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TPALS Home Stories: Diagnosis Stopping driving Going to a wheelchair Positioning in Bed Feeding tubes Using a BiPAP Getting a trach Life on a Vent Power outages Resources: Communication Aids ALS Links.com ALS Survival Guide ALS Links More Links ALS Association MDA Misc. Issues: My Meds My Treatment Dr. Meagher & Pergonal Ron Leeb & ricin |
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Using a BiPAP: BiPAPs and Power Outages Re: ALSD #589: Here are some other ideas on handling power outages with a BiPAP. 1) Some power companies will bring some form of backup power to homes of the disabled who need it when the power goes out. Check with your local company, and be sure to ask about their response time. 2) Buy a gasoline powered generator. Don't expect to be able to find one to rent once the power goes out because they get rented out fast. Make sure you have enough gas on hand. The downsides to this are that storing gas is a fire hazard and the noise may make you unpopular with your neighbors. 3) Hospitals and some care facilities have their own backup power systems. We went to our local hospital when a big El Nino storm of January '98 cut power to our town. At this point I just needed the BiPAP at night while I slept, so I knew that I could survive the trip. Getting to the hospital was tricky due to downed power lines and trees. If you want to use the hospital option have several routes planned. I assumed that the whole hospital would have backup power and I could just sit in the lobby in my wheelchair. I was wrong. The ER, ORs, labs, and computers were on full backup, but not the rest. Only some outlets (marked with red wall plates) in nurse's stations and some rooms were on the backup system. This meant that I had to be admitted to use them, which meant a call to our doctor in the middle of night. Fortunately the phones were still working. We should have talked with our doctor beforehand and made standing arrangements with the hospital. I'm sure that if I had been in respiratory distress they would have let me use the ER. 4) You can get a 12 Volt battery and power inverter to convert the 12 Volts to 110. Don tells what equipment he got for his brand of BiPAP in his story elsewhere on this page. I had a Respironics brand, model "BiPAP S/T", which has no internal backup battery. Our respiratory agency contacted Respironics for advice on battery backup. Respironics recommends a "deep cycle marine" 12 Volt battery which can be bought at any auto parts store. This type of battery will stay near 12 Volts until just before going dead and then drop off sharply. A normal car battery will gradually drop off, which will make the BiPAP motor work harder and harder and then burn out. You can get a power inverter from an auto parts store or from Respironics who makes them specifically for their BiPAPs. We got one from Respironics. It has a red LED to let you know it's on and an alarm to let you know that the battery is almost dead. It has an easily replaceable fuse in one of the wires. We got a box of extra fuses at an auto parts store and taped it to the inverter. A friend made a "pigtail" which allowed the inverter to plug into the cigarette lighter in our van to save the backup battery. Our backup battery would run the BiPAP for 10 hours. It's important to run the battery dead and then recharge it once each month. You need a battery charger too. Don't store battery on concrete because it will go dead. We got a "TV cart" to store the BiPAP, it's hoses and masks, the battery, inverter, and my nebulizer on so I could easily use it anywhere in the house. As my illness progressed I began to need the BiPAP at times during the day, and the cart made it easy to load everything into our van.
God bless you on your journey, Wayne S. Phillips Using a BiPAP: BiPAPs and Power Outages 2
In response to the questions about power outages and BiPAP machines in
ALS Digest #589 I would like to give some ideas for solutions. I am on a
BiPAP 24 hours a day and would not last long if the power went off so
here is what we have put together. First of all, I have two BiPAP
machines. One in the bedroom and one in the room with the computer. I
have a backup system in the bedroom that automatically kicks over to
battery if the electricity goes off. This is listed below and I
understand it is very expensive. My son borrowed it from a friend in his
business. If my wife has to leave the house she puts me on that system.
By the other BiPAP I have a car battery backup with a converter from
Radio Shack. This converter can also be used in the car from the power
outlet or cigarette lighter. This works with the Knightstar 335 BiPAP. I
don't know about other BiPAPs. I also have a battery tender for the car
battery backup. Here's a list of the products: BiPAP respiratory support system Knightstar 335 Nellcor Puritan Bennett Automatic backup system; Sola Mini UPS (uninterrupted power supply) a unit of General Signal (GS) 750 VA - 600 watts max.
The above should satisfy any ones needs. The following is cheaper and
can be used in the car or the home (with a spare 12 volt car battery).
