What happens when power goes out??

zomby · Post by **zomby** » Sat Mar 21, 2009 9:44 am

and you're wearing a full face mask or have your mouth taped shut?

Do you suffocate or do you pull off the mask in your sleep or wake up or what?

I just got a new FFM to try and the manual says that if the machine isn't operating properly you can suffocate!

cflame1 · Post by **cflame1** » Sat Mar 21, 2009 10:04 am

that's what an anti asphyxia valve is for... though no matter what... I tend to wake up when the power goes off (or not get to sleep at all).

rocketdork · Post by **rocketdork** » Sat Mar 21, 2009 10:46 am

I don't use a full face mask, but the one time the power has gone out during my therapy, I woke up within a short period of time. There are many suggestions on how to run a xPAP machine on a battery as a backup when power goes out. If you live in an area where this happens frequently, I would spend some time searching decide what method works best for you.

I haven't done it yet, because I rarely lose power at my home, but if I were to do a setup, I believe I would obtain a deep cycle Sealed Lead Acid battery and a battery minder charger that was designed for SLA batteries. I would run the xPAP machine on the 12V provided from the battery and use the battery minder to maintain it. Size the battery for the longest expected outage. I can imagine that for those folks with frequent power outages it would add a lot of peace of mind.

ww · Post by ww » Sat Mar 21, 2009 10:58 am

I use a ResMed Ultra Mirage Full Face Mask and when the power goes off, the anti asphyxiate valve opens as you breathe and soon you do wake up. If power comes back on pretty quick the auto on turns the CPAP back on. There is no safety on your mouth when taping, so I really don't know. Just choose not to do that!

zomby · Post by **zomby** » Sat Mar 21, 2009 12:26 pm

So the Resmed masks have a special valve. I got a Respironics Confortgel FFM and I guess that doesn't have the valve.

I'm almost afraid to try it out tonight!

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Sat Mar 21, 2009 1:52 pm

In Respironics the anti-asphyxia valve is called an "entrainment swivel".
You don' thave to worry about power loss, since the "entrainment swivel "provides access to room air" once the pressure is less than 3.

O.

CEH877 · Post by **CEH877** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 6:32 am

You're not going to suffocate, but the absence of air pressure will definitely wake you up. If you are a faithful
CPAP user, we define this by use every night for >4 hours, then going a night without it will result in feeling pretty crappy the next day. This is not because your sleep apnea is worse, it's just that you now have a different baseline of comparison, i.e. feeling good, now feeling bad opposed to feeling bad, still feeling bad as you did prior to starting therapy.

You can also buy a back up battery pack for times you may go camping or to other places where an electrical outlet is not available.

Debjax · Post by **Debjax** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 5:29 pm

I have a UPS in the bedroom, the alarm clock is plugged into it, along with my phone charger. If the power goes off, it will beep and wake us up.

DoriC · Post by **DoriC** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 6:08 pm

ww, I can't believe I've never asked this question before but where exactly is the anti-asphyxiation valve on the UMFF? I'm probably looking right at it but can't identify it.

deb, what is a UPS? I'm feeling dumb right now but still asking.

zomby · Post by **zomby** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 6:36 pm

UPS stands for uninterruptible power supply.

It's a battery backup power source that's usually used with computers. It keeps your stuff going when the power goes out.

Now I'm thinking I should get one to wake me up when the power goes out.

TheDreamer · Post by **TheDreamer** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 9:26 pm

DoriC wrote:ww, I can't believe I've never asked this question before but where exactly is the anti-asphyxiation valve on the UMFF? I'm probably looking right at it but can't identify it.

It is part of the inlet between elbow and mask. There's a silicon membrane ring over a slotted ring. When the pressure is on, the membrane covers the slotted ring...but when you lose pressure the slot become open.

It also makes a distinct sound when the air comes on (at least to me), and it prevents me from using the auto-on feature of my machine....

The Dreamer.

Severeena · Post by **Severeena** » Mon Mar 23, 2009 6:24 am

Hubby and I are both on O2 concentrators as well as Sleep Apnea Machines.

My service dog and service cat wake me up when the electricity goes out, because they know by the sounds something is wrong and they wake me up to see what the problem is.

Why can't these insurance companies pay for a battery pack that actually fits our machines so we can sleep without fear of losing our therapy.

nobody · Post by **nobody** » Mon Mar 23, 2009 6:55 am

zomby wrote:and you're wearing a full face mask or have your mouth taped shut?

The same thing that happens when you fall asleep without a CPAP and your throat collapses shut cutting off your air supply. You wake up.

ColinP · Post by **ColinP** » Mon Mar 23, 2009 7:01 am

I've had the power go out three times while on CPAP so far. All three times I have woken up, slightly confused and struggling slightly to get enough air, with my mask still intact. I seem to be able to get enough air in through the vent holes to keep me going, but there is increaseed effort to get the air in, which causes me to wake. I then roll out of bed, unplug the mains, connect it to the battery and go back to sleep.

Severeena · Post by **Severeena** » Mon Mar 23, 2009 8:13 am

What type of battery do you have?

What happens when power goes out??

What happens when power goes out??

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