This method delivers two distinct air pressure levels into the mask: one for inhalation and one for exhalation. BiPAP/VPAPīiPAP stands for BiLevel Positive Airway Pressure, and is sometimes called VPAP for Variable Positive Airway Pressure. This is called “auto-titration,” and the algorithms used may differ between machine brands, but the general advantage of APAP is its ability to provide a range of pressures that increase comfort levels for some patients. While regular CPAP provides a constant flow after ramping up, APAP has auto-adjusting flows that react to patient breathing changes. Breathing patterns produce wave-like levels of intensity during sleep, and APAP follows these patterns with pressure changes throughout the night, fluctuating between minimum and maximum levels set by the patient. APAP uses an algorithm to respond to patient breaths using a range of pressure settings. APAPĪPAP, AutoPAP, AutoSet, or Auto-CPAP is Automated Positive Airway Pressure, which has more variation than the standard CPAP machine. As the treatment of choice for most sleep apnea patients, the CPAP machine is often less expensive but also less advanced than some of the other machine types available. A Ramp feature often slows the therapy’s onset to build up to the patient’s chosen pressure setting as treatment begins. Due to the constant pressure level, CPAP therapy can be more comfortable during inhalation, but the air flow during exhalation is what helps alleviate sleep apnea events, especially during obstructive apneas that can result in partial or complete collapse of the upper airway.
As the standard respiratory ventilation therapy device, the CPAP Machine emits a constant stream of air set to a chosen pressure level. CPAPĬPAP stands for Continued Positive Airway Pressure, which is sometimes referred to as simply PAP, or Positive Airway Pressure Therapy. What varies between types of CPAP machines are the pressure settings, which can be steady, shifting, or varied throughout the night in response to the patient’s breathing patterns. Types of CPAP Explained: CPAP, APAP, BiPAP and ASV By AdminĬPAP is the original method of Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) Therapy, but all types of PAP machines pressurize air using a small motor that draws the air into the machine and distributes it through a hose to a CPAP mask.