BABY CPAP NOSE BLEEDS

My baby is on cpap he is 20 months old and has been on it since he was 9 months old. One night I forgot to put water in the humidifier and he woke up with a dry lips and a little blood in his nose. This was probably about 3 or 4 days ago. His nose is always runny and he is congested all the time but ever since that one night when his nose runs I always see blood. His pressure is also very high. It used to be 6 but now its on 10. And I don't know if its too much for him, or if it'll eventually just stop bleeding, or if its being caused by something else other than the cpap. He currently has the flu. So Im confused. I called his pulmo office to speak to the nurse and they never called back yet.

I wonder if the humidifier was set too high for the 'environment' (room, climate), as that will cause congestion. However, bleeding could be a sign - especially as weather's changing now - of dryness, maybe requiring a higher setting... have you experimented at all with it?

I haven't tried experimenting with it yet. I did not put it on him last night, thinking the bleeding would stop but it hasn't.

TSIM0821 wrote:My baby is on cpap he is 20 months old and has been on it since he was 9 months old. One night I forgot to put water in the humidifier and he woke up with a dry lips and a little blood in his nose. This was probably about 3 or 4 days ago. His nose is always runny and he is congested all the time but ever since that one night when his nose runs I always see blood. His pressure is also very high. It used to be 6 but now its on 10. And I don't know if its too much for him, or if it'll eventually just stop bleeding, or if its being caused by something else other than the cpap. He currently has the flu. So Im confused. I called his pulmo office to speak to the nurse and they never called back yet.

You need to talk with the doctor treating your baby. You should call the doc's office back and tell them that you have already called in to report on your baby's condition and did not get a call back.

Here's the thing, while almost all of us here at cpaptalk are CPAPers, we are adult CPAPers. We can tell when our nose is reacting badly to the humidity level and fix it. And we can tell when we're really being affected negatively by the flu and we have a good sense of what we need to do to make ourselves a little less miserable.

But your baby is only 20 months old. He's not able to say what's going on and that means you and his doc(s) have to do a lot more detective work.

When you say that his pressure used to be 6, but now it's 10, I'm not sure what you mean. Is your baby using APAP in an auto range? And the pressure the machine is using has increased from 6 to 10? (And where are you getting the number from? Knowing that helps us know what's going on.) Or did the doctor order a pressure change at some point?

Does your baby also have a regular pediatrician in addition to the pulmonologist? If so, contact the pediatrician's office and have them take a look at the nose bleeding. And talk about the congestion issue with the pediatrician at the same time.

@robysue Im not sure what a APAP is. I just know a pressure changed was ordered. And the pressure was increased. But you're right I cant really know for sure unless I talk to his doctors. I've been trying to get ahold of them and its unfortunate that today is Friday. I assumed the nose bleed was from dryness, but I didn't think it would have still been going on. Idk. It looks like its getting a little better but for now Im out of luck until Monday. So Im just doing what I can.

What machine (make/model) is your little sweet pea using? I'm hoping his doctors are looking closely at his therapy data and that there was a solid basis for making that giant jump from 6 to 10.

kaiasgram wrote:What machine (make/model) is your little sweet pea using? I'm hoping his doctors are looking closely at his therapy data and that there was a solid basis for making that giant jump from 6 to 10.

He is using a resmed S9.

If it were me, I'd call the doctor's after hour service number and demand someone call you back! You tell them this is a precious little baby you are calling about not an adult who can wait! I'd also make sure when you see that doctor next that you mention you left word for a call back and didn't get one!

My grands see the same group of pediatricians that my own children saw. There is a woman in one of their offices who never relays messages. My eldest was the chief doctor's first patient. Guess what receptionist got in trouble! I complained about her to the doctor and right in front of that receptionist.

I only get mean when it comes to protecting children

TSIM0821 wrote:

kaiasgram wrote:What machine (make/model) is your little sweet pea using? I'm hoping his doctors are looking closely at his therapy data and that there was a solid basis for making that giant jump from 6 to 10.

