Have you heard of Adaptive Servo Ventilation (ASV)? It’s a common form of therapy that uses machines to treat certain sleep disorders, allowing patients to get a good night’s sleep by fixing their obstructed breathing.
If you have any concerns regarding adaptive servo ventilation treatment, this is the article for you. We are going to cover what adaptive servo ventilation treatment is, and why it is so effective at helping patients get a good night sleep.
What is Adaptive Servo Ventilation (ASV)?
Adaptive Servo Ventilation (ASV) is a non-invasive treatment for multiple forms of sleep apnoea. It functions similarly to CPAP treatment, involving the distribution of a pressurised stream of air towards a patients’ airways in order to resolve any obstructions preventing them from breathing while they sleep.
A Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machine is a device that consists of multiple components:
- A base unit that contains the motor that powers the CPAP machine
- A cushioned mask that the patient wears as they use it
- A tube that connects the base unit to the mask
- A headgear frame consisting of adjustable straps that comfortably keeps the mask attached to the patient’s face
- Elbow pieces that act as joints
How do ASV machines work?
In a manner similar to a CPAP machine, adaptive servo ventilation involves the motor-powered compressor within the base unit of the ASV machine providing a stream of pressurised air that travels through an air filter and is delivered to the patient’s mask via the air tube.
This eliminates potential obstructions from the patient’s airways, as the stream of air from the machine pushes against any blockages and opens the patient’s airways so that their lungs can receive plenty of oxygen.
It can also detect abnormalities in breathing, and it intervenes with just enough support to keep the patient’s breathing at 90% of what it had been before the abrupt change in breathing. The machine re-adjusts itself to the patient’s normal breathing pattern after the patient’s breathing returns to normal.
By providing just enough pressure support, ASV reduces the work of breathing by approximately 50% for the patient.
Who is ASV intended for (and not intended for)?
Adaptive servo ventilation is intended for patients who are suffering from complex sleep apnoea, which is when a person has both obstructive and central sleep apnoea. This means that the patient is undergoing symptoms in which, while they sleep;
- Their throat muscles relax
- Their brain does not send the correct signals to the muscles that affect breathing
This complex problem necessitates the use of a more regulated approach regarding the provision of pressurised air. The adaptive nature of ASV allows patients to receive oxygen in bursts that are tailored to their breathing habits, resulting in more effective therapy.
It’s worth noting that ASV is not intended for patients that have:
- chronic and profound hypoventilation
- moderate to severe chronic obstructive lung disease
- chronically elevated partial pressure of carbon dioxide on ABG (arterial blood gas)
- restrictive thoracic or neuromuscular disease
What are the symptoms of sleep apnoea?
Though the cause of different kinds of sleep apnoea varies, the symptoms tend to overlap, as they all stem from the body’s inability to take in the required amount of oxygen. The most common signs and symptoms of obstructive and central sleep apnoeas include:
- Loud snoring
- Episodes in which you stop breathing during sleep
- Gasping for air during sleep
- Awakening with a dry mouth
- Morning headache
- Difficulty staying asleep, a.k.a. insomnia
- Excessive daytime sleepiness, a.k.a. hypersomnia
- Difficulty paying attention while awake
- Irritability
How is ASV Different From Other PAP Machines?
Adaptive Servo Ventilation is one of multiple types of PAP machines. Each of these devices deliver oxygen to sleeping patients, however there are differences in their methods. Adaptive Servo Ventilation stands out from the others because it is the only one to autonomously adapt to the patient’s breathing. Because of this, ASV is brought in as a last resort for patients who are unable to have their sleep apnoea symptoms be adequately treated by CPAP or BiPAP devices.
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)
This is the most common type of PAP machine. As the name suggests, it doesn’t regulate the amount of oxygen that it delivers, instead offering the same continuous burst of pressurised air for as long as it’s used.
Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure (BIPAP)
This PAP machine operates similarly to the CPAP, but it also senses when the patient is beginning to exhale and responds by dropping the delivered pressure transiently to a lower pressure in order to make exhalation easier.
Intermittent Mandatory Ventilation (IMV) with BIPAP
This is a modification of the BIPAP machine that also senses when the patient stops breathing and responds with a delivery of breaths at a pre-set pressure and a pre-set rate.
How Can I Get Adaptive Servo Ventilation Treatment?
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