[CPAP] Cheyne Stokes Respiration and Central Apnea Clusters

[insomeapnea]

I'm sharing samples of what was a very bad night and what was, for me, a very good one. 

The very bad night prompted me to see my cardiologist, who confirmed that my heart is okay and that the Cheyne Stokes breathing pattern should not worry me. 

My pulmonologist ordered a Polysomnography with CPAP titration to investigate my sleep issues. Unfortunately, I was unable to sleep for more than an hour the whole night. When the technician changed to ASV, I felt like my inspiration was stopped by the machine before I felt full of air, so I asked her to go back to CPAP. 

They only give the study to the sleep doctor, but I have an appointment in a couple of weeks. 

I would appreciate it if someone could provide some insight based on these screenshots so that I can have a more productive conversation with my doctor."

[Jessher]

Hello, thats alot!!!

Don't get panicked over the Chyene Stokes, something about them getting missed flagged.

Much smarter people than me here, they will ask you  zoom in on your flow rate at least to  2 to 3 minute window. 
They want to look very closely at the breathing pattern.

Yes my PCP thinks i have crack in my water reservoir, I think they don't understand what Oscar is and it's easy for them to discount it.  Gave them a screen shot, nurmerical stats on the left of the window, event flags on the top, flow rate,  AHI. You can hover over then click to zoom until you get flow rate down to a 2 to 3 minute window. 

Good luck
Jess

[insomeapnea]

Thank you for your response. 

As you suggested, I have attached two samples of my CSR. One is from a cluster of obstructed apneas on 04/15/2022, and the other is from a cluster of central apneas on 8/22/2023. 

I would greatly appreciate any assistance from experts in the forum in understanding these patterns before my next doctor's appointment. 

Thank you again!

[insomeapnea]

    On February 15th, I believed I had a typical night according to my standards. However, the OSCAR report tells a different story, Cheyne Stokes Respiration (CSR) 20.91%


Paradoxically, as can be seen, the Leake rate is almost minimal and the SpO2 is also normal to good for my standards. 

I did not drink that night or for a couple of days before. The only relevant parameter is that I was visiting Quito at an altitude of 9,000 feet.

My paradox is that I sleep better when I drink at night, even though I experience a hangover the next day. My cardiologist assures me that my heart is strong and attributes any misreadings to the machine. However, I suspect that I might have Congestive Heart Failure.

Any information would be very much appreciated.

[big_dave]

Aldiorg

The fact that you were in Quito is actually the key to understanding what happened. Your sleep can be expected to go back to normal after returning home to Florida.

According to the National Institute of Health:

At altitude, the reduced oxygen content of the blood induces breathing instability, with periods of deep and rapid breathing alternating with central apnea. This breathing pattern is called high-altitude periodic breathing (PB). It occurs even in healthy persons at altitudes above 6000 ft. See https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article...06000%20ft.

Also be aware that ResMed mislabels periodic breathing as Cheyne Stokes respiration.

[insomeapnea]

    Thank you for your response,

Still altitude does not explain the paradox that I have better readings when I drink, best example was last New Years Eve as the attachment.

Very good night for me, despite that I drank a lot that night.

[Gideon]

Please post a couple 3-minute views of your daily charts, not the PDF report that you have. Have them start with the first CA event near the middle so we can see what is going on at the start of the sequence. Also of the full day, all including the left sidebar without the Pie-chart and calendar. This will enable us to see what is going on.
Review this article. https://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.ph...ganization

[insomeapnea]

Thank you so much, I am scared.

[SarcasticDave94]

Heart conditions of this sort would have up to daily symptoms where you'd not feel right.

"Cheyne-Stokes respiration (CSR) is a form of sleep-disordered breathing seen in approximately 40% of congestive heart failure patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction of < 40%." https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9041998/

This is an issue you'd know, and not need to guess. I have a heart rhythm issue called PVC, and my LVEF was lowest in 2017, at 55%. If you have symptoms concerning you, get it checked. However, if you are healthy, don't take on unneeded stressing over something.