UZ Leuven CPAP User manual

CPAP treatment for
obstructive sleep apnoea:
manual
P a t i e n t I n f o r m a t i o n

2
OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNOEA 3
CPAP TREATMENT 4
MY CPAP MACHINE 6
MASK WITH HEADBAND 7
FLEXIBLE AIR HOSE 9
HUMIDIFIER (WHERE APPLICABLE) 10
GENERAL QUESTIONS 12
HOLIDAYS AND TRAVEL 13
IN HOSPITAL 14
CONVENTION ARRANGEMENTS 15
CONNECTED CARE 18
FURTHER INFORMATION 19

CPAP treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea: manual 3
OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNOEA
WHAT IS APNOEA?
Apnoea: period during which breathing (temporarily) stops.
There are 2 types of sleep apnoea:
oCentral sleep apnoea: the brain is not sending signals to tell your
muscles to breathe.
oObstructive apnoea: blocked airways when the soft tissue in the
back of the throat collapses.
OSAS (Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Syndrome): obstructive sleep apnoea
combined with feeling sleepy during the day.
Consequences of OSAS:
oEach time your breathing stops you briefly wake up (3 seconds
or longer), although you are usually not aware of this.
oYour sleep pattern will be disrupted and you will not go into a
deep sleep.
WHAT ARE THE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES OF
OSAS AND HOW DOES THIS AFFECT YOUR DAILY
ROUTINE?
•You will not feel rested in the morning
•You will usually feel sleepy during the day
•Risk of traffic accidents due to fatigue
•Loss of concentration
•Memory problems

4
WHAT ARE THE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES
OF OSAS FOR YOUR GENERAL HEALTH?
•High blood pressure
•Arrhythmia
•Heart attack
•Cerebral haemorrhage
•Diabetes
CPAP TREATMENT
WHAT IS CPAP?
CPAP: Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. Air flow is introduced
into the airways to maintain a continuous pressure, i.e. to keep them
open.
WHY DO I NEED TO USE A CPAP MACHINE?
Breathing with apnoea: breathing in generates negative pressure in
the airways, which can lead to frequent collapse of the soft tissue in
the back of the throat.
When using a CPAP machine: positive pressure is maintained in the
airways and the throat is kept free and open.

CPAP treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea: manual 5
WHEN DO I NEED TO USE MY CPAP MACHINE?
•Every night
•All night
Otherwise the treatment will not be effective.
WILL I HAVE TO USE A CPAP MACHINE FOR THE
REST OF MY LIFE?
Yes, because the use of the machine is a treatment rather than a cure.
If you stop using the machine the symptoms will return immediately,
i.e.:
osnoring
oapnoea
otiredness
In some, milder cases sleep apnoea can be alleviated, e.g. by losing
weight.
WHEN WILL I START NOTICING THE EFFECT OF THE
TREATMENT?
•Most people feel the impact within a week.
•If you need to catch up on a lot of sleep it may take a little longer
before you feel the optimum effect.
•Sometimes your body needs to adapt. That’s why you should give
it time and persevere. You should notice a significant improve-
ment within 4 weeks.

6
MY CPAP MACHINE
HOW DO I SWITCH THE MACHINE ON AND OFF?
The large square button at the top of the machine is the on/off switch.
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE ‘RAMP’ SETTING ON
THE MACHINE?
The Ramp setting allows the machine to start at a lower pressure
and then gradually increase to the treatment pressure. The machine
will check that you are asleep and then automatically increase the
pressure.
If you’re not asleep the machine will increase the pressure automati-
cally 30 minutes after it has been activated.
The Ramp setting has been programmed into the CPAP machine.
You don’t need to activate it.
Remember: the Ramp time is not included in the usage hours.
WHERE DO I POSITION MY CPAP MACHINE?
•As close as possible to your bed
•Not on the floor

CPAP treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea: manual 7
SMOKING AND CPAP MACHINES
Nicotine can cause irreversable damage to the machine!
Smoking must consequently be banned at all times in the room
where the CPAP machine is used or stored.
HOW DO I MAINTAIN MY CPAP MACHINE?
Clean the dust filter on a weekly basis:
oRemove the filter from the machine.
oKnock off or blow off the dust (don’t rinse in water).
oReplace the filter in the machine ready for use.
Never remove the SD card from the machine.
MASK WITH HEADBAND
WHY A MASK?
Everyone has a differently shaped nose, which means that different
types of mask are required.
The nurse will identify the most suitable type of mask for you toge-
ther with you.
HOW DO I PUT ON MY MASK?
➡Tip: mark the position of the bands when the mask is cor-
rectly adjusted to ensure that you can easily replace
them after cleaning..
➡Tip: if you need to visit the toilet during the night, leave
your mask in place and disconnect the air hose from
the machine.

8
DOES MY MASK HAVE TO FEEL TIGHT?
The mask should never feel tight.
Tighten the bands just enough to ensure that there are no air leaks.
If the bands are too tight there will be folds at the edge of the mask,
which will:
oincrease leakage
orisk injuring the skin
ospeed up wear and tear
HOW DO I MAINTAIN MY MASK AND HEADBAND?
•Nose piece: rinse in water every day and clean with soap and water
once a week.
•Headband: rinse with soap and water once a week.
•Use lukewarm water and neutral soap (never use alcohol, disinfec-
tant, detergents, etc.).
•Use your fingers to wash items, never use a scouring pad.
•Pat dry with a clean towel.
•Leave to air dry (never in the sun or on a radiator).
➡Tip: clean the material in the morning to ensure that it
will be dry by night time.

CPAP treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea: manual 9
FLEXIBLE AIR HOSE
HOW DO I ATTACH THE AIR HOSE?
The air hose has 2 identical end pieces:
o1 to be connected to the mask
o1 to be connected to the CPAP machine
A heated air hose has 2 different end pieces for the mask and CPAP
machine.
HOW DO I MAINTAIN THE (HEATED) AIR HOSE?
•Clean weekly.
•Clean the air hose in warm water with a mild detergent (e.g. neu-
tral hand soap).
•Rinse the air hose well and leave it to dry away from direct sun-
light and/or heat.
•Once the air hose is dry you can reconnect it.
➡Tip: clean the air hose in the morning to ensure that it will be
dry by night time.
➡Tip: check for small cracks/tears whilst cleaning the air hose.

10
HUMIDIFIER (WHERE APPLICABLE)
WHO WILL BE GIVEN A HUMIDIFIER AT THE START
OF THE TREATMENT?
•People suffering from chronic nasal congestion
•People suffering from certain allergies
WHO MIGHT BE GIVEN A HUMIDIFIER LATER ON?
If, when already using a CPAP machine, you permanently suffer from
one of the following:
onasal congestion
onasal colds
oa runny nose
odry sinuses and throat
These problems often manifest themselves at the start of the treat-
ment, but should disappear after a while (4 weeks).
HOW DO I CONNECT THE HUMIDIFIER?
The humidifier fits directly onto the CPAP machine.
To connect the humidifier you first need to remove the side cover
on the right hand side of the CPAP machine.
The humidifier will start automatically when the CPAP machine is
switched on.