Why is BiPap prescribed instead of regular CPAP?

I guess I always thought that BiPAP was simply a matter of increasing the comfort level of therapy for the patient with a higher pressure Rx, but recently I've seen things that cause me to think it might be prescribed for a particular type of apnea diagnosis and not just patient comfort.

This question has come about in my search for a travel machine, which evidently don't come with BiPAP capability.

Can anybody straighten me out as to why BiPAP is prescribed in the first place then? I've worked my pressure down to 11/7 from the 17/13 where they originally started. Would my doc still have prescribed BiPAP if he had realized that 11/7 would cover my pressure needs?

Thanks all.

Some settings are up to and/or even over 20, which 'regular' machines don't go to, so bipaps are prescribed to deal with them. Only your doctor knows for sure, but if your settings are only 11 etc, I can't imagine why you'd need bipap.

Regular CPAP/APAP machines go up to a pressure of 20. Anyone needing pressures near or above 20 are candidates for bipap.

Since you were originally titrated at a maximum of 17 cm, your doctor may have determined that
you might need the greater pressure differential in order to tolerate treatment.
He could have also been covering the bases in case your pressure needs rose beyond 20 cm. in the future.
Smart doc.

I was prescribed a BiPAP because even at my very low pressures, CPAP/APAP were triggering really severe, painful aerophagia and I was in the middle of a severe crash and burn in terms of daytime functioning that started when I started CPAP therapy.

My Auto BiPAP settings look crazy: Max IPAP = 8, Min EPAP = 4, Min PS = 2 (default on my machine), and Max PS = 4. But they work for me.

some people can not exhale against a pressure
of 17 or even 11 so the bipap provide that
exhale relief
i always prefer to travel with a machine
identical to my home machine
it makes parts and memory so much easier
and then the feel is the same when you sleep

I am on Bi-pap because I have COPD and as a result I have trouble exhaling. Bipap machine senses what your breathing needs and makes exhaling easier for me

Commonly, when you have difficulty breathing.

BiPAP can be prescribed for comfort as mentioned - but it can also be prescribed for a number of clinical reasons, such as low baseline O2 saturation, central sleep apnea, or Cheyne-Stokes breathing.

The best way to find out why you are on BiPAP is to ask your doctor.

I started with BiPAP. Reason is that during the sleep study they stated with standard CPAP low pressure, increased the pressure 4 or 5 times, then went to BiPAP with differential pressures. The first pressure they used my numbers were low and I "looked" more comfortable sleeping according to the tech. The movements and readings supported the use of the BiPAP over CPAP... So, in my case - I slept through them all as far as I remember, but the recordings showed that with CPAP I was really not sleeping that good with the CPAP - thus the need for a sleep study in my opinion.

I'll discuss "bilevel". BiPAP and VPAP are just brand names for bilevel from different manufacturers.

Bilevel is easier to breathe with for many people. Some bilevel machines may go to a higher pressure than CPAP. Bilevel may help with aerophagia (gas).

Bilevel may help some people with central apnea, although that's somewhat debateable. Sometimes tinkering with various things helps some patients even if there's no clear explanation why.

There are also "higher level" machines such as T mode, S mode, S/T mode, ASV, AVAPS, and a few other types of CPAP that take care of certain problems such as central apnea. These machines are labeled as bilevel/BiPAP/VPAP for regulatory and insurance reasons, even though they're really a different animal than "regular" bilevel machines.