How to Adjust Pressure on Resmed S7 CPAP

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is a treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. It works by pressurizing the upper respiratory tract so that the soft palate cannot collapse and prevent the patient from inhaling. The ResMed S7 is a CPAP device that features an LCD display and keypad which allows access to several function menus. The amount of pressure the CPAP device delivers is prescribed by a doctor and programmed into the machine by a respiratory therapist; it cannot be changed by the user. However, there are ways to temporarily adjust the pressure if you're feeling discomfort while using the device.

Things You'll Need

• ResMed S7 CPAP machine (Elite or Lightweight)

Show More

Instructions

• 1

  Adjust the ramp time by pressing the up or down arrows while in the 'Standby' screen, which is the screen that comes up once the machine has been powered on. When the machine "ramps," it drops the pressure to a very low level and slowly raises it to the full pressure your doctor has prescribed, so you have time to fall asleep before you get full pressure. Ramp time is the time the machine takes to reach full pressure, and you can set it from 0 to 45 minutes, in 5-minute increments.

• 2

  Adjust the altitude setting if you have an S7 Lightweight. The altitude setting changes the amount of pressure the machine delivers to adjust for the ambient air pressure at your location. The higher the altitude, the higher the pressure correction; setting the altitude to a lower setting will reduce the delivered pressure. Access the altitude setting by pressing the left hand key to enter the menus, then pressing the down arrow key until you see the 'ALT' menu, and pressing the left key again. Use the up or down arrow keys to select "0--2000ft," "2001--4000ft," or "4001--7000ft." Then press the right hand key to select the new setting.

• 3

  Adjust the tube length if you have an S7 Elite. The CPAP device can slightly increase pressure to compensate for a longer tube; lowering the tube length will lower the pressure. Access the tube length menu by pressing the left hand key, then the down arrow key until you see the 'TUBE LENGTH' menu, then press the left hand key again. Press the up or down arrow key to select either 2m (two meters) or 3m (three meters).