CPAP use while flying

Has anyone used a CPAP in a pressurized commercial jet ? If so, does the articial pressure have any impact on the CPAP pressure settings ? What unit is best for air travel ?

starraker wrote:Has anyone used a CPAP in a pressurized commercial jet ? If so, does the articial pressure have any impact on the CPAP pressure settings ? What unit is best for air travel ?

Yes do a search on it.
You need to have the papers that prove it is FDA approved for use on an aircraft. There is some debate as to whether you are allowed to plug it in or not or should use a battery pack.

I use my Resmed S9 in flight frequently, at cabin altitudes up to 6,000 feet. Our aircraft is pressurized and I do power it off the cabin AC outlets. Have never had any problems/issues in doing so. But then our airplane isn't an airliner.

The last time I flew to see my wife, I used my last machine, a M Series APAP while I was in business class (last minute ticket buying cause wife changed the plans). The biggest problem I had was that it took the air crew about 30 minutes to figure out how to turn the power to the outlets.
The airline I flew was Aeroflot.

Not sure how much that helps.

David

starraker wrote:Has anyone used a CPAP in a pressurized commercial jet ? If so, does the articial pressure have any impact on the CPAP pressure settings ? What unit is best for air travel ?

I recently used my regular ResMed Elite II S8 machine on an overnight flight. I had no problems using it at altitude. I believe most modern CPAP units have automatic altitude adjustment, so the same setting should work wherever you take it. The Elite II specs say that its automatic altitude adjustment is good to 8500 feet. Commercial aircraft are not pressurized to sea level. What altitude they simulate depends on aircraft characteristics and how high their real altitude is, since they must keep a safe level of difference between inside and outside pressure. I believe that the pressure does not normally go lower than that found at 8000 feet. Assuming other machines have a similar range of adjustment, cabin pressure should never cause a problem. The big issue, of course, is power. I was lucky enough to have an AC outlet. The current provided is limited, so forget the humidifier.