Question for the Wisdom of the Group on Power Failures

[zonker]

Pack your cpap with a couple extension cords.

You are not supposed to use an extension cord:

http://incenter.medical.philips.com/doc ... D11405972

page 7:

"Supplying AC Power to the Device
Complete the following steps to operate the device using AC power:
1. Plug the socket end of the AC power cord (included) into the power supply (also included).
2. Plug the pronged end of the AC power cord into an electrical outlet that is not controlled by a wall switch.

[...]

Caution: Do not use extension cords with this device"

hoeky smokes! and here i've been using an extension cord on my cpap for over fours years!

please, please don't tell the cpap police.

oh, wait...i use a resmed, not a phillips.

whew, that was close.

[crab-legs]

There are 8+ million CPAP users in the U.S. Most of them will never have a night without electricity.

I have used my two BPS Freedom CPAP batteries for 120 days or so in the past 14 months.

[crab-legs]

hoeky smokes! and here i've been using an extension cord on my cpap for over fours years!

please, please don't tell the cpap police.

oh, wait...i use a resmed, not a phillips.

whew, that was close.

LOL! You win post of the day!

[crab-legs]

The "Green New Deal" needs to include strengthening the electric grid with the idea that outages - for any reason - are unacceptable!

Try to keep up with the progress that utilities are making. The innovative changes in the electric grid are being made rapidly without any interference from a bunch of idiots in Washington. Get Washington involved and watch innovation slow way down and costs go way up.

The wires in my neighborhood are still overhead. The power was out for four days in a hurricane. I don't see any proposal to remedy this.

In California, they just shut off our power on purpose, due to wild fire risk. They say it could be out for 2-7 days. All the stores have been raided for bread, ice, batteries, flashlights, and SPAM. Gas lines are miles long. Costco is rationing water. Gas stations all have hiked their prices. Most schools are closed. Traffic lights are out. The entire northern half of the state, except San Francisco, and South Lake Tahoe, is in darkness.

http://claycord.com/2019/10/09/concord- ... troit-ave/

[zonker]

hoeky smokes! and here i've been using an extension cord on my cpap for over fours years!

please, please don't tell the cpap police.

oh, wait...i use a resmed, not a phillips.

whew, that was close.

LOL! You win post of the day!

<bows deeply>

where may i pick up my aware?

[crab-legs]

My spare cpap (devillbiss Intellipap) can be used off the power outlet in the car.
Stopping at rest areas, I avoid headaches by using the "cigarette lighter" plug.
I could use it while on the road, but the bullfrog's driving scares the crap out of me.
On one trip, I fell asleep; and woke up as he pulled into a rest stop
directly behind a semi tractor being towed backwards.

Car batteries of today are not meant to undergo a deep discharge. If they do, a jump start won't work. The battery needs to be replaced. This happened many times when I was shopping for a new Toyota last year, when cars sat on dealer lots for months at a time without starting and running from stories I heard from the salesmen. Maybe you can run your CPAP a short while on the car battery without the engine running, but I would not do it for more than a few minutes.

[crab-legs]

I am well aware of what my blood oxygen does if I fall asleep without my machine. I was in the hospital last spring due to a minor heart problem. I was hooked to a heart and blood oxygen monitor all of the time. If I would doze off, the blood ox alarm would immediately start going off and someone would immediately come in and check on me. When I put my machine on to sleep, the oxygen alarm would never go off. My untreated AHI is not excessively high (49), but I have long lasting events which impact my blood oxygen levels quite a bit. During my sleep test, my oxygen level dropped to 63% before they put me on oxygen for a period of time before they put a mask on me. If I lived in an area that had prolonged power outages, I would have a whole house backup generator installed.

My blood O2 goes to unacceptable levels at night even with CPAP.

