Are CPAP Machines Dangerous?
Sleep apnea is a common condition, affecting nearly 30 percent of adults and up to 3 percent of children.
While sleep apnea patients slumber, they experience the narrowing or collapse of throat tissues, which, in turn, deprives the body of oxygen. As a result, the patient abruptly awakens several times during the night, often choking or gasping for air, which is difficult for the body to endure.
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machines (CPAP) are highly effective in the treatment of sleep apnea. The patient wears the CPAP mask, which is attached by a hose to the machine, each time he lies down for the night or even when taking a short nap. By forcing air into the patient's airways, the CPAP allows patients to sleep without interruption. But how safe is the CPAP machine?
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Maintenance
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The machine itself poses little risk. As with any electrical appliance, common sense prevails. For example, follow the manufacturer's cleaning and maintenance guide, and do not immerse the machine in water.
Regularly cleaning or replacing hoses and filters, as well as cleaning the mask, nasal pillows, and humidifier's water chamber, will keep your equipment in top condition. Paying attention to the manufacturer's suggestions may help extend the life of the machine, therefore allowing it to improve your health by providing optimal therapy.
Air pressure
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Proper air pressure for the patient must be determined by medical professionals. In extreme cases, if the air pressure is too great it could potentially lead to headaches or even---in severe situations---stroke.
Contact your physician if you experience headaches in the morning, and be sure to take your CPAP to your appointment with you so the air pressure may be checked.
Self-diagnosis
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With so many web sites devoted to the disorder, it may be tempting to purchase a CPAP online rather than going through the customary sleep study at a medical facility. However, self-diagnosis might be dangerous.
The machine is intended to force air into your lungs, which requires precise settings for the air pressure. These settings are determined by the individual needs of the patient after undergoing the sleep study and being monitored by medical professionals. Attempting to set the pressure on a CPAP machine by yourself could result in too much pressure, risking damage to your lungs, or too little pressure.
Travel
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For those with sleep apnea machines, it can be dangerous to travel or take a vacation if the patient believes toting the machine is an option rather than a necessity.
Sharon Schutte-Rodin, MD, DABSM, is the clinical outcomes program director of the Penn Sleep Center at Pennsylvania Hospital. She finds the new units "quiet, smaller for travel, and easy to use."
Left untreated
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Risks presented by the CPAP machine itself are practically non-existent when compared to the risks associated with going without CPAP therapy altogether.
Patients with untreated sleep apnea are at risk for losing their jobs due to poor performance, decreased academic performance, and car accidents. They are also at risk for cardiovascular problems including high blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmias, pulmonary hypertension, heart failure, heart attacks and stroke.
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