He is using a resmed S9.

Good -- what does it say right by the Start/Stop button -- e.g. Escape, Escape Auto, Elite, Autoset, VPAP...
The reason I'm asking -- if you have a full data machine you could, if you want to, see what's going on with your son's therapy during the night, for example, when during the night is he having apnea events or leaks. It can be empowering to know, especially in a situation like this where your little one has limited vocabulary to describe his experience.

What a little trooper. Sorry about the irritated bloody nose. I hope the doc gets back to you ASAP.

Are you seeing a little blood-tinged mucous, or is there river of bright red blood? If there is a river of bright red blood in an infant that has been going on for days (even off an on for days) he needs to be seen ASAP. Is there an urgent care clinic you can take him to?

If it's a little blood tinged mucous it could be from nasal irritation, from the cold or the night with no water in the humidifier (NO guilt please, we've ALL done that!), or a combination of all three. The humidity may not be set right for him, but it's going to be very difficult to tell since he can't tell you yet.

Hopefully, someone familiar with your machine can tell you how to check the humidity setting, and then we can maybe help you adjust it to see if it helps.

Hang in there, Mom. You're doing the best you can. Keep us posted and give your little one a hug.

Hey kaiasgram
I appreciate your help so much. It says elite. And I think the button to set the humidity is the one that turns. Its usually on 3.5. Im not sure if he has leaks or anything during the night. His crib is right by my bed. And every time he tries to pull it off or if something is wrong I wake up to fix it and of course I can hear it. Every night I wake up at least 3 times just to check or because he is moving around its now a routine thing for me.

Janknitz wrote:Are you seeing a little blood-tinged mucous, or is there river of bright red blood? If there is a river of bright red blood in an infant that has been going on for days (even off an on for days) he needs to be seen ASAP. Is there an urgent care clinic you can take him to?

If it's a little blood tinged mucous it could be from nasal irritation, from the cold or the night with no water in the humidifier (NO guilt please, we've ALL done that!), or a combination of all three. The humidity may not be set right for him, but it's going to be very difficult to tell since he can't tell you yet.

Hopefully, someone familiar with your machine can tell you how to check the humidity setting, and then we can maybe help you adjust it to see if it helps.

Hang in there, Mom. You're doing the best you can. Keep us posted and give your little one a hug.

Hi Janknitz
Thanks so much. I kind of felt bad I don't know how in the world I forget to put the water in it. The blood is with mucous, its not just blood. Thank goodness, because that would have me a lot more worried. Its the first time this has ever happened, but he does tend to wake up with dry lips every morning and after each nap. Sometimes when he is too congested I think he has a rough time sleeping with it. And I have to wake up, take it off of him and then suction his little nose, before putting him back to bed. Do adults have the same problem when they are really congested?

TSIM0821 wrote:Hey kaiasgram
I appreciate your help so much. It says elite. And I think the button to set the humidity is the one that turns. Its usually on 3.5. Im not sure if he has leaks or anything during the night. His crib is right by my bed. And every time he tries to pull it off or if something is wrong I wake up to fix it and of course I can hear it. Every night I wake up at least 3 times just to check or because he is moving around its now a routine thing for me.

You're welcome.

The S9 Elite is a full data machine. You might want to take a look at the brief video tutorial on the S9 -- the link is below in my signature box. It shows all the comfort features (including climate control), as well as the clinical menu where the therapy settings are. Are you using a regular hose or the Climateline hose?

You can learn about the free SleepyHead software here (this page also has a download link): https://sleep.tnet.com/resources/sleepyhead

-Kaiasgram

Its just the standard hose.

The Climateline hose is just something to keep in mind/ask the doc about if you are trying to adjust temp and humidification and need to keep excess water condensation out of the hose. The heated hose helps prevent too much condensation. (It also feels more comfortable to me.) I don't know if there are any special concerns with pediatric use but just wanted you to know about its availability since you may be changing humidification settings once you start working with the doc on the nasal bleeding problem.