could get another machine. My current machine is at 11 cm/h20. Not having my cpap machine strikes fear in my heart. I'm looking into backup power for it and when I get a little extra money I'll buy another machine to use for backup in the unfortunate event something happens to mine. I was freaking out when my computer fried and I couldn't see data. I can only imagine what a basket case I'd be if I didn't have a machine.

You will be AMAZED when you see how little power our XPAPs take. As I have posted earlier, my wife's Respironic's BiPap Auto, with HH and blower going uses about 75 watts.

You can check the web at Harbor Freight or look for your local auto supply stores for an inverter on sale. Roughly $25 and almost any 12 volt deep cycle battery and it should last your machine at least 2 days, if not three.

You can check Craigslist for a used generator, but who knows if it is any good.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND (AGAIN) THAT YOU CHECK YOUR ELECTRIC COMPANIES WEBSITE TO SEE IF YOU QUALIFY FOR A DISCOUNT BECAUSE SOME PLACES CONSIDER A CPAP AS "LIFE SUPPORT" EQUIPMENT. I GET A 33% REDUCTION IN ELECTRIC RATES AND I AM SUPPOSED TO BE THE FIRST ONE TO GET MY POWER BACK UP AFTER A FAILURE. All caps for obvious emphasis. Or call the electric company --- ask them.

I have in the closet my first machine from 2 years ago - no exhalation relief, but in a bind I'd have to put on my big girl pant(ies) and use it. (I hesitated to use those words (big girl - not panties) because I'm sensitive about my weight gain on Prednisone. )

In a power outage, my back up plan is sleeping in the recliner sitting almost upright with legs up.

dllfo wrote:I HIGHLY RECOMMEND (AGAIN) THAT YOU CHECK YOUR ELECTRIC COMPANIES WEBSITE TO SEE IF YOU QUALIFY FOR A DISCOUNT BECAUSE SOME PLACES CONSIDER A CPAP AS "LIFE SUPPORT" EQUIPMENT. I GET A 33% REDUCTION IN ELECTRIC RATES AND I AM SUPPOSED TO BE THE FIRST ONE TO GET MY POWER BACK UP AFTER A FAILURE. All caps for obvious emphasis. Or call the electric company --- ask them.

You are clearly with SMUD. The [url]PG&E discounts[/url] specifically exclude "theraputic equipment" http://www.pge.com/includes/docs/pdfs/s ... nglish.pdf

The SMUD rate discounts seem to apply to "any medical device requiring utility-supplied energy for its operation that is regularly required to sustain the life of a full-time resident in the home.

Qualifying medical equipment devices include, but are not limited to, respirators, iron lungs, hemodialysis machines, suction machines, electric nerve stimulators, pressure pads and pumps, aerosol tents, electrostatic and ultrasonic nebulizers, compressors, IPPB machines and motorized wheelchairs. "

I also live in California and have applied for the"Medical Baseline Allowance", I printed filled out the form that I got online at pge.com, then I faxed it to my ENT and he filled it out and mailed it to pge around 2 months ago and I just recieved a letter through the mail from PGE stating that I was approved and they have coded my account with "life support" in the special account area (right top side) of my pge bill and they also took $15.14 off my bill.

The discount we get is listed as "Intermittent Positive Pressure Breathing (IPPB) Machines"

So, yes it was worth it, I didn't even have to leave my house, just printed the form out online, then faxed it to my awesome Doctor and was approved... If anyone fills out the form above (this is the same one I filled out) be sure to put pernament on it where the Doctor signs it..

I have TWO CPAP AUTO's but I have no generators, or back-up batteries, and NO BACK-UP PLAN Ummm, better buy one of those battery packs for around $350.00 that go with a cpap or do what DIFLO says and I have not a clue as to what he means, us ladies are just that way when it comes to the men stuff/gadgets, lol

Goodluck to us, I hope we can come up with a simpilier plan for the ladies to understand

SleepyNoMore

Each electric company must be different. We are on Aquila in Missouri. I inquired about the medical necessity thing and was told it was ONLY if you could NOT leave your house. If you are mobile according to the person I talked with then you don't qualify. Our area often loses power and there have been times when it has taken them several days to restore power.

SNM wrote:The discount we get is listed as "Intermittent Positive Pressure Breathing (IPPB) Machines"

Thanks! I will complete the form and see what happens. As you know, we have some of the highest electric rates in the country. Every little bit helps.