Originally posted: https://wellawaresystems.com/what-is-a-bipap-machine/

If you suffer from sleep apnea or another breathing disorder, your doctor may have recommended a bilevel positive airway pressure machine, or BiPAP. It’s a gadget that helps you breathe. It’s also known as a BPAP.

CPAP and APAP devices are well-known, but there are also bilevel positive airway pressure (BPAP) machines.

We’ll look at what BPAP machines are, how they function, and what to expect if you use one in this post.

What exactly is a bipap machine?

Your diaphragm, a muscle in your chest that helps you breathe, moves downward as you take in air. This lowers the pressure in your lungs’ tubes and sacs, allowing air to enter. If you have a condition like sleep apnea, there may be moments when you can’t get the air you need (for example, when sleeping).

A BiPap machine can assist force air into your lungs if you have problems breathing. A mask or nasal plugs connected to the ventilator are worn. The gadget inflates your lungs with pressurised air. It’s called “positive pressure ventilation” because the gadget uses air pressure to help open your lungs.

A BPAP is a type of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) therapy that helps people breathe more easily.

BPAP machines are available for use in hospitals and at home for persons who require them.

BPAP machines for home use are small, around the size of a toaster. A tube connects the machine to a mask, which is worn over your nose and mouth.

BPAP devices, like other ventilators, employ pressure to force air into your lungs. This opens the lungs, increasing the amount of oxygen in the blood and decreasing carbon dioxide levels, depending on the settings.

The term “bilevel” refers to the fact that these machines have two air pressure settings:

• When you inhale, BPAP machines increase the air pressure. Inspiratory positive airway pressure is another name for this (IPAP).
• The gadget lowers the air pressure when you exhale. Expiratory positive airway pressure is the term for this (EPAP).

A timer on some BPAP devices can be set to maintain a specified number of breaths per minute.

Who should use a bipap machine?

If you have a medical condition that makes it difficult for you to breathe at times, you may benefit from a BiPAP. BiPAPs can help with obstructive sleep apnea, a dangerous disorder in which your breathing continuously stops and starts while you sleep. It can be life-threatening in some circumstances.

If you have:

• An asthma flare-up, your doctor may consider a BiPAP.
• COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is a condition that affects the lungs (COPD)
• Coronary artery disease or congestive heart failure
• You have a neurological or neuromuscular condition.
• Hypoventilation syndrome due to obesity
• Difficulty breathing following a medical operation or as a result of another medical issue

A BiPAP is generally not for you if you have problems breathing most or all of the time, or if you have trouble swallowing. Instead, your doctor might suggest that you use another gadget to help you obtain adequate oxygen.

Support the show