[crab-legs]

Another important adjustment that we would need to make if the supposition is indeed true for pillow or a nasal mask users is to be sure that where ever we are, we have access to a full face mask in the event of an upper respiratory tract infection. I have used nothing but a p10 or n30i for 5 years straight, miraculous for me but true. Usually, but not always, on a longer trip I will pack a full mask just as a precaution. Shorter trips under a week...not likely to bring a face mask. That will change. Who knows!? Perhaps the risk of a treated patient interrupting their treatment for even a single night is far higher than the risk incurred by an untreated, undiagnosed patient over the course of an entire year! I can certainly postulate a physiologic mechanism why this might be true.

Agreed. I breathe through my nose, but at times, like when I have a cold or after a sternotomy, I breathe through my mouth. Therefore, insurance needs to pay for both nasal pillows and a FFM.

Also, when I was on an NG tube in the hospital, I could not use CPAP, as my FFM would leak due to the tube. Physicians need to mindful of this when ordering an NG tube. A better solution would be IV feeding. There really is no medical need for an NG tube at all.

I eventually left the hospital AMA due to not being able to sleep for three days.

[palerider]

Pack your cpap with a couple extension cords.

You are not supposed to use an extension cord:

http://incenter.medical.philips.com/doc ... D11405972

page 7:

"Supplying AC Power to the Device
Complete the following steps to operate the device using AC power:
1. Plug the socket end of the AC power cord (included) into the power supply (also included).
2. Plug the pronged end of the AC power cord into an electrical outlet that is not controlled by a wall switch.

[...]

Caution: Do not use extension cords with this device"

Nobody with any sense pays attention to that.

[palerider]

Supposedly, all CPAP units already have back-up batteries built in, according to this tweet

OH, sure, it MUST be true, it's on twitter.


No, no they don't.

Or, maybe you were just being sarcastic.

[palerider]

A better solution would be IV feeding. There really is no medical need for an NG tube at all.

Hmm, something ELSE you're quite wrong about.

NG tubes are used for far more than just 'feeding'. and "IV feeding" isn't 'feeding. all it's doing is pumping in sugar water.

[ragtopcircus]

Many manufacturers recommend against using an extension cord with their devices of all types. With the exception of high current devices such as microwave ovens and major appliances, the extension cord warnings are nothing but CYA statements. The manufacturers did not seek UL approval for their device with an extension cord, so the dire warnings are intended to shield them from liability. As long as the cord is in good condition, it is totally fine for a CPAP machine.

It is true that completely discharging a convention lead acid battery will damage it. However, you can operate a CPAP for much longer than “a few minutes” before that becomes a concern. Besides, if I’m operating my machine from a car battery because of a flood, storm, or whatever, replacing the battery later is pretty low on my list of things to worry about.

If you are going to be using the battery for CPAP regularly though, a deep cycle version would be a better choice. These have purposely-mismatched plates to avoid damage.

Btw, lithium-ion batteries can also be damaged by complete discharge ....

[ChicagoGranny]

There are 8+ million CPAP users in the U.S. Most of them will never have a night without electricity.

I have used my two BPS Freedom CPAP batteries for 120 days or so in the past 14 months.

On the positive side, you get to live primitively.

primitive living.jpg

[Goofproof]

Pack your cpap with a couple extension cords.

You are not supposed to use an extension cord:

http://incenter.medical.philips.com/doc ... 114059720

page 7:

"Supplying AC Power to the Device
Complete the following steps to operate the device using AC power:
1. Plug the socket end of the AC power cord (included) into the power supply (also included).
2. Plug the pronged end of the AC power cord into an electrical outlet that is not controlled by a wall switch.

[...]

Caution: Do not use extension cords with this device"

You are buying into Manufactures and DME Speak! (Lawyer Speak and or Lies)!

In the Real World, smart people can figure out what is safe or works... They are just trying to reduce problems by reducing options. Jim

[crab-legs]

Supposedly, all CPAP units already have back-up batteries built in, according to this tweet

OH, sure, it MUST be true, it's on twitter.


No, no they don't.

Or, maybe you were just being sarcastic.

Yeah, I was just exposing how some people on twitter think they know, but they don't.