There are some risk associated with CPAP

So many people not following their prescribed orders for CPAP. this may be very dangerous.
CPAP decreases blood pressures in patients.
A single night off CPAP can bring about a recurrence in apnea, hypersomia, and impairment of alertness.

The use of a humidifier with CPAP usually eliminates the Nasal congestion, irritation or runny nose symptom. So make sure a humidifier is used along with the CPAP. Other people may have allergies initially, which are exaccerbated with the CPAP. These symptoms can usually be controlled through prescriptions providerd by your physician.

Rare complications of CPAP may include:
• Bacterial infection in the lining around the brain and spinal cord (meningitis)
• Severe nosebleeds.


_________________
www.mysnoringrelief.com
Tips on snoring and sleep apnea

Not everybody uses or needs a humidifier.

I don't use a humidifier, stopped using it after suffering through mulitple rounds of sinus infections and upper respritory infections shortly after starting on cpap. Since stopping the humidifier, I have not had a sinus infection or upper respritory infection. Was not because I wan't cleaning my unit, I'm just super sensitive to the extra moisture. I can't even do a humidifier in my house during the winter! I'm sick the entire time it is on and finally get over it once its turned off! I'm weird though!!


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Optilife mask by Respironics
Remstar Plus M with c-flex and heated humidifier
Pressure set at 18
Started Cpap on 12-13-07

When I started on CPAP, humidifiers were not normally used and I don't think that there even was such a thing as a heated humidifier.  I used CPAP for about 12 years without a humidifier.  I got a new CPAP a couple of years ago with an integrated humidifier, I gave up on the humidifier after a few months.

As seen in these post we are all so different, although I like a dry climate and hate it when the humidity goes up, for breathing with my VPAP, I have to have it set on medium to high and use the heated humidifer everynight!


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White Beard with a White Beard
Resmed VPAP Adapt SV Enhanced, HumidAire 2i, ResLink with Model 8000 Flex sensor Pulse Oximeter, and ResScan 3.5 software. Respironic EverFlo OPI Oxygen Concentrator 3 lpm
EEP 9.0, min PS 6.0, max PS 16.0

Gideon George wrote:

There are some risk associated with CPAP

So many people not following their prescribed orders for CPAP. this may be very dangerous.
CPAP decreases blood pressures in patients.
A single night off CPAP can bring about a recurrence in apnea, hypersomia, and impairment of alertness.

The use of a humidifier with CPAP usually eliminates the Nasal congestion, irritation or runny nose symptom. So make sure a humidifier is used along with the CPAP. Other people may have allergies initially, which are exaccerbated with the CPAP. These symptoms can usually be controlled through prescriptions providerd by your physician.

Rare complications of CPAP may include:
• Bacterial infection in the lining around the brain and spinal cord (meningitis)
• Severe nosebleeds.

Well, this was a bit of a downer...

Bacterial infections in the lining around the brain can't be good.  

Gideon George wrote:

...
• Bacterial infection in the lining around the brain and spinal cord (meningitis)
...

This is a rare occurrence and was associated with CPAP being used following head trauma:

Quote:

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak is a dangerous but rare complication of nCPAP occurring only with concomitant trauma to the skull base.

http://www.chestjournal.org/cgi/content/full/128/3/1882


I suspect that life threatening nosebleeds are probably about as rare and would require at least one or two other risk factors.

humidifiers are now 'politically correct' but Ive been using CPAP since 1995 and never used one or felt the need for one


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resmed S6 lightweight, respironics comfort gell mask using CPAP since 1995, no humidifier
during my many years of undiagnosed severe fatigue, no doctor ever asked me if I snored

A single night off CPAP can bring about a recurrence[sic.] in[sic.] apnea, hypersomia, and impairment of alertness.


...quoted from above. ok, but what is the point. Are you saying that CPAP is no good therefore?

humidifiers are now 'politically correct' but Ive been using CPAP since 1995 and never used one or felt the need for one

...quoted from above. I don't get connection with "politically correct." It's science, not politics, that most folks will benefit. Glad that you personally and individually are happy without it, however. My grandfather lived to be 87 and smoked a pack a day all his life. Maybe that helped him too.



