Are these actual obstructive apnea events?

[SleepyMcDonald]

Are these actual obstructive apnea events or are the caused by turning in bed while holding sleep? How to spot a real OA event from wave form?


           

[Sleeprider]

Most of those are arousal prior to the apnea with a large breath intake/hold and release followed by deep inspiration before settling back to normal. I think you changed position in bed and held your breath during the movement.

[SleepyMcDonald]

That's what im thinking also. Is there an example what an actual OA event looks like? Also I wonder, is there increase in flow limitation before the event?

[Old Mike]

The simplest indicator is duration. Anything more that 15 seconds is unlikely to be deliberate breath holding while changing position. The other thing to watch for is recovery breathing after the event. There's nearly always some of that after an obstructive apnea unless it's very short duration.

[Sleeprider]

A typical OA event will show expiration and a flat line with the FOT or pressure pulse sometimes causing a bump, and the event generally ends with a gasp, not exhale.

[BoxcarPete]

The other thing to look at is the flat line itself. The airsense machines will start pulsing a small amount of pressure after a few seconds of zero flow. Look at the difference in flow response to this pulsing between the CA and OA on your chart. That's because the pressure can make it into your lungs and there is a greater flow response if your airway is clear but you just aren't breathing. That's one of the ways the airsense machines classifies the OA vs CA.

[Sleeprider]

BoxcarPete, that is the FOT, or Forced oscillation technique I mentioned in the previous post. The theory is here, but I have to say it is not foolproof. https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/full/10....0.5.902085