Breathing is fundamental to life. If we do not take in sufficient oxygen or get rid of CO2 it affects every part of our body. For this reason I have been using a ventilator at night to keep a proper balance of oxygen and CO2 in my system.
There are types of ventilators that give Positive Airway Pressure support, called CPAP and BIPAP. I used a BIPAP machine for a while in January/ February 2007 but my condition continued to worsen and I need the extra support of a volume ventilator.
The ventilator I use is called a Respironics PLV 100. It is called a volume ventilator because it gives a measured volume of air on each breath. At night it is connected through a hose to my trach tube. It is set to give me 0.37 liters of air on each breath for a minimum of 10 breaths per minute. Room air is about 20% oxygen, but extra oxygen is added to the ventilator air to bring it up to 30%. The machine I have on a bedside table looks like this picture:
I found a video of what the ventilator looks like internally. I have always been fascinated by how things work. There is a microprocessor that controls a motor driven piston to give a measured volume of air on each breath. In the video you can hear the rhythmic breathing sound similar to what I have while I use it at night. After about 20 months of using it every night I have gotten quite used to the sound and feel of it. Elaine has also gotten used to it and can pretty well sleep through it. And I am thankful that each night it helps me get a sufficient level of the "breath of life."
2 comments:
Fortunately, that alarm in the background doesn't sound when the ventilator is hooked up properly. The machine also has a temporary alarm silencer. When you learned to hit that button, I was able to sleep. The rhythmic breathing sound of the ventilator is quite relaxing.
Very interesting set up you have there.
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