cpap v. autopap

I am talking to my GP today. She can change my prescription. Should I have her change it to an autopap? Why would this be better for me in general?

You can get any sleep machine except a BiPAP with an APAP script. It's the OSA equivilant to a James Bond License to Kill.

With an APAP script you can purchase either CPAPs or APAPs. With a CPAP script only CPAPs but NOT APAPs.

My take on it, and what I've been telling everyone, is that if you can get an AUTO (in lieu of a CPAP, this doesn't apply if you're on biPAP), you're better off.

An Auto will run in straight pressure mode, a straight CPAP will not run in Auto mode. Therefore, you have more flexibility with an Auto.

Take on it is that it's probably not a bad idea to run in Auto mode at least every couple of months just to see what the data look like, so that you can monitor whether your straight pressure seems to be doing the job or not. Whether you choose to run in Auto mode all the time will really depend on how well it seems to work for you, whether you're the sort that breathes in a way that triggers unneeded pressure spikes, etc.

But just from a flexibility standpoint, if you get an Auto and then stay with straight CPAP for the foreseeable future, all you've done is spent a little extra money. If you buy a straight CPAP and later decide you want/need the Auto functions (either for efficacy, or just to monitor yourself occasionally), you're out of luck.

My opinion.

Liam, always happy to throw in his two cents.

Anonymous wrote:You can get any sleep machine except a BiPAP with an APAP script. It's the OSA equivilant to a James Bond License to Kill.

With an APAP script you can purchase either CPAPs or APAPs. With a CPAP script only CPAPs but NOT APAPs.

Actually, that's incorrect. An APAP is more correctly termed an Auto Titrating CPAP. It is still just a CPAP machine from an insurance and governmental regulations standpoint.

If you get any script for CPAP or APAP, you can use it at cpap.com to get an APAP. It's just that if the script doesn't specify APAP, most DMEs will refuse to give you the Auto, because it's more expensive, and why would they give up any of their profits that they don't have to?

Liam, still not particularly liking most DMEs.

I am still confused about what the autopap does. I actually have one, but it is set as a cpap and can't be changed.
Does it let me know how many times I have apneas? Does the pressure setting change while I sleep?
Sorry, I just need to know what to say to my GP.

Becca

The difference between a CPAP and an AUTO is that (in AUTO mode), an auto attempts to measure your apneas, and titrates itself up and down, pressure-wise, until it's treating your apnea correctly.

In other words, if you're sleeping relatively well, it'll stay at a lower pressure. If you're having a lot of events, it'll boost it's pressure until it stops seeing events.

It also keeps much more detailed records than a straight CPAP does, you can see information on how much time you spent at each pressure level, how many apneic events you had at each, etc...

And by the way, if you have an AUTO, yours CAN be changed, they just didn't tell you how to do it. That is to say, if you got a scrip for AUTO pressure instead of straight pressure, the DME would be able to change your own machine to the new scrip without anything special.

It just requires special keystrokes (which, not having an Auto currently, I don't know).

Liam, overly wordy today.

Which machine do you have?

Tom

What machine do you have? I have the 420E PB, and it's set on auto, but if I ever wanted to I could do the straight cpap routine. I don't think I ever would, but flexibility is nice. Our friend Liam is quite correct, w/auto you can use either mode, but with a straight pressure CPAP you're just set a ramp amt of pressure/time and up it goes. You may actually be getting more pressure than you need.
I have the software that can be bt at cpap.com so I can monitor my own progress.

Hope this helps?

auntiebeccaneedssleep wrote:I am still confused about what the autopap does. I actually have one, but it is set as a cpap and can't be changed.
Does it let me know how many times I have apneas? Does the pressure setting change while I sleep?
Sorry, I just need to know what to say to my GP.

Becca