What’s the difference between CPAP and PEEP?

What’s the difference between CPAP and PEEP? If you’ve been diagnosed with sleep apnea, you may have been given a prescription for a CPAP therapy system. But if you’re looking for information on CPAP online, you may be confused by the term PEEP, which is often defined as pretty much the same thing.

They’re not the same, though. Generally speaking, the difference between CPAP and PEEP is simple: CPAP stands for “continuous positive airway pressure,” and PEEP stands for “positive end expiratory pressure.” Note the word “continuous” in CPAP — that means that air is always being delivered. With PEEP, air is only delivered at a specific time — namely, the end of an “expiration,” or breath.

That’s easy enough to understand, right? All the same, the two terms are often used as if they mean the same thing, which can be confusing. Think of it this way: PEEP rarely refers to CPAP technology, at least not in terms meant for sleep apnea patients. Unlike CPAP, in which air is delivered constantly via a machine, PEEP often refers to air that’s manually delivered by a manual resuscitation bag (MRB). (MRBs are often used to help newborns breathe, and aren’t typically used for sleep apnea therapy.)

If you, like most sleep apnea patients, are prescribed CPAP therapy, and you’d like to research CPAP mask reviews online, you won’t have to worry about finding PEEP masks instead. Most references to PEEP are meant for clinicians (for example, PEEP is often used to refer to a type of setting or synchronization that’s part of the setup of a CPAP device).

In other words, PEEP is very much the concern of doctors and nurses responsible for setting up patient ventilation systems, and not a concern for patients who need to use CPAP to treat their sleep apnea condition. The difference between CPAP and PEEP is ultimately something that sleep apnea patients rarely need to worry about.