[CPAP] Two basic questions from a newbie

[minimax]

Hi, just starting with my CPAP treatment. My brain is flooded by question marks...

Here are two you could maybe help me with:

- About flow rate charts interpretation in OSCAR, Is it correct that negative values are inhalations and positive are exhalations ? Is there a defined metric in medical practice which categorize specific breath signatures?

- Is there a CPAP setting, for instance with an airsense 10, that more or less mimics no CPAP sleep ? I feel it  would be nice to have a 'baseline' dateset to compare against.

Thanks!

edit:  didn't finish my title before hitting the button, sorry.

[staceyburke]

Not really - any machine has a min pressure of 4.  So you would be getting so therapy and a baseline would need to be 0 pressure.

[Crimson Nape]

minimax  - You have the flow rate graph values backwards.  Positive values (above the "Zero" line) = Inhale; Negative values (below the "Zero" line) = Exhale.  If you right-click on the Flow Rate's title in the Daily screen, select Dotted Lines and then select Zero, will display a line along the zero the dividing line.  This marks where the flow direction reverses.

As staceyburke stated, the lowest a CPAP can go in pressure is 4 cm.  There isn't a way of using it to test for non-CPAP use of apnea.  However, most adults require a minimum pressure of around 7 cm to not feel air starved, a setting of 4 cm might show some of your apnea, but would still offer some aid.  

I took this out of the order you asked the questions, since it is a graph. Here are the different type of breath signatures:



- Red