AHI 2.54 but time over leak redline is 28%

[vsk2010]

Hello Members
I was recently diagnosied with OSA.  Been on cpap therapy for two weeks now.  Started with Respironics amara view full face mask.  could not stand it.  switched to respironics dreamwear nasal mask.  the nasal mask has been a good experience.  Last whole week the AHI has been under 5 however the time over redline leak has been steadily increasing.  


Yesterday night for example the AHI was 2.54 but time over redline leaks was 28%.  

My request to fellow members for their views is this: if my ahi number is reasonably good but i still get high leak percentages then should not the ahi also be higher as in my understanding the mask is not working as it should ?   To put it the other way, how come my ahi number is still good in-spite of such a high leak ?

Cheers

[jaswilliams]

As you are not using a resmed machine then the red leak line is in the wrong place as your machine includes intentional leaks in the figures. Post a screen shot from sleepyhead as an attachment to confirm

[vsk2010]

Thank you Jaswillaims.  totally new at all this.  am attaching two screen shots showing the sleepyhead data for last night.

[jaswilliams]

Ok you do have some Large Leaks you need to sort out, The graph areas that are grey shaded are times of Large Leak (LL in the events graph) The leaks look like a mixture of Mask Leaks and Mouth Breathing. While there are leaks then the machine is struggling to treat your apnea.


Also I would suggest that you need to increase your minimum pressure from 4 to 6 or 7 as this will reduce your overall AHI

[vsk2010]

Well noted.  i get the feeling that with the nasal mask the large leaks happen when i sleep on my side.  have to find a solution for that as just cannot go with a full face mask.  maybe i will try the cpap pillow.
yes will increase the minimum pressure as you have suggested.
Thanks Again.

[MitchS]

It looks like you need to work on your leaks.

Looking at the max, 95% and med intentional leak rates listed in the user's manual for your mask, at the pressures you were running, you large leaks are probably flagged correctly. At best, you were on the borderline for large leaks for a good part of the night. I take the mask's intentional leaks and add 24cm as acceptable mask leaks to arrive at the red line for large leaks in SleepyHead. I found this formula most closely matches when Encore Pro starts flagging large leaks when I'm using my DreamStation.

Look at the Mask Primer wiki article that is linked to in my signature for some good tips on dealing with mask leaks.

[vsk2010]

many thanks Pupcamper.  will do

[Gideon]

It won't stop the mouth breathing but ResMed P10 Pillow Mask works great for side sleepers because it is a minimalist mask, there is nothing to bump when you sleep on your side.
@ things with the P10, use hose management to keep the hose from pulling and use a larger size pillows than you think when you start.


One more thing, look at the organize link in my sig to get all the important charts in your screen print.   

Fred

[vsk2010]

many Thanks Fred.  I am considering trying out the respironics wisp which is full nose cover mask.  for the side sleeping aspect of it, i have asked my daughter who is in the US to send me the cpap pillow so that side sleeping does not moved the nasal mask.  one of the other things about the amara view full face mask was the front hose.  that really got me messed up with too many sleep breaks.

the thing i like about the dreamwear is the hose is on the head and once the tube is arranged propely behind the pillow does not move around.

noted re the charts info from your signature.  will check them out.

Cheers

[trish6hundred]

Hi vsk2010,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
Good luck with CPAP therapy.