traveling with cpap

I currently own a remstar autocpap.I will be traveling long distances by plane. Should I buy the battery from respironics? or should I look into some other brand?

buttonbir wrote:I currently own a remstar autocpap.I will be traveling long distances by plane. Should I buy the battery from respironics? or should I look into some other brand?

More specific detail about your question would help, buttonbir. If you think you will need to use your cpap on board the plane, the responses may well be different from those directed to needing a battery for the rest of the trip with regular electricity. The Respironics battery is IMO way way too heavy for travel. So fill us in on what you're planning.

I cant even nap without cpap.I willbe traveling on long flights.I need a solution for my dillemma

[quote="buttonbir"]I

I've not yet heard of more than 1-2 folks on this forum who have actually used their cpap on a flight. However, I will say again that I bought the Everest 2 as a travel machine when I realized I would need battery backup in Egypt. I love the machine. No auto--just straight cpap constant pressure. Has a good battery with good life, and integrated HH in a compact lightweight pack. Others can speak to using one on the plane. I can't quite imagine it. I'm 100% compliant, but have have done okay without it on flights because of being forced to nap in nearly upright position. I'd also add that putting my head down on my crossed arms on the meal-tray has allowed me to sleep for 1-2 hours at a time all night, with no experienced need for the cpap onboard. YMMV.

buttonbir wrote:I cant even nap without cpap.I willbe traveling on long flights.I need a solution for my dillemma

There are numerous existing threads here about inflight use of xPAP.

The first thing you need to know is that not all airlines will let you use xPAP in flight, so you need to check with the airlines involved on what their specific policy is. Some airlines make their policy very obvious and easy to locate while others seem to want to keep it very secret

There are some new FAA regulations in the US which are only now coming into force, and its not clear as yet how the airlines will actuially deal with them operationally in repect of CxPAP equipment.

The second thing to know is to NEVER rely on any indicated at-seat power actually being available on any particular flight. QANTAS for instance says this on its Mediform pages....

• As aircraft power is not guaranteed and could be interrupted during flight, passengers on life support equipment must provide their own suitable back-up battery power supply for use in flight.

For in-flight battery operation, Lithium Ion battery technology has the highest energy density (and therefore you get more power for less weight), but has the disadvantage that the battery decays over time whether used or not (about 3 years is a typical service life for a Lithium Ion battery), so Lithium Ion battery solutions can end up being quite expensive if you only use them occasionally. Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) battery technology will be heavier, but not so much so as to be unmanagable, and is usually less exepnsive to purchase. NiMH battery packs have a service life of about 10 years, which makes them a better choice for occasional use.

Battery techology gets better over time, and there are some good new technologies emerging, but it takes a while for them to trickle down to the effective genereal purpose battery pack level.

If you are travelling in Y (Economy) class, just finding a place to put a xPAP flow generator can be an interesting logistical excercise in itself.

Keep in mind that if weather/flying conditions are bad, the last thing anyone wants is loose equipment in the aircraft cabin, so the aircrew may decide that use of an xPAP machine of any sort, on any basis, is not conducive with flight saftety, so no matter how well you have provisioned yourself for inflight xPAP use, it may simply not be possible to actually use it.

My own experience is that about 75% of the times I have wanted to use my xPAP kit inflight on long haul services it has worked out OK, and about 25% of the time it hasn't.... for a variety of circumstantial reasons.

Cheers,

Bill