Last edited by val on Tue Jul 01, 2008 8:36 am; edited 2 times in total

Gideon George wrote:

There are some risk associated with CPAP

So many people not following their prescribed orders for CPAP. this may be very dangerous.
CPAP decreases blood pressures in patients.

You are right. To gain evidence of this, spend a day at the hospital. CPAP / PEEP used in hospital ventilators can seriously decrease cardiac output. The pressure being built up in the chest CAN impact the heart, however like many medical decisions... do the positives outweigh the negatives? In most people, I would say yes. If not, CPAP for home uses would not be such a popular treatment.

There are going to be some uses out there that are going to see the negatives though. It is crazy to read on here people adjusting the pressures on their own. Sleep labs measure EKG, pulse, etc, and can usually detect if a pressure is detrimental to ones health.

People cant be going in for titrations every week, so I guess they have to do what they have to do.

There is a risk from drinking water. Too much of it can also stop the heart. So can taking too many breaths in too short a time. Taking a bath is far more dangerous than taking a ride in an aeroplane (just ask John Glenn, the rocket ship pilot). The most dangerous part of going for an operation is the car trip to the hospital. A pizza delivery man is in far more danger than a police detective.  Soooo, all in all I would prefer the danger of CPAP than the risk of going without it if you need it.

p.s. Yes it is true, when CPAP machines first came out, they did not have humidifiers to go with them. My first car did not have a self starter either, you had to crank it. Sure wish I could go back to that (NOT).

val wrote:

There is a risk from drinking water. Too much of it can also stop the heart. So can taking too many breaths in too short a time. Taking a bath is far more dangerous than taking a ride in an aeroplane (just ask John Glenn, the rocket ship pilot). The most dangerous part of going for an operation is the car trip to the hospital. A pizza delivery man is in far more danger than a police detective.  Soooo, all in all I would prefer the danger of CPAP than the risk of going without it if you need it.

p.s. Yes it is true, when CPAP machines first came out, they did not have humidifiers to go with them. My first car did not have a self starter either, you had to crank it. Sure wish I could go back to that (NOT).

Well, all of what you mention is true, however its way off base. The original poster mentioned some side effects. I was adding that CPAP/PEEP is certainly a side effect. Most people can ignore it, however there will be some people who can not. Some users on this board are adjusting their own pressures as if it is gold standard to do so, which may make others think that the practice is acceptable. What about hypotensive patients? They may be more susceptible to minimal blood pressure changes, which can be caused by having a lot of pressure, via Cpap.

It doesn't apply to you fine, but why post such a silly post because you aren't worried about it?

Anyway, if you read my post you will see that I mentioned that health care is all about weighing pros against cons. In 99% of cases, im confident that the pros outweigh the cons.

I wouldn't want to hand crank my car to start it and I wouldn't want to do without air conditioning in my car, but I still won't use a humidifier with my CPAP -- even when it is built in.

CPAP has been around for quite a while and I have heard of a very few health problems that were caused or made worse by using CPAP.  On the other hand, there are a great many well documented health risks for people with OSA who do not use CPAP.  

Knowing that certain risk factors exist, such as knowing that CPAP may be contraindicated for someone following head trauma, is a Good Thing; but there is no reason to hesitate to use CPAP because of certain rare risk factors -- unless you have a known risk factor.

Bearded One wrote:

I wouldn't want to hand crank my car to start it and I wouldn't want to do without air conditioning in my car, but I still won't use a humidifier with my CPAP -- even when it is built in.

CPAP has been around for quite a while and I have heard of a very few health problems that were caused or made worse by using CPAP.  On the other hand, there are a great many well documented health risks for people with OSA who do not use CPAP.  

Knowing that certain risk factors exist, such as knowing that CPAP may be contraindicated for someone following head trauma, is a Good Thing; but there is no reason to hesitate to use CPAP because of certain rare risk factors -- unless you have a known risk factor.

Did anyone suggest otherwise?

It just seems that words get twisted all out of context. But in any event, yup the pros outweigh the cons, in 99% of the cases, IMO.