“Remember, you cannot go anywhere, if you have not
first imagined yourself there. People achieve that which they have imagined
themselves achieving over and over in their minds. That which you have never
dreamed of is that which you will never attain.”
-John Bertrand (Australian Yachtsman, Businessman and
Philanthropist – 1946 - )
With the rapid spread around the world of the
Coronavirus (COVID-19), many experts are predicting a shortage or lack of life-saving
Ventilators being available to all patients who require them. Should this
situation happen, seriously consider obtaining and using a Bilevel or BiPAP auto
adjusting pressure machine and adjusting the settings. As a last resort, use
CPAP.
In an Article published in the USA on 12 March 2020, Dr Sanjay Gupta and other experts are
predicting that, as the coronavirus continues to spread, our country's need for ventilators for the 1% of
those afflicted who require them - one million people - would completely
overwhelm the available supply of only about 72,000 full ventilators, many of
which are already in use for patients with other medical problems. He has
suggested that CPAP machines might be used.
Expert estimates reveal that US hospitals may
run short on life-saving ventilators as the coronavirus outbreak ramps up
Support for use of CPAP and Bilevel or BiPAP
machines can be found in the following discussion paper published 5 March 2020.
Duty to Plan: Health Care, Crisis Standards
of Care, and Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2
By John L. Hick, Dan Hanfling, Matthew K. Wynia,
and Andrew T. Pavia
A major epidemic or pandemic
can overwhelm the capacity of outpatient facilities, emergency departments
(EDs), hospitals, and intensive care units, leading to critical shortages of
staff, space, and supplies with serious implications for patient outcomes.
Initial reports describe progression of lung injury in the second week
of illness and severe cases may require prolonged treatment, including
mechanical ventilation. Use of BiPAP or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure
(CPAP) may forestall the need for intubation and has been broadly used in early
case series and anecdotal reports. Additional CPAP machines might be available
from home users for use in hospital settings, and adjusted criteria for
intubation and weaning may reduce days on a ventilator.
As mentioned previously, with the rapid
spread around the world of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), many experts are
predicting a shortage or lack of Ventilators being available to all patients
who require them. Should this situation happen, seriously consider obtaining
and using a bilevel auto adjusting pressure machine and adjusting the settings.
Only as a last resort, I suggest using CPAP.
This is due to a person needing to be able to breathe on their own as they will
need to initiate all of their breaths.
CPAP is a form of positive airway pressure ventilator, which applies mild air
pressure on a continuous basis to keep the airways continuously open in people
who are able to breathe spontaneously on their own, but need help keeping their
airway unobstructed.
The ventilator itself does not cycle
during CPAP, no additional pressure above the level of CPAP is provided, and
patients must initiate all of their breaths.
Werman,
Howard A.; Karren, K; Mistovich, Joseph (2014). "Continuous Positive
Airway Pressure(CPAP)". In Werman A. Howard; Mistovich J; Karren K (eds.).
Prehospital Emergency Care, 10e. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearson_Education
Bilevel or BiPAP
machines are used in assisting patients with COPD (Chronic obstructive
pulmonary disorder) to breathe. In the ResMed Guide “VPAP COPD”, it advises
“These patients often have difficulty exhaling air, which can lead to gas
trapping and hyperinflation. The fast Rise time, high cycle (exhale)
sensitivity and shortened TI Max (inhale time) all contribute to minimizing
hyperinflation and improving synchrony and comfort.”
In the blog post Elite Athletes need Bilevel, I advised a major
weakness of the CPAP and auto-adjusting CPAP Machines is that the machines are
limited in their settings such as pressure support of 3 cmH2O. A bilevel
machine has pressure support of up to 10 cmH2O. In addition, the CPAP machines
do not have settings for Trigger and Cycle and TI Max and TI Min. These
additional settings allow you to optimize the settings on the machine for you
so that you can have a great night’s sleep.
On the blog page Guide to Success using CPAP and Bilevel, I provide
the Steps to take to succeed using a sleep apnea machine. These additional bilevel
settings I found from personal experience are also necessary as detailed in
Blog Posts Stop CPAP causing Insomnia, Stop CPAP causing Weight Gain, and How to overcome Central Apnea.
