[CPAP] xirokx - Therapy Thread

[xirokx]

Hi there,

I recently changed my minimum pressure and humidity after receiving feedback from you lovely people.

I have been sleeping longer without waking up in the middle of the night and am still feel like a bit of a dry throat although much better than before.

I am back again after some more feedback please to get some help understanding my latest set of results and to ask were I can make improvements please?

Thanks so much in advance, I really appreciate your guidance.

Thanks

[G. Szabo]

Breaking up your treatment into several threads is not a good idea because it takes extra time to search your previous posting. 

As for the current chart, Your AHI figure is overwhelmingly driven by CAs, while your flow limits are excellent. Therefore, you can sacrifice some flow limits to have fewer CAs. I suggest setting EPR=2 and seeing the outcome. Your minimum pressure also needs some increase, but let's change one parameter at a time. 

Interestingly, your CAs are clustered, which is usually characteristic of positional apnea. Hence, the instrument might misdiagnose your CAs. To clarify, it would be wise to see some 3-minute windows of your flow rates regarding these apparent CAs which clustered.

[Crimson Nape]

xirokx - I have merged your 3 threads that relate to your CPAP journey.  It makes it easier for those that offer advice to see your history in one thread. To provide a more inclusive title, I have renamed it to "xirokx - Therapy Thread".

Going forward, please use this thread to post all your therapy related questions and OSCAR charts.

Thanks!
- Red

[xirokx]

Breaking up your treatment into several threads is not a good idea because it takes extra time to search your previous posting. 

As for the current chart, Your AHI figure is overwhelmingly driven by CAs, while your flow limits are excellent. Therefore, you can sacrifice some flow limits to have fewer CAs. I suggest setting EPR=2 and seeing the outcome. Your minimum pressure also needs some increase, but let's change one parameter at a time. 

Interestingly, your CAs are clustered, which is usually characteristic of positional apnea. Hence, the instrument might misdiagnose your CAs. To clarify, it would be wise to see some 3-minute windows of your flow rates regarding these apparent CAs which clustered.

Thanks so much G.Szabo, appreciate your help and support with this...I will change only my EPR level from 3 to 2 to avoid making too many changes. 

Curiously, were you thinking of increasing the minimum pressure from 8.6 to 10? Just wondering happy to change one thing at a time, just for my understanding purposes.

I have attached some 3minute windows of my flow rates relating to my CAs , is this what you wanted? if not please further clarify specifically what you would like me to screenshot.

I will be up for a while, so if you can see anything from my 3min window then your feedback would be appreciated.

I am sleeping like 5-7hrs uninterrupted which is the first time for me in 5years, so massively appreciate your help. First time in all that time I see some hope. 

xirokx - I have merged your 3 threads that relate to your CPAP journey.  It makes it easier for those that offer advice to see your history in one thread. To provide a more inclusive title, I have renamed it to "xirokx - Therapy Thread".

Going forward, please use this thread to post all your therapy related questions and OSCAR charts.

Thanks!
- Red

Thanks Crimson Nape, sure I will stick to one thread going forward. Apologies for spreading out all over the place and thank you for simplifying it for me.

[G. Szabo]

Curiously, were you thinking of increasing the minimum pressure from 8.6 to 10? Just wondering happy to change one thing at a time, just for my understanding purposes.

I will be up for a while, so if you can see anything from my 3min window then your feedback would be appreciated.

In your three uploaded charts, the 95% pressures are 9.58, 10.02, and 10.12 cm. This means that 5 % of the time, your pressure was higher than these figures. Hence, if you wanted to ensure that you had pressure adjustment only 5 % of the time and had uninterrupted sleep for 95%, then your minimum pressure should have been  9.58, 10.02, and 10.12 cm. However, do not change your pressure yet; let's deal with your CAs first.  

There is only one case when a CA is more likely to be an OA. Hence, your CAs are not misclassified, and EPR=2 might reduce their incidences.

[xirokx]

In your three uploaded charts, the 95% pressures are 9.58, 10.02, and 10.12 cm. This means that 5 % of the time, your pressure was higher than these figures. Hence, if you wanted to ensure that you had pressure adjustment only 5 % of the time and had uninterrupted sleep for 95%, then your minimum pressure should have been  9.58, 10.02, and 10.12 cm. However, do not change your pressure yet; let's deal with your CAs first.  

There is only one case when a CA is more likely to be an OA. Hence, your CAs are not misclassified, and EPR=2 might reduce their incidences.

Understood loud and clear 

Thanks really appreciate your support 

Will report back in 2-3 days with Oscar data...what shall I screenshot the CAs info or usual standard screenshot ?

[G. Szabo]

 THe usual standard screenshot will do

[xirokx]

Here are my latest settings, please can you kindly review and let me know of any changes I can make to improve my sleep? Thank you

[G. Szabo]

You still have clustered CAs indicating positional apnea. It would be best if you worked on your position.
The decreased EPR from 3 to 2 did not improve your CAs. You can try the EPR OFF setting to be sure that the EPR cannot resolve the issue. A different instrument can. 

Your latest result still supports a minimum pressure setting of 10 cm, but you should change one parameter at a time.  

[quiescence at last]

how does a cluster of CAs indicate positional apnea? I thought positional apnea was about throttling the air flow (resistance, limitation, obstruction, squeezing, twisting, kinking). What of these various air flow prevention causes CAs? Thanks.

QAL