Possible suffocation during power failure

[dexter_go]

Dear Friends,


I read in the RESMED MIRAGE ACTIVA user's guide that there is a warning:

When the CPAP or bilevel device is turned on and functioning properly, new air from the flow generator flushes the exhaled air out through the attached mask exhalation port. However, when the CPAP or bilevel device is not operating, enough fresh air will not be provided through the mask, and exhaled air may be rebreathed. Rebreathing of exhaled air for longer than several minutes can in some circumstances lead to suffocation. This warning applies to most models of CPAP or bilevel systems.

I'm living in the Philippines where power failure is a common occurrence. What does suffocation mean? Does it mean I can die or does it mean I will feel suffocated but still be able to breathe in my mouth instinctively?

[Airborne]

Most people will wake up when the machine stops in a power failure, but you will probably feel suffocated. It´s not pleasant to wake up that way and there is a very very small chance you could die in the same way as you can do in a apneas that are untreated. I should not worry about the risk of dying it´s really really minimal, the problem is much more the uncomfortable awakening and disturbed sleep.

If you can afford it a backup power is recommended if the power lines is unreliable.

I have for my self i backup lead-acid 50Ah battery powering a 12V DC to 220V AC inverter+ a gasoline generator for charging if the power is interupted for long time as in a severe winterstorm.When power is restored i charge my lead-acid by a good automotive batterycharger so there is very seldom i have to use the gasoline generator. I use my inverter when i know there will be a risk of power failures as in thunderstorms or severe major storms. The gasoline generator is most used for camping as i must have my cpap every night. Before i get my backup i was out of power in 4 days and that was not funny at all.

The disadvantage with my solution is that you must decide when you are at risk for power failure and manual switch over to Battery or gasoline Power. For me it´s not a problem as the are only a few times a year when we have severe weather conditions which is foreseen by the weather service and for camping use so i can know in advance to make the switch.
If a run the battery solution on a daily basis there will be a high and expensive wear on the battery.

If the power line are unreliable or interupts are many in general it´s better to go for a UPS meant for computers instead.
They have the advantage to change over to battery power seamless by the self and charge battery on automatic when power is restored.They also inform the user when battery is worn down and must be exchanged.

If you go for the UPS solution make sure you get a model big enough to power your cpap for the whole night at least, but the battery wear will be much lower if it can handle a couple of nights. Running it near maximum means you have to change the expensive batterys more often especially if they are acid-lead batterys that is sensible for deep discharge.

[El Pap]

In my experience, I've found that I wake up quickly as soon as the power goes out -- often quick enough that I hear the sound of the machine still spinning down. (That's with my old tank style Remstar Plus, that spun down much more gradually than my current Intellipap).

[roster]

........ What does suffocation mean? Does it mean I can die or does it mean I will feel suffocated but still be able to breathe in my mouth instinctively?

Welcome Dexter!

Here is how I feel about this issue. Before we all started CPAP we were suffocating in our sleep because of the many apneas. Now add a mask to this condition and the risk is still serious but barely elevated.

Another way to put it is, we are more endangered sleeping without CPAP than sleeping with CPAP and sometimes experiencing a power failure.

For your concerns, I recommend purchasing an inexpensive POWER FAILURE WARNING ALARM such as http://www.acehardwaresuperstore.com/po ... tml?ref=42 .

When the power goes out, this will sound an 86 db alarm and flash a light.

When that baby starts to alarm you will not have to worry about suffocation - because your wife will quickly kill you.

[grumpygirl]

GREAT product suggestion Rooster!!! I think I might invest in one of those myself! GG

[roster]

GREAT product suggestion Rooster!!! I think I might invest in one of those myself! GG

If you get one, maybe you can bookmark this thread and write about your experience later.

One thing to be cautious about, if you have it plugged in while you are away and the power goes off, your neighbors might become irate.

I would suggest plugging it into the power strip your CPAP uses and cutting off the power switch on the strip as soon as you get up every morning.

Regards,

[DoriC]

Rooster, you've made my day! This is something I've been worrying about since reading the posts about backup battery systems(way over my head). We had aLicensed Electrician with a good reputation here last week making some repairs for us and I asked him that exact same question, "Is there some sort of simple alarm that can be used to wake us up during a power failure?" His emphatic answer was NO! Thanks so much, I'm going to order it today. Dori

[Hawthorne]

I wake immediately when the power goes off if I am asleep. It has happened maybe 3 times in the 7+ years I have been using cpap.

