What happens if there is power interruption while on cpap

My cat accidentally pulled the plug on my machine a while back, fortunately I was still awake. If this should happen again, or a power outage or something, will I suffocate???? Just wondering.


Thanks,

Deb

Nope. You'll just wake up......and realize there's no air blowing in your nose or face.

Den

If you were asleep, you would most likely wake up. Full face masks have a valve to allow you to breathe when there is loss of power. Nasal masks allow you to mouth breathe. If you tape your mouth shut(as I do) you should wake up after a couple of breaths with out the machine on(as I do).

Brenda

A power outage happened to me. I use a nasal mask and am a mouth taper. I woke up almost immediately. If I recall, my machine also beeped which helped wake me up, but I didn't know what was going on for awhile. I was able to breathe through my nose and take off the mask and tape. No panic. I do have an UPS battery backup now. I only use it when there are storms forecast. It would only run the machine for about 15 to 20 minutes. If the power is off longer than that, then I'm not going to get a good nights sleep. So far, we've only had one power outage since I've been on cpap and it lasted less than 1/2 hour.

Yeah, a computer grade UPS is a good idea. A decent one can be had for between $100 - $200. You want something a little larger than the power surge strip sized ups.

I know Staples sells a brand called Cyberpower and they have a vertical unit that has a blue LCD display to match those M-series Respironics machines. Just sayin, it's stylish and all.

http://www.staples.com/webapp/wcs/store ... rea=SEARCH

You just have to be careful with intergrated humidifiers if you use a battery backup. I read that backups won't support the power for a humidifier and could possibly burn out the heating element. I've had 3 bipap machines that have stopped and eventually started back up, similiar to a power outage. I have a separate electrical circuit for the bipap. One machine was from cpap.com and the other two from another site (price/service). I just received the most recent. I put my mask on for sleep and was watching news when it just stopped. After about 10 seconds, it came back on. With the new type humidifier tank the auto on feature doesn't work either. From what I understand, it is caused by a faulty air flow sensor. The nasal mask has a relief port for exhale, therefore, you can breathe if the power is off but you won't feel the air and if asleep, should wake up. To sample, put the mask on with the machine off and try breathing.

Thank you for replies.