Sleep Apnea Patients Have a New Way of Being Treated with Latest CPAP Technology

Wednesday, 01 August 2007

Sleep apnea sufferers have a new option for treatment with new product.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PRWEB) July 17, 2007 -- Sleep apnea sufferers have a new way to treat their condition, with the REMstar Auto M Series with A-Flex, manufactured by Respironics. This latest advancement in continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) technology marks an important milestone for the many individuals suffering from obstructive sleep apnea, a debilitating and some times life-threatening condition.

The first CPAP machine weighed approximately 15 pounds and only had one pressure setting. So even though people naturally require less pressure as they fall asleep or less pressure when exhaling than inhaling, they received the same amount of constant pressure throughout the night.

Later the Auto CPAP technology was developed, making it possible for machines to automatically adjust to a higher pressure at the precise moment required in order to prevent an apnea. However, the Auto technology still did not solve the problem people experienced during exhalation when they required less pressure. That is when a comfort technology by the name of C-flex was developed by Respironics. This technology sensed when a person was exhaling and in turn lowered the pressure simultaneously.


Most recently developed, is the highly advanced A-flex technology, which not only adjusts the amount of pressure released while a person is exhaling, but it also monitors and adjusts to the varying needs of pressure people require while inhaling. It also has a wider range of pressure settings making it even more customizable to an individual's breathing pattern.


For instance, if an individual were to eat a heavy meal or come down with a chest cold, the A-flex technology acutely recognizes the changing needs of that person, not only while that person is exhaling, like the older C-flex technology provided, but also while that person is inhaling. The A-flex technology works to replicate natural breathing patterns as it tracks and adjusts throughout an individual's entire breathing cycle, inhalation through exhalation. It also weighs significantly less, about two pounds, compared to the earlier 15-pound CPAP machines, making it easier to travel.


"Advancements in CPAP technology have been remarkable and Respironics' A-flex technology is an example of how the industry is changing the way people treat sleep apnea," says Chris Vasta, Vice President of the CPAP Shop. "Many studies have shown that sleep deprivation can cause high blood pressure, hypertension and even increase a person's risk of getting in a car accident. It is our goal to educate people about the effects of sleep apnea while providing them with comfortable affordable ways to treat the condition."

I think i might have one, just a few days ago, an Autoset Vantage (?). It seems to mesh well with
my breathing, and would probably be a godsend to many of us OSA's but at the same time i received a new mask (Opus, with nasal pillows) which has left me exhausted: i awaken in the middle of the night to what seems to be leaks around my nose.
Win one, lose one. :unsure:

I'd be interested in some other reactions to this new machine.

Janet