The Diamedica Baby CPAP supplies oxygen-enriched air to babies that need help with their breathing. The machine outputs blended air and oxygen at a constant pressure to keep babies’ airways open.

The power switch turns the machine on and off.

Beside the power switch, there are four indicator lights.

When the light on the far left is on, it shows that the CPAP’s oxygen production is working. If the second light comes on, it indicates that the machine is producing an oxygen concentration that is too low. The third indicator light comes on if there is a serious system fault. The fourth light indicates a power failure in the machine.

There is an electrical reset switch. If there is an electrical overload or the CPAP is overheating, the electrical reset switch automatically cuts off the power for safety.

If this switch is off during use, you can allow the machine to cool down, then reset the switch to try again. The issue may have been caused by a one-off power surge or a loose plug.

However, if the switch goes off again, you should investigate the internal technical issue that may be causing the power to be cut.

When the CPAP machine is running, ambient air is drawn in through the gross particle filter at the back of the machine. This removes dust and particles to protect the machine and ensure that clean air is being used.

Below this filter is a second filter, the fine particle filter. This helps to further clean the air entering the CPAP machine. In this section, you will also find the hour meter, which measures the time that the machine has been running. There is a reset button allowing you to start recording the time from zero again.

The automatic voltage switcher here at the back ensures that the machine runs at the correct voltage, whatever the main supply voltage is in the country where it is being used.

The functions of the CPAP machine are controlled by the main control PCB inside the machine. This component includes an oxygen sensor and a buzzer alarm that alerts users if there is a problem with the machine.

There is also a transformer, which converts the electrical current to a lower voltage for the internal parts of the CPAP. At the bottom of the PCB, there is an alarm section which detects problems in the machine.

When air is drawn into the machine, it enters the inlet resonator. This smooths the airflow and reduces the noise this process makes.

The air is then pulled into the compressor. This uses alternating pistons to pressurise the air.

As compressing the air generates a lot of heat, there is a fan below the compressor that keeps the machine cool.

After leaving the compressor, the air runs through the water trap.

This captures water and particles to keep the internal parts clean and safe to use. The compressed air then passes to the variable synchronised unit.

This channels the air into the sieve beds and controls the timing. It also has a hose that removes the waste air from the sieve beds.

The top part is the motor that drives the component, and the bottom part is the valve that directs airflows.

Inside the sieve beds, a material called zeolite removes nitrogen from the air through a process called absorption. This leaves the remaining air enriched with the oxygen, which is needed.

The sieve beds alternate. At any one time, one sieve bed is producing oxygen while the other one is regenerating.

The pressure equalisation unit maintains a steady pressure between the two sieve beds.

The enriched oxygen produced by the sieve beds is then held in the product tank.

At the top of this tank, the oxygen pressure regulator. This keeps the oxygen produced at a suitable, stable pressure level.

There are two bacterial filters which remove bacteria from the air before it reaches the patient circuit.

This part is a pressure regulator. It allows precise control over the pressure of the air coming from the CPAP system.

Oxygen and air are then fed to the flow meters at the front of the machine, where they are used to supply the baby. Ambient air is sent to the airflow meter. The oxygen produced by the sieve beds is sent to the O2 flow meter. The blend of air and oxygen is then controlled by adjusting the two flow meters on the front panel of the CPAP machine.

This blended air then passes through a bottle where it is warmed and humidified before going to the baby.

The pressure of the air in the patient circuit is controlled by the bubble bottle at the side of the machine.