Are These Positional Apneas?

[AndyB]

Hi folks -- I suspect the OAs shown on the attached screenshots  are positional apneas, but I would appreciate it if one of you Oscar experts would take a look and confirm or correct my not-so-expert analysis.

This was not a terrible night and I awoke this morning feeling fine. However, the reported level of OAs is unusually high for me, and I'm wondering whether my sleeping position caused the spike in apparent OAs.

For what it's worth, I currently use a Dreamwear nasal mask, tape my mouth and wear a soft cervical collar.  I sleep primarily on my sides and try to avoid tucking my chin. I occasionally sleep on my back for short periods.

This is certainly not a very serious  matter, but I'm always impressed by the ability of our expert forum members to look at a flow rate chart and deduce what happened, and I 'd be grateful for any insights you smart folks care to offer.

Thank you,
AndyB

       

[unidee]

OA = obstructive apnea. It's positional. Airway is blocked in your body. AHI 1.59 is good.

CA = central apnea. It means that your brain doesn't send commands to breathe. Aiways are open.

UA = undefined apnea. It means that the machine has not detected apnea which it is. Large leaks (LL) can cause undefined apnea events.

[AndyB]

Hi unidee -- thanks for your reply, but my question is directed to the type of OAs shown on my flow chart.

My CPAP machine identified the flow restrictions as OAs, which means simply that the airway was sufficiently blocked to trigger the machine's OA algorithm. However, positional apneas are a subset of OAs which are caused by one's airway being pinched as a result of one's head and neck not being properly aligned when asleep (often described in this forum as "chin tucking").

See the following thread for a good discussion of this issue: http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...s-New-User

I was just wondering whether any of the expert flow chart readers on the forum could confirm or correct my assumption that my flow chart looks like it shows positional OAs.

Not a big deal, just curious . . .

[Dog Slobber]

I'm not sure they are positional, but it really is hard to say. They could be.

What they look like to me are mis-attributed centrals

Obstructive Apneas are often followed by a recovery breath and rarely followed be a waning upwards.

Looking at the OA at 00:37:30 after your flow-rate slowly starts waning upwards. The same thing again at 00:44:00. 

When we experience OAs, amidst a bunch of waxing and waning Flow Rates and with some Centrals mixed in there, a consideration are Centrals being mis-attributed as Obstructive.

With OAs, our body's want to breath and can't. When it finally gets to, it will likle draw in a larger breath. The same isn't true with CAs.

[AndyB]

DogSlobber - thank you for your insight!