What is BiPAP Therapy

Welcome to today’s discussion on BIPAP. BIPAP stands for Bi-level Positive Airway Pressure and is a therapeutic solution for severe cases of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and Central Sleep Apnea (CSA). Before we dive into BIPAP, let’s first understand the basics of CPAP therapy. CPAP, or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, is a form of treatment that provides constant air pressure throughout the night to keep the airway open. In this post, we’ll explore the differences between CPAP and BIPAP and how BIPAP delivers a more comfortable and effective solution for OSA and CSA.

Hi, I’m Bo. Today, I’ll be discussing BIPAP. BIPAP stands for Bi-level Positive Airway Pressure and is used to treat severe cases of Obstructive Sleep Apnea and some Central sleep apnea cases. Before delving into BIPAP, let’s start with CPAP. CPAP therapy, or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, provides constant air pressure throughout the night with a pressure range from 4 to 20 to keep the user’s airway open. Another type of CPAP therapy is APAP or Automatic Positive Airway Pressure, which adjusts the air pressure as needed throughout the night based on the user’s needs.

CPAP and APAP may not work for some individuals who feel like they can’t catch their breath during therapy and still wake up feeling tired. For those users, BIPAP may be prescribed. BIPAP delivers air pressure between 4 and 25 using two settings: IPAP (Inspiratory Positive Airway Pressure) during inhalation. And EPAP (Expiratory Positive Airway Pressure) during exhalation, which is always lower.

BIPAP is not only used for severe cases of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) but also for Central Sleep Apnea (CSA). In CSA, the brain fails to send breathing signals to the lungs. BIPAP machines with an automatic breathing algorithm can trigger mechanical breaths during a CSA event until the user starts breathing again. BIPAP therapy requires a doctor’s prescription for specific conditions and is not a fancier version of CPAP. If you think you may need BIPAP, talk to your doctor. In our next post, we’ll showcase popular BIPAP machines if you found this post helpful.

Thank you for joining me today in learning about BIPAP. BIPAP provides:

• A bi-level pressure system.
• Delivering IPAP during inhalation and EPAP during exhalation.
• Making it a more comfortable and effective solution for severe cases of OSA and CSA.

If you need BIPAP therapy, don’t hesitate to talk to your doctor. Stay tuned for our next post to showcase popular BIPAP machines.