Can EPR cause me to hyperventilate?

[Scottiep3369]

Can EPR cause hyperventilating? My Resmed 10 is set at pressures 6-10 with the ramp off and EPR at 2. I have been having trouble using my machine lately and I regretfully took a week off from using it. Today I went back to it and I feel like I am hyperventilating. Can EPR cause me to Hyperventilate? I have to get back to using this machine but my sleep has been so bad (don’t think it’s from my CPAP now) and now I feel like I’m not suffocating but hyperventilating (the tingly feeling in my arms and hands)

[THEVGE]

My opinion: yes. I even ended up having my first panic attack ever. But this probably happens because you are already hyperventilating (maybe even unaware).

The good news, you can get used to EPR. Just breathe and trust the device will follow, do not let it dictate your breathing. Just breathe.

[Scottiep3369]

Should I turn it off or down? I’m already failing my compliance and need to use it

[THEVGE]

It would help to post Oscar data, but I see you use a minimal pressure of 6 so with EPR 2 that results in a pressure of 4. This is way too low so not strange you starve for air.

If you need to use EPR 2 my first recommendation is to use a minimal pressure of 8 iso 6. You should get more air.

[SarcasticDave94]

I'm somewhat skeptical an exhale reduction of 2 cmH20 would cause hyperventilating. By that, do you mean the below happened?

Hyperventilate: breathe at an abnormally rapid rate, so increasing the rate of loss of carbon dioxide... This would not be tingly arms, etc.

You can post an OSCAR chart if you want. If you're concerned about your health, maybe the doc needs a call, because again hyperventilating probably isn't associated with tingly limbs.

[staceyburke]

All EPR does is lower your exhale pressure (exhale pressure relief). It is not giving you more air to hyperventilate.

[Deborah K.]

No, it does not cause hyperventilation. It makes it easier to exhale and lowers flow limits.

[Phaleronic]

EPR does not help flow limits unless minimum pressure is raised too, it does not add pressure to ipap or epap, it's expiration pressure relief. For some reason there is a myth that folks believe here that increasing EPR without also raising pressure decreases flow limitations-which it physically cannot do according to Remed's own documentation, it is only capable of lowering epap pressure Hyperventilate

[Deborah K.]

EPR does lower flow limits, even without any other change.  One can see it on their own charts.  I certainly have.

[Phaleronic]

It only lowers flow limits if pressure is increased, I saw that in my charts when I first used a resmed machine, there is not a way it does that by enabling it at the same cpap or apap pressures as it's turned on. If you have the data share it please, I don't have mine anymore.

It can also be a glitch with Oscar as the airway (tube) pressure is not the same as the mask pressure.