A safety concern has recently been raised for Respironics CPAP, BiPAP, and AVAPS machines.
If you have a ResMed machine, such as an AirSense 10, S9, or S8 Elite, this does NOT apply to you.
Respironics has announced that in some of their machines, the foam used for sound insulation degrades and releases debris and toxic chemicals into the air in the tubing. The use of an ozone cleaner such as the SoClean can make this worse. While the number of people actually experiencing problems has been quite small, there is enough concern to trigger this recall.
Respironics is recalling all their PAP machines manufactured before April 2021.
This includes DreamStation1, System One, and RemStar machines.
Symptoms of the toxic gas effects include:
- Headaches
- Cough
- Wheezing
- Chest pressure
- Eye, nose, sinus irritation
- Sometimes black debris or particles may be seen in the tubing
If you do not use SoClean or other ozone-based devices, your machine is less likely to have problems. If you do not have new coughing or wheezing or eye/nose irritation, the value of continuing to use your Respironics PAP machine to treat your sleep apnea may well outweigh the risks. We do not yet the specifics of how Respironics will respond and address this issue. We are expecting updates soon.
If you use a SoClean, please STOP doing so. If you are not having any new respiratory issues, the benefits of CPAP use may still outweigh any potential risk.
If you have a Respironics machine and you feel you are having some of these symptoms, please contact your Sleep provider at the Corvallis Clinic at 541-754-1268.
For more details, you may go to www.philips.com/src-update. You may also call Respironics at 877-907-7508.
