Quick BIPAP question

[Broomstick]

Does it let you ramp the pressure support?

For example, maybe a high PS might not be good for centrals, but can you at least have like 5 EPAP and 15 IPAP until you get to sleep, and then have it become 10 EPAP and 15 IPAP after 30 minutes?

[DeepBreathing]

There may be some exceptions but as far as I know all bilevel machines have a ramp facility.

[bluesboybob]

I am not aware of any machines that have a ramp feature specifically for pressure support.

[DeepBreathing]

I may have misunderstood the original question. I'd have to read up the manuals but I think bluesboybob is right. Different machines apply the ramp in different ways.

[ragtopcircus]

I have never used a Dreamstation BiLevel, but I think they move IPAP and EPAP somewhat independently. I don't know how that works in ramp though. You could try looking at a Clinician manual for that machine.

[Sleeprider]

Does it let you ramp the pressure support?

For example, maybe a high PS might not be good for centrals, but can you at least have like 5 EPAP and 15 IPAP until you get to sleep, and then have it become 10 EPAP and 15 IPAP after 30 minutes?

This is not how ramp works.  You can start at a lower EPAP pressure with your PS range.  It will deliver EPAP min and PS min, and gradually ramp EPAP to minimum until ramp ends.  After ramp, the PS range and full machine pressure setting range will kick in.

[holden4th]

The variable gap using PS is one area where Respironics is ahead of Resmed in my opinion (and I've used BiPAP for both).

On the ResMed, the pressure difference between EPAP and IPAP are kept at a constant with the values moving up and down together. This value is Pressure Support and is fixed.
On the Respironics, this difference is allowed to float with each pressure adjusting separately but not allowed to get closer than the fixed number of the settings. This value is Pressure Support and is variable.

Even though I like the variable PS idea, the way that the Resmed deals with events is far more proactive than the Respironics for me. If Resmed introduced variable PS then this would be a new machine (series 11?) and a major step forward.