However, someone must be there to hook it up if the power goes
off. Good 12 Volt automobile battery (any auto supply store) Deltran Battery Tender (auto supply store) 12V @ 1.25 A (this model will not overcharge) Deltran Corp. - DeLand, Fl 32724 Radio Shack 12 VDC to 115 VAC - 220 Watt portable power converter (high efficiency) You might be able to find a different battery tender (trickle charger) but make sure it protects against overcharging. I was on this 12 volt battery one and it lasted only a little over an hour so you'd have to get to the car after that.
Hope this helps. Using a BiPAP: Battery back up for BiPAPs
There is a company who has developed a battery power pack for the BiPAP,
which is self contained and can run as long as 36 hours. It was
developed at our request for ALS patients on BIPAP who needed a safe
power pack. The company is Home Health Depot (www.homehealthdepot.com) and the
contact is Lennie Habif. The phone numbers are: 800-811-2257,
310-891-1954 and the fax is 310-891-3713. If you have further questions,
feel free to contact me. Using a BiPAP: Battery back up for BiPAPs 2 People interested in obtaining a back up power source for Bi-level (BiPAP) devices can go to most local homecare companies experienced in BiPAP units and request the following: 1. DC Interface Module made by Respironics part number 552097. Price approximately $250.00 (this device can also be used to plug your BiPAP unit directly into a cigarette lighter in your vehicle to minimize running you portable battery down). 2. Deep Cycle Marine Battery group 22 or group 24 (they vary in size and amp hours, you can pick the battery size that best fits your needs). Price varies greatly depending on the size and amp hours but typical costs will run $140.00 to $260.00. 3. A Battery Case, I have used cases made by Cargo. Price approximately $100.00 4. DC Battery Adapter Cable made by Respironics part number 532209. Price approximately $75.00 5. Automatic Battery Charger. Various Models available just make sure you pick an automatic charger that will stop charging once the battery is fully charged. I have found that Exide chargers work well. Price approximately $100.00 to $150.00. Total Cost: $665.00 to $835.00. Please keep in mind that the above prices are approximate. Many homecare companies may have different pricing. I picked the upper end of the pricing range to give you the worst case scenario. Some companies will charge more and many more will charge equal to or less money. Ask the homecare company to assemble the device and to instruct you on its use. I recently saw an advertisement from a company charging $1500.00 plus $150.00 for shipping. The above is a lower cost option and you can most likely obtain the device from a local homecare company and save on shipping charges. Please keep in mind that these devices weigh a great deal. Typical weights range from 35-80 pounds or more. If you were to use this battery on a wheelchair for portable use you need to consider the size and weight of the device you are looking at. You will need to have a vent tray installed on your wheelchair. You will also need to be aware of the size of the unit because you need some place to store the BiPAP unit as well. I saw one company advertising a unit and they had a picture of the device on a vent tray but I could not see where there was room for the BiPAP. Something else to keep in mind. What will you use the battery device for? Will you use it to provide portable power to be able to leave the home and still continue to use the BiPAP? or will you use the battery to power the BiPAP during power outages? If you want it for portable power than the above system is the way to go. But if you want the battery just for power outages then I would spend my money on a small generator. A small generator would cost you a similar amount of money but would be more practical. If you power is out for an extended period of time and you have a back up battery system once the battery is dead you would need a power source to recharge it. A generator only requires gasoline and it also could be used to power additional equipment in your home (depending on size and power output). I hope I have given you information that will allow you to make an informed choice and hopefully save you money in the process. Good Luck!
Kevin, RRT Using a BiPAP: Kara's Story My daughter has been using BiPAP for almost two years now. She was initially on O2 during sleep but it was not known that she had a high CO2 level as well as a low oxygen level. Her CO2 level was near 80 and the norm is 35-40. She grew very weak over the year that she was solely on oxygen. She has a muscle disorder which weakens her and ultimately caused lung failure. She kept getting pneumonia and her lungs collapsed several times in the hospital. Her pulmonologist decided to try BiPAP. I was so pleased that she didn't need a more invasive ventilator. She was not very accepting and even fought me on it. She would take it off many times and not want it on her anymore. I was so upset because I knew that her life depended on it at this point. She finally accepted it because she knew it was the only thing that would help her feel better. She now has more stamina, even though she is still weak due to her muscle disease which is a mitochondrial myopathy. She drinks a specially formulated, high calorie drink called Pulmocare. It is specially formulated for patients with lung failure. It doesn't contain many carbohydrates which other supplemental caloric drinks contain which can make your CO2 level climb if you have a lung problem. I know this because it happened to Kara and put her in the hospital when she was on Pediasure. Anyhow, the BiPAP is a great invention and anyone to thinking of using it, I recommend it highly. It changed our lives. It gives you piece of mind.
Sincerely, Tiffany, Kara's loving mother |