[CPAP] In OSCAR....What is the difference OBSTRUCTIVE AIRWAY " OA" vs HYPOPNEA "H"

[robertpsimpson]

Hello,   ( my second post)...I hope I'm in the right "FORUM")

• So...in OSCAR....What is the difference  OBSTRUCTIVE AIRWAY " OA" vs HYPOPNEA "H"?
  
• I'm finally getting a handle on reducing my HYPOPNEA's (H) down to zero events in a one hour period of time.
  
• I got there by concentrating on getting my mask leaks down to ZERO percentage "1st" and then gradually increasing my pressure until I got to 14 and the the Hypopnea's went to zero.
  
• Now, the issue is what is " OA" in Oscar.... " Obstructive Airway"  mine is still recording events which is causing my AHI to be higher.
  
• I was really concentrating on getting my "H" (HYPOPNEA) to get to zero events by increasing my pressure!  
  
• What can I do to reduce my "OA" events? (OBSTRUCTIVE AIRWAY)
  
•  I'm thinking to keep rising my pressure, nasal sprays, diet, exercise ....any suggestions?
  
• I really thought I was out of the woods by figuring out how to get my "H" to zero to get my AHI down but now I'm confronted with the Obstructive airway situation.
  

Thanks for your insight to this situation !

Robert Simpson

[PaulaO2]

OA/OI is obstructive events. This is where the airway is blocked completely.

H/HI is hypopnea events and that is where the airway is closing but not blocked.

As long as your AHI is below 5, you're doing good. If your goal is to get everything to zero, you're not going to get there. Some of us work to get it as low as possible though. For two reasons: one, it is something to do (challenge, fun, etc); two, although the AHI is below 5, some people still aren't feeling well enough and getting it lower may correct that.

Also, easy on making changes. One night is not enough to go by. Make a change then gather data for at least a week (I aim for 14 days). Then adjust if necessary.

[robertpsimpson]

Thank you,

I was hoping that Hypopnea was completely blocked and Obstructive  was partial but not the case...the the reverse!  LOL 

I will have to keep working on this....what an adventure....it is defiantly  working for the better.   

I will see my provider again in January , I'm sure he will be amazed at the increase in my knowledge about my situation and the amount of data I've been able to gather to help me resolve my health care situation.

Thank you to the forum and its members for the timely response .....I live alone with my COMPUTER  and Utube and sometimes it nice to get interaction to a question that just confuses the heck out of you!

Thanks again,

Robert Simpson

[Gideon]

Robert, I would suggest that you post your OSCAR charts for evaluation. If you don't understand the response, ask. Many things are obvious to many of us when viewing charts. Please do organize them according to the charts.

[SarcasticDave94]

Given enough time (oh you just got there already from one original post and one reply) and soon you'll be able to teach your doc about therapy that he likely didn't even know existed. With that OSCAR data, you'll have info so detailed it'll shock him. And with the same data, you'll edit the CPAP knowing why you're doing it.

Post up that data and we'll help you set that machine to it's best possible.

[PaulaO2]

Don't be surprised if your doc freaks out about you adjusting your own treatment. Some of them get upset they are losing control over you.

Have you visited our Wiki? Link is at the top of every page.

[DeepBreathing]

Just expanding on the explanations above:

• OA - Obstructive apnea - a total (or nearly total) blockage of the airway for 10 seconds or more
  
• OAI - Obstructive apnea index - the average number of obstructive apneas per hour
  
• H - Hypopnea - a partial blockage of the airway for 10 seconds or more
  
• HI - Hypopnea index - average number of hypopneas per hour
  
• AHI - Apnea hypopnea index - average number of apneas plus hypopneas per hour

As Fred said above, please post an Oscar daily chart so we can see exactly what's happening. The instructions for formatting the chart are here: http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php...ganization

[SarcasticDave94]

Well I did forget to mention, not only are a few of us here on Apnea Board somewhat sarcastic, but probably all of us are evil rogue criminals that adjust their machine to give reasonable therapy success. Oh no self advocacy.

I'd rather enter the clinical mode and adjust xyz, lock it in place and exit clinical mode, and in maybe a minute you're done even in the wee hours Monday morning. The alternate is to make an appointment with Dr. Duck for Tuesday at 230 to discuss whether doc sees the data that you've already seen that gives cause to adjust xyz. If doc sees the chart and does decide to adjust, they'll update the machine wirelessly on Thursday because technician Tommy only updates on that day. Just saying...

[DaveL]

OA/OI is obstructive events. This is where the airway is blocked completely.

H/HI is hypopnea events and that is where the airway is closing but not blocked.

As long as your AHI is below 5, you're doing good. If your goal is to get everything to zero, you're not going to get there. Some of us work to get it as low as possible though. For two reasons: one, it is something to do (challenge, fun, etc); two, although the AHI is below 5, some people still aren't feeling well enough and getting it lower may correct that.

Also, easy on making changes. One night is not enough to go by. Make a change then gather data for at least a week (I aim for 14 days). Then adjust if necessary.

Great post.

My story. My quest is for good sleep quality and more deep sleep.
 A person at the DME got righteous when I said I was working on lowering my numbers....She said 5 was good. I told her if I had to wear all this "stuff" treatment better work better than that. I've never talked to her again. Others there are more supportive.
Back then I was compliant but sleep quality was terrible and I was tired all the time.

[JoeyWallaby]

snip

My story. My quest is for good sleep quality and more deep sleep.
A person at the DME got righteous when I said I was working on lowering my numbers....She said 5 was good. I told her if I had to wear all this "stuff" treatment better work better than that. I've never talked to her again. Others there are more supportive.

Yea being disturbed every 12 minutes is great