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Word-Medex Pty Ltd (ABN 20 075 183 256) |
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Apex CPAP machines |
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Australia & New Zealand Exclusive Distributor for APEX CPAP machines |
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What is CPAP? |
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History Sleep apnoea is a serious disorder that requires treatment. In 1981, Prof. Colin Sullivan, Dr. Faiq Issa, Dr. Michael Berthon-Jones and Lorraine Eves, from the University of Sydney, were the first group in the world to report the usefulness of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea in the medical journal LANCET. Since then, Dr. Issa and Prof. Sullivan were the first to establish the usefulness of CPAP for the treatment of central sleep apnoea (Chest 1986) and snoring (Journal of Applied Physiology 1984). Today, CPAP is used worldwide and is considered the standard treatment for the above sleep disorders. How does CPAP work? CPAP is prescribed by a sleep physician after the patient undergoes a full-night sleep study in a sleep laboratory. In such study, the “critical pressure” required to keep the upper airway open during sleep is determined. This pressure level is described in centimeters of water units (which is abbreviated as cmH2O). In the fixed-pressure type CPAP machine, like the Apex SRT III CPAP machine, the device is set by the seller at that “critical pressure”. The CPAP machine is a flow-generator device which provides pressurized air. The air is delivered to the nose via a “CPAP tube” using a tight-fitting nasal mask. In the absence of leaks from the edges of the nasal mask, the pressurized air flows through the nasal passages to the upper airway structures and pushes forward the collapsing structures (usually the soft palate and the tongue) to maintain an open airway during sleep. When used, CPAP works in almost 100% of the patients. However, CPAP does not cure sleep apnoea; it has to be used every night to prevent airway closure during sleep. When not used, and regardless of how many nights it has been used in the past, the upper airway structures will collapse and often close the breathing pipe during sleep. What is a Humidifier? In some patients, the delivery of air to the nasal passages at high flow over long hours of night sleep results in dryness of the wall of these passages and nasal irritation. This could discourage the patient using CPAP therapy. To help alleviate such dryness, a heated humidifier is used. Air delivered from the CPAP machine is passed first into a tank of warm water, where it gets humidified, before it flows through the CPAP tube and nasal mask, to the nasal passages. Why some patients need full-face masks while others use nasal masks? Our body is designed so that we breathe through the nose during sleep. However, when the nasal passages are narrow, such as during a common cold or “flu”, our body switches to breathe from the mouth, especially during sleep. Under such circumstances, we wake up in the morning with a dry mouth. Some patients with sleep apnoea breathe from the mouth during sleep. When such patients are being treated at night with CPAP, mouth breathing results in the escape of pressurized air delivered to the upper airway, leading to lower-than-adequate pressure available in that area, and hence to inefficient treatment. In addition, the leak of air through the lips results in dryness of the mouth and lips, discouraging the patient using CPAP therapy. In such patients, a full-face mask is used, with or without a chin-strap. Unlike the nasal mask, the full-face mask covers the nose and mouth, so that the CPAP is delivered to the nasal passages, and when the mouth opens, CPAP is also delivered via the mouth. Further reading about why you should buy the APEX CPAP System You can read our page here about differences among the different CPAP machines available in the market and why you should buy the APEX SRT III CPAP. Alternatively, download our brochure containing the same material. Get our brochure: Why you should buy APEX CPAP System? The brochure is in a PDF file format. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed in your computer to view the file. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed, click here
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