Bypap machine advice?

[Ellie]

Great to hear Denise! Thanks for the update x

[petermessi]

Dont worry too much it gives more energy which was used by friend's father. he feels better now

[denise]

Hi everyone last night we had bad wind and rain and no electricity. Bipap machine alarm woke me up. No idea what it was at first but when I ran in to check on Stephen there was the red alarm button on. I gather the battery kicks in but have no idea how long it's supposed to last. Thank goodness Stephen doesn't desperately need to use it but it was a concern. Something else to worry about

[Ellie]

denise It should tell you in the NIV machine manual how long the battery lasts - usually in the 6-8hr range, depending on settings, humidifier etc. Mine is 8hrs on battery.

If you get regular power cuts, an external battery as backup is a good idea.

[denise]

Think next time we get a visit from health visitor who deals with ventilator I shall ask her because it's not unusual here to go without electricity. She must have others in same situation. She was supposed to come on Wednesday.

[Guy]

Hi Denise - my respiratory nurse advised me to have a second Nippy 3+ to take on holiday. We were going away as often as we could before covid so she has left it with us. I asked about an extra battery instead but was told it was about as heavy as the Nippy! (is this true Ellie?).
Two Nippy's are heavy and cumbersome and both need to be in the cabin when you fly. My wife is not best pleased with this arrangement!
I tested both batteries and had similar results to Ellie - over 7 hours.

[denise]

I'm sure the battery didn't last that long. I can't find any paperwork.

[Ellie]

I asked about an extra battery instead but was told it was about as heavy as the Nippy! (is this true Ellie?)

Umm, don't think so Robin - the standard external rechargeable Lithium Ion battery weighs 810g (Breas part number 0910) Breas also list a charger for the external battery, part number 0911.

I checked their parts and there is a Nickel Metal Hydride battery weighing in at a whopping 5.4kg, more than the Nippy 3+ itself @4.5kg. I have no idea what the difference is between these 2 batteries is, apart from the obvious! This must be where the 'heavy battery' comes from.

Ask about the Lithium Ion one.

Love Ellie.

[Ellie]

denise What make and model is Stephen's ventilator? I can try find out for you or you could ask whoever gave it to him - you need to know the battery life if your power has a tendency to go.

[Guy]

Thanks Ellie - i'll contact the guys in lung function directly as they're normally really helpful. I suspect it may be a case of what stock is available....

[GaryM]

.....it's not unusual here to go without electricity.

Denise, are you on your electricity supplier's priority register? Probably worth considering if you have frequent power cuts.

[denise]

Not sure if there is a priority list here in Portugal but I shall try to find out.
ventilator is a Phillips respironics bipap a40. Rechargeable li-ion battery 14.8v 4440mah
ref 1043570 41cr19/65-2.

[Ellie]

Denise, the internal battery in the A40 lasts up to 11hrs, most of the typical settings we use would see that reduced to about 8hrs.

I got the info from the Philips website: https://www.philips.co.uk/healthcare...specifications

[denise]

Thanks for that Ellie makes me think this battery isn't working because I don't think it managed a few hours.

[denise]

We now have a spare battery and a new mask. Now have 3! I'm sure I read somewhere that the bipap machine breathes in time with the person using it? Or can it be altered. Stephen complains that he hasn't got rid of his breath when it expects him to breath in again. I thought perhaps he is thinking about it too much and once he falls asleep it would be ok. It doesn't stop him sleeping.