PAP Therapy and COVID-19

We provide the following information as guidance only for use of CPAP therapy and COVID-19;

Your CPAP device has been designed to assist you with your current medically diagnosed condition and not for any other purpose. Unfortunately at present, we are unable to provide any clinical advice or recommendations on whether CPAP can help with symptoms of COVID-19. We strongly recommend you contact your treating sleep apnea physician if you wish to seek advice.

HOME USE

Infection prevention and control with respect to CPAP-use in the home:

• Patient with no symptoms
  If patients do not have coronavirus symptoms, they should continue to use CPAP as normal. CPAP use in the home is unlikely to affect individuals who do not have coronavirus. Use of CPAP in the home should not increase risk to family contacts in the home as long as the CPAP user is not symptomatic and contagious.

• Patient with symptoms
  For patients with coronavirus symptoms in home isolation, CPAP use may slightly increase the risk of aerosolization of the virus. We therefore recommend that precautions are taken. Precautions for family members should be as per the general recommendations provided by the WHO and the Australian government.

Click to see Department of Health advice

In both home-use cases above, patients who have been prescribed CPAP treatment should not cease their CPAP treatment.

• Home use single-patient cleaning
  Follow the cleaning instructions in the Use and Care Guides provided with your CPAP device, mask and associated equipment. Note: Cleaning any device or mask according to instructions in the Use and Care Guides is not equivalent to high level disinfection.