As shown below, a
number of the common symptoms of COPD are similar to those of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). This is the reason why I believe
serious consideration should be given to using a bilevel auto adjusting
pressure machine should there be a shortage or lack of Ventilators. I use a ResMed S9
VPAP Auto machine. This machine has been superseded by the ResMed S10 AirCurve
VPAP machine. I understand that both machine algorithms may be pretty similar.
Used 2nd hand ResMed VPAP Auto machines can be purchased as well as
other brands and machines such as Philips Respironics for a much lower price
than buying a new machine.
I have purchased a few second hand machines with low machine use hours
from a company, Secondwind CPAP in the USA. If you live outside the USA, you
should be able to purchase the machine without having to see a doctor and
obtain a prescription and no sleep study is required. One of the machines I
purchased only had 2 weeks of use or approximately 120 hours on the machine.
This company as well as others are listed on a supplier list on one of the
sleep apnea forums and its web address is as follows: https://www.secondwindcpap.com/
Support for the use
of Bilevel or BiPAP machines with COPD is detailed in the following
article:
“BiPAP for COPD:
How it works, benefits, and risks”
COPD makes it
more difficult for a person to take air into their lungs. Their lungs are often
less elastic, and so they may find it much harder to breathe deeply and their
lungs can fill with mucus.
Doctors believe that daily use of
BiPAP not only improves the quality of sleep for people with severe COPD, but
it can also extend a person’s life. The use of BiPAP machines may also reduce
the rate of hospital admissions among people with COPD.
BiPAP machines can also be used
in emergency situations. In a flare-up of COPD symptoms, a BiPAP machine can
take some of the load off a person’s breathing muscles and heart, allowing them
to breathe more easily. It also boosts oxygen levels and normalizes carbon
dioxide levels.
A number of the
common symptoms of COPD are similar to those of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). This is the reason why I believe
serious consideration should be given to using a bilevel auto adjusting
pressure machine should there be a shortage or lack of Ventilators.
Common
Symptoms of COPD are:
-
Shortness of Breath (Breathlessness)
- Frequent
respiratory infections
-
Persistent cough
- Chest
tightening and wheezy
- Increased
mucus production
- Fatigue
Common Symptoms of Coronavirus (COVID-19)
according to the World Health Organisation are:
- Shortness of Breath and breathing difficulties
- Respiratory symptoms
- Cough
- Fever
Other
symptoms may include fatigue and tiredness, sore throat, headaches, nasal
congestion or a runny nose.
In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute
respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death. People of all ages can be infected by the new coronavirus.
Older people and people with pre-existing medical conditions (such as asthma,
diabetes and heart disease) appear to be more vulnerable to becoming severely
ill with the virus. Severe pneumonia can lead to respiratory failure, which is the
leading cause of death from coronavirus.
One of the key Secrets to Success using a sleep apnea machine was to change from using a CPAP machine to
using a Bilevel/ BiPAP auto adjusting pressure machine. More details are
at the Blog Page CPAP Vs Bilevel Settings Example. Another
key Secret to Success was to use different bilevel settings for different situations.
On the Blog Pages, you can see
that I have used the principles of bilevel pressure being applied to COPD in
the settings of my own machine.
In addition, there are plenty of masks available as more than 20 million sleep apnea machines have been sold worldwide. Importantly, oxygen therapy can be easily connected should it be required. Some masks have an oxygen port otherwise use an adapter and attach to your tubing.
Over the next few blog posts, I will detail my concerns with some of the medical protocols being used and the mistakes that I believe are being made during Coronavirus or COVID-19. These posts are:
In addition, there are plenty of masks available as more than 20 million sleep apnea machines have been sold worldwide. Importantly, oxygen therapy can be easily connected should it be required. Some masks have an oxygen port otherwise use an adapter and attach to your tubing.
Over the next few blog posts, I will detail my concerns with some of the medical protocols being used and the mistakes that I believe are being made during Coronavirus or COVID-19. These posts are:
Should you be
having side effects and issues with your sleep apnea therapy; CHANGE what you are doing so that you can wake up feeling refreshed
and energized each day.
“Have courage. Be adventurous
and Go for it! Overcome your fear.”
- Mrhelpful
