continuous positive airway pressure

noun

Definition of continuous positive airway pressure

: a technique for relieving breathing problems (such as those associated with sleep apnea or congestive heart failure) by pumping a steady flow of air at constant pressure through the nose to prevent the narrowing or collapse of air passages or to help the lungs to expand —abbreviation CPAP — compare bilevel positive airway pressure

Examples of continuous positive airway pressure in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Her parents use continuous positive airway pressure, known informally as a CPAP machine, as a preventative form of therapy on her lungs, her father said. — Faith Karimi, CNN, "She's 14 months old and needs a drug that costs $2.1 million to save her life," 31 Mar. 2021 Most covid patients are now first given noninvasive respiratory support instead, such as high-flow nasal oxygen or continuous positive airway pressure, known as CPAP. — Washington Post, "Ventilators were embraced as pandemic lifesavers. Now some covid patients wrongly fear the machines will kill them.," 16 Mar. 2021 These pillows are specially designed for people that use a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. — Jamie Kim, Good Housekeeping, "Every Type of Pillow You Need to Know About," 18 Feb. 2021 Workers at the Moog plant on Broadway Street made 15,000 face shields and refurbished continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, machines. — Anthony Debarros, WSJ, "Six Stories From a Downtown District Show Pandemic’s Uneven Toll," 31 Dec. 2020 Vang suffers from asthma and other respiratory problems and uses a continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, sleep machine. — NBC News, "A curse for most, a 'blessing' for some. How unemployed Americans are getting by during pandemic," 9 Apr. 2020 Its manufacturer, ResMed, says the $700 device solely functions as a continuous positive airway pressure machine used to treat sleep apnea. — Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, "Medical device “jailbreak” could help solve the dangerous shortage of ventilators," 14 Apr. 2020 The new ventilator uses a CPAP machine, a continuous positive airway pressure machine used for treating sleep apnea, with a new device a group of Auburn engineering professors named RE-InVENT. — al, "Auburn’s emergency ventilator successfully tested on goat," 9 Apr. 2020 The doctors said that the most critical items needed were mechanical ventilators and continuous positive airway pressure machines, or CPAPs. — David Waldstein, New York Times, "With Games Paused, Sports Companies Shift to Making Medical Supplies," 7 Apr. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'continuous positive airway pressure.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

12 Apr 2021

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“Continuous positive airway pressure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/continuous%20positive%20airway%20pressure. Accessed 13 May. 2021.

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More Definitions for continuous positive airway pressure

continuous positive airway pressure

noun

Medical Definition of continuous positive airway pressure

: a technique for relieving breathing problems (as those associated with sleep apnea or congestive heart failure) by pumping a steady flow of air of constant pressure through the nose to prevent the narrowing or collapse of air passages or to help the lungs to expand The most common treatment for patients with sleep apnea is to provide continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) at the upper airway, usually through a nasal mask, during sleep.— Jeffrey M. Drazen —abbreviation CPAP — compare bilevel positive airway pressure, positive end-expiratory pressure

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