Better Sleep Coach; Your Help to Better Health through Better Sleep
  • Home
  • Who we are
  • Tips for Better Sleep
  • Tips for Students of Any Age
  • Tips for Making CPAP your Friend
  • Tips for Techs
  • Sleep Quiz
  • Coaching
  • Night shift coaching
  • Products to Help You Sleep Better

CPAP, BIPAP and APAP; Which Therapy Should You Use

4/2/2010

1 Comment

 
Picture
  You have been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea or OSA and then they hit you with a bunch of words you have never heard before.  They start talking about machines and mask and humidity.  You are told this is long term therapy.  What they do not explain is what the machine does, what types of therapy are you eligible for and what will be the best type of therapy for you. 

  • CPAP stands for continuous positive airway pressure.  It is the most common therapy used for the treatment of OSA.  It is one continuous pressure that supports the airway.  This pressure was determined during the second sleep study, called the titration study.  On some occasions the titration is able to be done on the same night as the diagnostic study.  During the titration the technician will slowly increase the pressure until the breathing issues, snoring and airway resistance is eliminated or reduced to within normal levels.  In order for the insurance company to pay for the machine you must have at least 5 respiratory events an hour with some type of co-morbitity such as hypertension, or excessive daytime sleepiness.  Once the respiratory events increases to 15 events or higher a co-morbidity is no longer needed.
  • Bilevel or BIPAP therapy is similar to CPAP however, instead of one continuous pressure there are two pressures.  The lower pressure is the EPAP or expiratory pressure is increased to eliminate obstructions.  The higher pressure called IPAP or inspiratory pressure is adjusted to eliminate snoring, upper airway resistance and partial closing of the airway.  This therapy is also used to help people who can not tolerate CPAP therapy.  Patients who can not tolerate the pressure they need or who need high pressures this can allow the use of a more comfortable lower pressure.  The change in pressure also assists some people to feel more comfortable or natural.  In order for insurance to pay for this therapy the technician or the doctor must document that CPAP was used unsuccessfully and that Bilevel therapy is the best alternative.
  • APAP or AutoPAP is a self titrating therapy that is used for people who may need higher pressures part of the night such as when they are in REM, the stage of sleep where they dream or when they sleep on their back.  This allows the pressure to remain low until the higher pressure is needed.  This therapy is also used when the patient does not wish to come back for the second sleep study.  Many insurance companies do not wish to pay for Autopap because it is more expensive and it is not set to specific settings.
  • ASV, AutoSV, or BIPAP ST all of these are similar.  They have an inspiratory pressure and an expiratory pressure the difference is they have a rate as well.  This particular therapy was designed for people with central apnea.  Central apnea is when the brain does not tell the body to breathe.  The Bilevel therapy allows the machine to give a breath and the back up rate allows the machine to give the breaths when it does not sense a breath after a certain period of time.  These machines are only ordered when there are more central apneas then obstructive apnea.  Insurances pay differently for this therapy since it needs closer follow up by the doctor and the durable medical equipment company that sets it up. 
  • Oxygen can be ordered for some patients.  It can be added to the therapies described above or be given alone.  Oxygen is prescribed when the level of oxygen in the blood is lower then 89% for a minimum of 5 minutes without an associated respiratory event.  This means that there is not an obstructive apnea or hypopnea causing the decrease in oxygen.
Therapy for breathing disorders can be complicated.  It is best to talk to your doctor and your technicians.  The more information you have about the therapy and the options available the more likely that you will be successful.  It is also important to understand your insurance policy’s durable medical equipment reimbursement as this can have a high initial cost.  If you work with your team you should have a successful experience and start to feel better rested and healthier in no time.


This is your new blog post. Click here and start typing, or drag in elements from the top bar.
1 Comment

    Archives

    May 2020
    December 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    January 2018
    January 2017
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    August 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    December 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    January 2010

    RSS Feed

    Blog Roll
    Stop Snoring
    View my profile on LinkedIn

    Categories

    All
    Aasm
    Aast
    Add
    Allergies
    Amy Korn Reavis
    Amy Korn-Reavis
    Anxiety
    Apap
    Auto Titrating Cpap
    Balance
    Bedding
    Bipap
    Boards
    Bodymedia Fit
    Books
    Breathing
    Brpt
    Career
    Children
    Cpap
    Cpap Accessories
    Cpap Mask
    Cpap Masks
    Cpap Problems
    Cpap Solutions
    Cpap Therapy
    Daylight Savings Time
    Dental Appliances
    Diabetes
    Dr Steven Park
    Education
    Enurisis
    Exercise
    Fatigue
    Fibromyalgia
    Florida Association Of Sleep Technicians
    Gerd
    Growth
    Habits
    Health
    High Blood Pressure
    Holidays
    Hot Weather
    Insomnia
    Insurance
    Job
    Licensure
    Management
    Monitoring
    Morning Headaches
    Napping
    Nbrc
    New Cpap
    Obesity
    Obstructive Sleep Apnea
    Oral Appliances
    Osa
    Pain
    Pap Nap
    Physicial
    Planning
    Publicity
    Relax
    Relaxation
    Resolutions
    Respiratory Credentials
    Respiratory Therapy
    Shaq
    Sheets
    Short Sleep
    Sleep
    Sleep Apnea
    Sleep Deprivation
    Sleep Disorders
    Sleep Education
    Sleep Hygeine
    Sleep Hygiene
    Sleep Lab
    Sleep Routine
    Sleep Societies
    Sleep Stages
    Sleep Study
    Sleep Technician
    Sleep Test
    Sleep Testing
    Sleep Therapy
    Snoring
    Stress
    Studying
    Summer
    Support
    Support Groups
    Surgery
    Teens
    Tired
    Travel
    Treatment
    Vitamin D
    Weight Loss
    Winter Health
    Women
    Writing

    Amy Korn-Reavis, EzineArticles.com Basic PLUS Author
    Follow this blog
Photo used under Creative Commons from momentcaptured1
  • Home
  • Who we are
  • Tips for Better Sleep
  • Tips for Students of Any Age
  • Tips for Making CPAP your Friend
  • Tips for Techs
  • Sleep Quiz
  • Coaching
  • Night shift coaching
  • Products to Help You Sleep Better