Doctors at New York-based Northwell Health made extra ventilators from breathing machines for people with conditions like sleep apnea and shared instructions online Tuesday.

You may be wondering if you should be cleaning your BiPAP machine in any particular way. Overtime, your BiPAP machine will collect dust, debris, and bacteria making it so your therapy isn’t as effective.

BiPAP (also referred to as BPAP) stands for Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure, and is very similar in function and design to a CPAP machine (continuous positive airway pressure). Similar to a CPAP machine, A BiPAP machine is a non-invasive form of therapy for patients suffering from sleep apnea. Both machine types deliver pressurized air through a mask to the patient's airways. The air pressure keeps the throat muscles from collapsing and reducing obstructions by acting as a splint. Both CPAP and BiPAP machines allow patients to breathe easily and regularly throughout the night. 

When it comes to treating sleep apnea, CPAP therapy is probably the first treatment that comes to mind. What probably never comes to mind, or at least not initially, is BiPAP therapy. And these two forms of treatment have more differences than just their names.