Fixed Pressure CPAP Machines

Standard or Fixed Pressure CPAP Machines have been the long-standing staple and recommended treatment for sleep apnea for many years. A fixed pressure CPAP machine delivers pressurized air via a CPAP mask (see: Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask, Full Face CPAP Mask, Nasal CPAP Mask) and that pressurized air provides a pneumatic splint in the airway that keeps it from collapsing during sleep. The pressure measurements are delivered in a range of 4cm/H2O to 20cm/H20, however with a standard or fixed pressure CPAP machine it will only generate 1 specific setting throughout the entire night (excluding ramp time). An example of a fixed pressure CPAP machine would be 12cm/H2O, and that means once the machine has ramped up it will continue to blow out 12cm/H2O the entire course of the night.

People sometimes confuse standard or fixed pressure CPAP with Auto CPAP because their machine comes with a ramp mode feature. However, these 2 machines differ greatly in therapy delivery and ramp mode is simply a comfort feature that allows the user to fall asleep on a lower pressure while the machine “ramps up” to the fixed pressure setting, usually over a 20-minute period. While standard or fixed pressure CPAP is the most commonly prescribed device, many users are gravitating to Auto CPAP machines (see more information below).

Examples of Standard or Fixed Pressure CPAP Machines: Philips Respironics DreamStation, ResMed AirSense 10 or AirSense 11, Devilbiss IntelliPAP Standard, Z2 HDM Travel CPAP and Transcend Travel CPAP Machine.