I have had a Respironics battery for a couple of years now and never had to use it. I just keep it charged.

Yesteday we had a power outage that lasted about 10 minutes. I wanted to take a nice Sunday afternoon nap so hooked up the battery (easy). I put my mask on, wondering if "auto on" would work. It did! I slept for just under an hour with the battery. The power came on after I lay down but it didn't matter. I was asleep and my machine was running fine!

I should have done this a long time ago. I did buy the battery but never had to use it and never tried it out until yesterday. It just works great. If the power goes out in the night, I will just get the DC cord out and plug it into the machine.

I don't know very much about electricity or batteries, but I'm glad I have this and glad I tried it out.

Builta suggested I should top up the charge every month so I will be doing that. The battery is supposed to hold the charge for 6 to 9 months and I have usually charged it every time I hear thunder or lightening! Now I will charge it every month when I change my white filters ( a way to remember to charge it).

We don't have a lot of power outages, especially at night, but I think I will just plug the machine into the battery if there is a thunderstorm going on when I go to bed now. I just feel much more comfortable with it now that I have tried it!

[El Pap]

I would suggest plugging it into the power strip your CPAP uses and cutting off the power switch on the strip as soon as you get up every morning.

That doesn't sound right -- would turning off the power strip cause the alarm to go off? (I assume the alarm is powered by a battery)

[DreamDiver]

Most modern masks come with asphyxia-prevention valves that immediately access fresh air if the machine pressure is turned off. So while you may not necessarily die of asphyxiation, you could either wake up with a headache from a night without therapy, or you could wake up in alarm as your body senses the need for air and wakes you up to breathe, as often happens with OSA patients who find themselves in deep apnea. In other words, it seems more likely that you would die of an actual apnea than because of oxygen depletion and CO2 build-up in your mask and tubing.

[roster]

I would suggest plugging it into the power strip your CPAP uses and cutting off the power switch on the strip as soon as you get up every morning.

That doesn't sound right -- would turning off the power strip cause the alarm to go off? (I assume the alarm is powered by a battery)

Good point. I think you would learn about the "alarm off" button on the device the first time you threw the power strip switch at 5:30 a.m. That would be a better lesson than reading the instruction manual

[tattooyu]

You know, that's a feature I would love to see in my CPAP machine itself: a battery-powered, power failure alarm!

[Gerald]

Dexter.....

I've had one experience of the power going off while I was asleep. In a few moments I was awake.....aware that something was wrong.....but, never in danger of suffocation. However, other people might have health issues that would make their experience different than mine.

What you might do....is put together a system like what Airborne is suggesting.....but, use the 12V system to always power your machine. During the day, use a trickle charger to build up the battery.

During a recent hurricane, I ran my "M" series for (2) nights....and could have made a third night....on a 35-Amp Hour battery. I did not use the battery to power the integral humidifier....and I did just fine.

if your CPAP machine can be operated by 12V, you might only need to order a 12V power cord. The rest...battery, box, and trickle charger.....is all available at any good battery store....or auto supply.

I just recently built up a "hurricane back-up battery system" for a friend of mine....and the cost came to about $160....including power cords, charger, 35-ah battery, and charger.

Gerald

[DoriC]

My husband has some major health issues, cardiac as well as some memory loss, and since he's sleeping more soundly now on cpap with very few events or restless leg movements and also uses a FF, I'm concerned about how long it would take him to wake up in case of power failure. As it is, he doesn't hear the phone or doorbell when he's asleep. It's an inexpensive investment for a little peace of mind if it works.

[Hawthorne]

Dori - all full face masks have an anti-asphyxiation valve on them so he would be able to breathe some. You are able to hear the phone or the doorbell, should they ring while he is asleep so that's okay.

If it is a long power outage though, he would not have his machine available to go back to sleep. That's why I'm glad I have the Respironics battery backup. At a pressure of 12 cm it could give me 26 hours of sleep on a full charge, according to the cpap.com website. That's about 3 nights!

I really don't know much about batteries but this one is easy to charge and easy to hook up to the machine. I'm glad I have it and I'm glad I tried it out yesterday, for the first time.

All the threads on batteries, etc boogle my mind. The one I have is so easy!

It may be something you want to think about. You need the battery and the DC cable. It weighs about 13 lbs. It's in a black bag, just like the carry bag for the machine.