Getting used to a Resmed AirCurve 10 ASV Machine

[LookingForward]

In a couple days I'll be having the titration study to switch from a Resmed AirCurve 10 VAuto (set at Spontaneous Mode 18/12) to a Resmed AirCurve 10 ASV because of all the Centrals the 10 VAuto is causing.

I've been trying to read the forum and learn about the ASV before hand. I've read several times the wording something like "When you get used to an ASV" or "Getting used to an ASV". 

What is the difference between the BiLevel I have now to the ASV as far as getting used to it? 

I've had my current machine since August 8. I've done pretty well getting used it using the machine. When I checked the stats this morning it showed that I've put 534 hours on the VAuto. So I would guess that I'm about 85%-90% there as far as getting used to the machine. I can breathe well enough, even with the high pressure. I'm much more used to the feel of the mask, chin strap and Dakota Collar. Most nights I'm using it 7-8 hours.

I've read in the past that there is a difference in breathing with an ASV. If this is correct, can someone explain the difference between the VAuto and ASV? And are there other things that I'll need to get used to? 

I want to go into this study fully ready and knowing what to expect.  

[jaswilliams]

The ASV increases pressure on a breath by breath basis what many people find when starting out is that just as you start to fall asleep the machine gives a blast of pressure that disturbs your sleep and Wakes you up. It seems to take a few days for the body and the machine to get used to it and sleep to become natural.


Many of us use the 'blow back technique if the machine starts to want to give you more pressure then when it's blowing blow back hard at it and it will back off and reset it's algorithm then breath how you want to and the machine will fall in sync.

Ask questions when you get your machine, check your settings here before using as many sleep clinics have no expertise with the ASV and it should be set differently than a normal bilevel.

[LookingForward]

Thanks so much for the reply. I'll go into the sleep study with this in mind. I'm hopeful that the ASV will make a big difference for me.

[SarcasticDave94]

The ASV increases pressure on a breath by breath basis what  many people find when starting out is that just as you start to fall asleep the machine gives a blast of pressure that disturbs your sleep and Wakes you up. It seems to take a few days for the body and the machine to get used to it and sleep to become natural.


Many of us use the 'blow back technique if the machine starts to want to give you more pressure then when it's blowing blow back hard at it and it will back off and reset it's algorithm then breath how you want to and the machine will fall in sync.

Ask questions when you get your machine, check your settings here before using as many sleep clinics have no expertise with the ASV and it should be set differently than a normal bilevel.

jaswilliams nails it with a great answer. I did the blowback method, but the name has been patented by another member. He doesn't mind too much with us using the name though. Blowback is as jaswilliams describes, but I'd like to add an ASV user detailed item. It does NOT always happen, but for me, when it did, there were a few definite things that set the scenario that IMO were required in order for me to need to blowback.

1. I was first using the ASV, so the ASV had less breathing data to interpret, read less accurate and was more winging it

2. I was just falling asleep, seems to have modified my breathing pattern where ASV interpreted BLOW HARD! at a wrong time, causing me to wake up

Again IMO but if the 2 things above do not exist currently, blowback should not be needed.

BTW blowback is a literal action, note I'm on a FFM-full face mask, so what I did when the ASV blew hard and disturbed me while attempting to fall asleep, I literally blew back into the mask...ASV backed off to minimum EPAP and I was able to drift off to sleep. Done deal. Another IMO it seems that I had to do blowback a few times, and the ASV seemed to "learn" about that and didn't jump in unexpected nearly as often as time passed.

Getting used to the ASV? For me other than blowback scenarios, it was the same as other xPAPs to me.

[Spy Car]

Let me add a third voice to the common experience that is well described by both @jaswilliams and @SarcasticDave94 above.

As Dave suggests, early on the ResMed ASV seemed to interpret the natural slowing down of by breathing rate (just as I was about to drop off to sleep) as a deep to pimp massive amounts of air (at the worst possible moment). This would disrupt sleep.

I too used the "blowback" method--which does tame the machine--but for those of us prone to insomnia after a seep-transition disruption (like myself) this was double-plus-un-good.

The two pieces of good news:

1) It seems like a common occurrence, but all the users I've heard from fall into sync with their machines. I'm still not sure if the machines learn from our data, or if the machine trains us, or a combination of both? But user and machine do fall into sync.

2) The other good news is that aside to these "machine gone wild" moments, the delivery of air from these very sophisticated devices is very outstanding. Delivering breath-by-breath support seems like the optimal way to get air from my user perspective. I would use the descriptive: "delicious" to describe the ASV therapy.

Bill

[LookingForward]

This is probably a silly question but with the "blow back technique" should I also be doing this during the sleep study or is this method more for when I have my permanent machine in a few weeks? 

I did use a ST machine for a short time about 2 years ago. I remember on that machine would often wake me up by making me take a breath when I didn't realize I needed one. It never occurred to me at the time to try to blow back against it. I just tried to get myself in the same rhythm of machine. But I'm going to try the blow back technique and see what happens.

Thanks to each of you for replying. Its good to have found a great board with people that are experienced in this machine. That alone gives me confidence as I progress toward getting the ASV machine at home.

[Mark Sadler]

When I started I was giving a straight cpap. Then bipap. Then ASV. I found the ASV was easier to adapt to than cpap or bipap.

[SarcasticDave94]

This is probably a silly question but with the "blow back technique" should I also be doing this during the sleep study or is this method more for when I have my permanent machine in a few weeks? 

I did use a ST machine for a short time about 2 years ago. I remember on that machine would often wake me up by making me take a breath when I didn't realize I needed one. It never occurred to me at the time to try to blow back against it. I just tried to get myself in the same rhythm of machine. But I'm going to try the blow back technique and see what happens.

Thanks to each of you for replying. Its good to have found a great board with people that are experienced in this machine. That alone gives me confidence as I progress toward getting the ASV machine at home.

IMO you handle that scenario as you feel is best for yourself. If you feel the need to blow back in order to get you through, do it. And that is for either the test situation or your own machine. I suggest you don't overdo/overuse it though in the test setting.

As far as the machine learning your patterns or you learning the machine rhythm, it could be that both exist (in some variable fashion) and are separate yet connected aspects of using an ASV.