How To Setup Your CPAP Machine

After completing your sleep study, the healthcare provider will let you know which kind of sleep apnea you have (central or obstructive sleep apnea. Next, you will receive your prescription from your sleep specialist which will allow you to purchase a CPAP machine.

If you are just beginning on your CPAP journey, the CPAP or continuous positive airway pressure machine can be a confusing thing to understand. There are so many settings and modes, many people do not know where to begin. No need to worry, we are here to help! In this post, we are going to discuss how to assemble and set up your ResMed AirSense Auto 10 and your Philips Respironics Dreamstation Auto CPAP machines.

Assembling your AirSense 10 CPAP Machine

If you purchase ResMed’s AirSense 10 Auto CPAP machine, you will receive the machine, the HumidAir water chamber, standard CPAP tubing, the power supply unit, SD card (should be already installed). All these items should arrive in a convenient travel bag. Along with the machine you should have purchased a CPAP mask as well. You will not be able to use the CPAP machine without a CPAP mask so make sure you purchase these things together. Once you have all the equipment necessary, it is time to assemble the parts together.

First, you want to make sure you place the device on a level, stable surface. Then, take the power adapter and plug it into the back of the machine. Connect one end of the power cord to the power supply unit and plug the other end into an outlet. Next, take the tubing out and connect one end into the air outlet located on the back of the machine. The AirSense 10 comes with a built-in humidifier water chamber included. Keep in mind, it is possible to use the AirSense 10 without the humidification feature by simply turning the option off, but I will explain the setup with the humidification option turned on.

Once the tubing has been connected to the machine, you want to open the water chamber and fill it with distilled water. DO NOT fill pass the max fill line as the water could spill out and may damage the device. Close the water chamber and insert it into the side of the machine. Next, assemble your CPAP mask and connect the other end of the tubing into the mask. Now you are ready to begin your CPAP therapy! If you need or prefer more humidification, you can purchase the heated tubing specifically for the AirSense 10 called the ClimateLineAir heated tube. Once you have assembled your AirSense 10 and CPAP mask you are ready to setup your machine.

Setting up your AirSense 10 CPAP Machine

Now that you have assembled your AirSense 10 CPAP machine and CPAP mask you are ready to begin setting up the machine with your pressure range and features indicated by your CPAP prescription. I am going to go over some of the features of the AirSense 10 clinical menu.

Once you have your machine turned on, you can access the clinical menu by holding the click wheel and home button for a few seconds until you see “exit clinical menu” at the very top. Next, use the click wheel to go into “my settings”.  The first things you are going to see are mode, max pressure, min pressure, and mask. There are 2 different modes, CPAP and Autoset. CPAP mode will provide a fixed constant pressure while Autoset mode is auto-adjusting your pressure on a breath-by-breath basis throughout the night. The Autoset algorithm of the device responds to 3 parameters based on the degree of airway blockage: inspiratory flow limitation, snore, and apnea. In Autoset mode your device will automatically increase the CPAP pressure setting as a blockage occurs to minimize the chance of this developing into apnea.

Next, input your maximum pressure based on your CPAP prescription. You can use the click wheel to increase or decrease the pressure as needed. Then do the same thing with the minimum pressure. After this, you select the mask type you are using, full-face, nasal, or nasal pillow. If you are using the ramp feature which is the next option in the clinical menu, make sure you set it to auto. What this does is have a lower starting pressure indicated then after you have fallen asleep the pressure level will start to increase.

Another important feature is called EPR or expository pressure relief. This feature can ease feelings of breathlessness by 1,2, or 3 pressure points when the CPAP user exhales. For example, if your maximum pressure is 20 and you set your EPR to 3, the AirSense 10 will reduce your pressure to 17 cmh2o (the unit that measures the pressure in CPAP machines and the centimeters of water pressure) upon exhalation and bring it back up to 20 as you inhale. You can also change when this happens with the “EPR type” option. You can have this happen full-time or only when the ramp is on.  

If you are using the heated humidifier feature with a heated tube you can use the “climate control and tube temperature” options to adjust humidification. Setting the “climate control” option to auto will make sure the device uses the moisture in the air to provide humidification. If you want more control you can set it to manual. The “tube temperature” option will allow you to choose the temperature of the heated tubing.

Now we are going to use the click wheel to go down to where it says “Options”. Once there you should see an option called “essentials”. Make sure you choose the plus option which will let you see your sleep data in depth. The last option is “smart start”. What this does is automatically start your CPAP therapy as soon as you put on your mask.  Once you have set up your AirSense 10 CPAP machine you are ready to begin your therapy.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, the assembly and setup of these two CPAP machines are simple. We hope we were able to answer any questions you may have had about the AirSense 10 Auto or Dreamstation Auto CPAP machines and how they go about treating sleep apnea. Keep the replacement schedule for your CPAP equipment in mind and don’t forget to visit Sleeplay.com for your replacement needs.