Obstructive sleep apnea is caused by the airway collapsing during sleep. This causes airflow to become restricted, leading to the patient waking up repeatedly during the night in response to decreased oxygen to the brain. Many patients are unaware of this because they do not become fully conscious of the problem during the night. These sleep disturbances, however, significantly lower the quality of sleep. CPAP machines, such as the Remstar model made by Respironics, pump a steady flow of air into the patient's airway, keeping it from collapsing.
Step 1
Connect the air tube to the air outlet port on the back of the machine. The flexible air tubing can either be connected directly into the port or via a swivel which can be inserted into the port.
Step 2
Connect the air tube to the mask. Depending on the type of mask, you will either connect the air tube to the flexible tubing at the bottom of the mask (if your mask has a built-in exhalation port) or to the exhalation port (if it is not built into the mask). In both cases, however, the tubing is connected to a port at the bottom of the mask.
Step 3
Connect the mask to the headgear. The exact process will vary depending on the type of mask and headgear that came with the machine, so follow the instructions provided with the headgear.
Step 4
Place the CPAP machine on a flat, stable surface that is close enough to the bed so that the patient can comfortably lie down while wearing the mask.
Step 5
Plus the CPAP machine into a power source. Generally, this involves connecting the machine to the power supply (via a cord which connects to the power inlet port on the back of the machine) and then plugging the power supply into an AC socket (wall socket). This will cause the lights on the machine to go on and the machine will go into standby mode.
Step 6
Press the "Pressure on/off" button located on the right of the top of the machine. This will cause the machine to start pumping air.
Step 7
Put on the mask and headgear. Make sure that the mask is comfortable and snug, and that there are no air leaks.
