Shortage of CPAP breathing machines leaves patients anxious

Hospital bosses say continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines are being allocated to patients in the community based on clinical need, with some having to wait longer than usual due to a lack of supplies.

One patient, a 55-year-old Stourbridge shop worker diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnoea, has been worrying it will be too late before she receives any help for the condition which means sufferers temporarily stop breathing while they sleep.

The condition, which is linked to getting older, occurs when airways become narrow and relaxed during sleep and is usually treated with a CPAP mask worn in bed during sleep.

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The woman, who asked not to be named, said she received her diagnosis in May and was told she'd receive a CPAP mask and machine to help with her breathing but she said just two days before her appointment on September 6 she received a phone call from the hospital and was told there were no machines available due to a global shortage.

She said her condition has since worsened and she has an irregular heartbeat which has been rocketing to118 while resting and she added: "It's affecting my whole life physically and mentally.

"My anxiety is sky high, my heart rate is sky high and I'm waking every two hours every night gasping. I'm shattered every day and still trying to work full time."

Since contacting the News the woman has received an appointment for November to collect a CPAP machine, which she said she hopes will not be cancelled again, but she wanted to raise awareness as she believes other people may be suffering a similar predicament to her.

The shortage in CPAP machines has come about as global supplier Phillips has stopped supply of any new devices to support new prescriptions due to product safety issues, with international media outlets reporting fears plastic used in the devices could cause cancer.

A spokesman for the Department for Health and Social Care said: “We are working closely with the NHS to secure CPAP machines from alternative suppliers and expect a significant improvement in availability over the coming months.”

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Diane Wake, chief executive of the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, stressed hospital patients suffering from acute severe respiratory symptoms have not been affected by the shortage of machines and she added: “We appreciate this may be a concerning time for some patients and we are doing all we can to ensure they continue to receive the best possible care.

“Due to global issues concerning availability of CPAP machines, they are being allocated to patients in the community with this type of condition based on clinical need, in line with guidance from the British Thoracic Society.

“We continue to explore all options for procurement and are working with GP practices so any patients newly referred are aware they may have to wait a little longer than would be usual.”

Health chiefs said other suppliers of CPAP machines had found it difficult to respond immediately to meet the demand for devices and they expect constraints on product supply until the end of the year. It is hoped an increase in production capacity will start to feed through the supply chain after this.