1st Resmed Machine

[bigjohnson]

Hello folks, I'm about a week old on the forum and I am posting my first screenshot of last nights Oscar results. I have only been on the machine a few days and my AHI has been below 5 consistently and my mask normally fits very well, although I see there was a large leak at one point last night. My sleep study showed an AHI of 17 tho. The settings on the machine are what were recommended by the sleep study nurse. I would just like to get some confirmation as to whether everything looks good. I'd also like to thank you for all the knowledge that I've in my time lurking on this forum. Please feel free to let me know what I am doing wrong or right.


   

[SarcasticDave94]

Welcome to the club. Not certain which mask type you like or brand, model. Search our wiki on masks and adjusting. If you find the current mask wanting, and you find you must shop masks to obtain better results, I'll humbly submit a look at Fisher and Paykel.

Consider pressure edits of changing your 6 to 7 and your EPR to 3. EPR is comfort item for exhale pressure relief, comfort yep but it's therapy benefits are seen too by users. To great therapy success.

[bigjohnson]

Welcome to the club. Not certain which mask type you like or brand, model. Search our wiki on masks and adjusting. If you find the current mask wanting, and you find you must shop masks to obtain better results, I'll humbly submit a look at Fisher and  Paykel.

Consider pressure edits of changing your 6 to 7 and your EPR to 3. EPR is comfort item for exhale pressure relief, comfort yep but it's therapy benefits are seen too by users. To great therapy success.

Thanks for the prompt reply and advice. I will bump those 2 settings up tonight and go from there. I tried a Resmed nasal pillow mask but it was just too finicky trying to keep the nostril holes lined up. I am liking the Resmed nasal mask I have now and usually don't have any issues with it at accept for last night. I also have a Resmed Airfit F30 on order. I normally don't have issues breathing through just my nose either so I will try to go as minimalist as possible if I can.

[Big Guy]

Hello & welcome!

I use an F30 and I really like it.

[Dormeo]

I second SarcasticDave's advice. You have a fairly busy flow-limitation graph, and more EPR might reduce the FLs. I would, however, suggest that you increase the EPR by just 1 (to 2) for now and give it a few nights. If you haven't seen a big increase in CAs, then go up to 3.

FLs don't bother some people, but for others, they can contribute to feeling less sharp and rested the next day. FLs usually result from relaxation of the tissues lining the airway, and then you need to use some extra effort to complete your inhalations. The extra effort can be tiring and can fragment your sleep "architecture" (the sequence of sleep stages throughout the night). If you zoom in on your flow rate where FLs are flagged, you will probably see breaths that have a flat top, a peak, or a dent -- or breaths that are diminished in flow rate. The algorithm doesn't pick up on all FLs, but it gives you a pretty good indication of what's going on.

Sometimes nasal congestion contributes to FL. Is that an issue for you?

[bigjohnson]

Hello & welcome!

I use an F30 and I really like it.

Thanks for letting me know. I think it may be a good option if I want/need to make a change

---

I second SarcasticDave's advice.  You have a fairly busy flow-limitation graph, and more EPR might reduce the FLs.  I would, however, suggest that you increase the EPR by just 1 (to 2) for now and give it a few nights.  If you haven't seen a big increase in CAs, then go up to 3.

FLs don't bother some people, but for others, they can contribute to feeling less sharp and rested the next day.  FLs usually result from relaxation of the tissues lining the airway, and then you need to use some extra effort to complete your inhalations.  The extra effort can be tiring and can fragment your sleep "architecture" (the sequence of sleep stages throughout the night).  If you zoom in on your flow rate where FLs are flagged, you will probably see breaths that have a flat top, a peak, or a dent -- or breaths that are diminished in flow rate.  The algorithm doesn't pick up on all FLs, but it gives you a pretty good indication of what's going on.

Sometimes nasal congestion contributes to FL.  Is that an issue for you?

Ok I will bump the EPR up by 1 instead for now. I don't have any issues with nasal congestion at all luckily. Thanks for the info. I'm just starting to get an idea as to how to interpret these graphs.....sort of

[RayBee]

Hello & welcome!

I use an F30 and I really like it.

Ditto that for me too.

Please see my review on the F30 mask.
ResMed AirFit F30 - A Comprehensive Review and Helpful Tips

I hope you find it helpful.

And welcome to ApneaBoard.

[SarcasticDave94]

Alright I'm back at the office. Didn't wait too long in the waiting room I hope.

OK I'm not too concerned on EPR 2 or 3, you can do trial and error as is likely necessary regardless. Either will likely improve FL and possibly give an uptick to the comfort. On the ResMed nasal mask, give us the sizes of cushions you've tried. If you've not tried Large maybe trial that and see what happens. If you still feel like you're striking out, maybe Plan B is a different brand or model. If nasal is your favorite type, OK try similar from some other maker. Pillows masks are supposed to be the best form factor, so maybe consider them if you'd not attempted these. Most nasal and pillows masks, patient and RT alike choose too small cushions for these masks. So consider trying various sized cushions too.