Hmmm could this be dangerous.

[chelseauk]

Now i suspect this is a case of faulty logic... But when i asked the technician at the hospital she didn't know.. But...

Right i have real bad SA and my air saturation dropped to 30% on the trial - which should kill me (or brain damage me). Now i was told it didn't because i was used to it (aclimatised if you like).

So i'm using CPAP 100% of the time and i assuming slowly getting un-used to it. So if my machine fails say in a year or so - and i sleep without it have loads of Apneas and have a major air saturation drop - what happens !

[Joe McManus]

Your body has automatic alarm mechanisms which will wake you up when oxygen gets dangerously low. That's why OSA patients wake up many times throughout the night (though they can't remember most of them) to gasp for air. Your body will shock you to wake up and breathe. As long as you then stay awake and breathe (if the machine is kaput), you should be fine.

But yes, principally, the CPAP is not a cure and it depends on the nature of your sleep apnoea whether you have a choice at all to rely on it forever or not. In the case of central sleep apnoea you'll have to rely on CPAP. In case of obstructive sleep apnoea down to obesity, you have a choice. Obstructive SA caused by other means (malformed jaw etc.) could be helped with surgery.

So it depends a bit on the situation.

But remember, an oxygen deprived body will turn seriously ill at some point. Cancer, diabetes etc. will always be around the corner for untreated patients. So don't look at the body's 'ability' to cope with low oxygen as a handy skill. The chance that CPAP fails PLUS your body failing to wake up is definitely small enough to be worth the 'risk'.

I'd pick 100 power cuts and CPAP-less nights over being untreated altogether.

I wouldn't worry about it too much. Just make sure you don't make lifestyle choices which could make your sleep apnoea worse than it is. And keep maintaining your equipment. If the thought does freak you out, there are battery powered models which will automatically switch over from mains to battery in case of a power cut. Some machines also have an alarm which will go off to wake you when it notices something wrong. Or you could permanently sleep with an oximeter on your finger which has an alarm.

It's good to be aware of all possibilities, but I personally wouldn't worry about it too much.

[puffin]

Joe you mention power cuts. One question I've thought about is " If the power does go out and you don't wake because of lack of air flow, does the co2 build up in the mask matter in the short term. I.E. hyperventilation"?

[Joe McManus]

Depends on the mask. Most have an exhalation valve which would let everything out so if no air came in, there wouldn't be any build-up of co2.

[puffin]

At the moment when I first put the mask on with the ramp set (4). The first minute or two I do puff a bit. I have to breath deeply until the machine catches up. Wondering if the lower end of the ramp needs upping?

[Joe McManus]

Sounds like it indeed. Be careful with changing settings yourself though. It can be a bit of a maze, finding the right actions on the right menu items.

[chelseauk]

Don't misunderstand me - no way am i'm not using CPAP - and power cuts don't worry me too much as they don't happen much where i live.

Just wondering that if in about 1 years time when i'm unacclimatised the machine was to fail - i was wondering what the level of risk actually is.

[Joe McManus]

It's certainly a good question and I'll try and get an additional answer from some of the more medically trained people I know.

[puffin]

My machine is user locked out, I'll wait until my next clinic, January.

[Stephen]

I have a marine battery and purchased the approved Respironics kit for running my CPAP off of a 12-volt battery (I think the kit cost me $50 in the United States) so I don't worry about power cuts.
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www.livingwithcpap.com

[Joe McManus]

Stephen, does that mean you continuously run off the battery or is there some kind of automatic (or manual?) fail-over?

[puffin]

I too use a battery for off mains power, in my campers van. So long term power loss is not a problem. What we get during the night, thankfully not very often, are 10 to 15 minute power outs at a time, during the early hours.

Often the only sign is, the clocks need resetting.