Used portable Bi-Pap, for my Dad, who needs it for his ALS.

[Red20]

My Dad was diagnosed with ALS January 2010 at the Mayo Clinic.

It has made his diaphragm very weak. He was prescribed a V-PAP machine to help him breathe while sleeping.

However, his diaphragm is so weak that he labors all day long to breathe. He gets tired and he has rapid heart rate attacks that have exceeded 175bpm!

The Dr prescribed a drug to control his heart rate, but I think this is a bad idea for someone with ALS. He has had an EKG and his heart is perfectly healthy and he has no cholesterol problems.

I believe he is suffering from Respiratory Acidosis and his CO2 levels build up to high in his body during the day.

Since his ALS is only affecting his upper body he is still very mobile and able to walk. Carrying his V-Pap is too cumbersome, so he needs a portable Bi-Pap machine that he can take with him during the day.

Medicare won't pay for another machine, so I am looking for a used portable Bi-Pap machine for him.

If anyone has a used one or knows where I could find one please let me know.

Thank You!

[akcpapguy]

Based on the fact that your father has ALS i would suggest the Trilogy 100 series ventilator from Respironics. This machine is light weight and can be used noninvasively and invasively whichmeans that as your fathers ALS progresses you won't have to purchase another machine out of pocket to have a backup. If the physicians decide that he needs a ventilator his insurance should pay for one and the Trilogy could be used as a backup. It will be fairly difficult to find one of these in a used state and you may need a different script to purchase one. As far as any of the BiLevel machines from the major manufactures go none of them have a battery so would have to be used on AC power or you would have to carry an external battery.

Here is the link to the Trilogy and another ventilator for comparison:

http://trilogy100.respironics.com/

http://www.puritanbennett.com/prod/product.aspx?id=224

Here is a website I found selling portable ventilators, not sure if they are new or used, however some of those models are not manufactured anymore so would assume they are used:

http://www.somatechnology.com/Portable% ... lators.asp

[Red20]

Based on the fact that your father has ALS i would suggest the Trilogy 100 series ventilator from Respironics. This machine is light weight and can be used noninvasively and invasively whichmeans that as your fathers ALS progresses you won't have to purchase another machine out of pocket to have a backup. If the physicians decide that he needs a ventilator his insurance should pay for one and the Trilogy could be used as a backup. It will be fairly difficult to find one of these in a used state and you may need a different script to purchase one. As far as any of the BiLevel machines from the major manufactures go none of them have a battery so would have to be used on AC power or you would have to carry an external battery.

Here is the link to the Trilogy and another ventilator for comparison:

http://trilogy100.respironics.com/

http://www.puritanbennett.com/prod/product.aspx?id=224

Here is a website I found selling portable ventilators, not sure if they are new or used, however some of those models are not manufactured anymore so would assume they are used:

http://www.somatechnology.com/Portable% ... lators.asp

Thanks for the information akcpapguy! I really appreciate it!

The portable Trilogy looks fantastic!

[juanbkm]

The Trilogy 100 looks like a great machine. In fact that's the machine I'm looking at getting as well. I have a metabolic disease that has similar complications as ALS. I'm on bipap 24/7 and just rotating several machines throughout the day.

Unfortunately the Trilogy is quite expensive. The cheapest I saw online was $9800. It's like buying a car! However I need a machine to live and since there's no insurance here in Manila that will cover anything like that, it's time to find a way to pony up the dough to buy one.