Does EPAP or IPAP control hypopneas?

[MrIvanDrago]

Trying to find a quick answer to my question. Does EPAP or IPAP control hypopneas? I rarely have any OA's, but will occasionally have evenings with Hypopneas. Can someone remind me? Thanks for the help.

[SleepyButHopeful]

I use the BongoRx EPAP and track the results using an overnight pulse oximeter. I can reliably eliminate about half my usual oxygen drops using the Bongos.

I use them in combination with positional therapy - the "tennis ball on back of t-shirt" trick to prevent myself from sleeping on my back. Here are the stats I've gotten from several nights of pulse ox with each of these strategies:

Untreated, combination back/side sleeping - average 20-35 oxygen drops per hour over a full night's sleep. However, these are clustered, so there will be hours with no drops at all, and hours with constant drops.

Tennis ball trick for side sleeping - average about 16 oxygen drops per hour (clustered)

Tennis ball for side sleeping plus BongoRx - average about 7 oxygen drops per hour (clustered)

You may have completely different results. Different people's sleep apnea is caused by different issues. The two forms of measurement I use are pulse oximeter and a voice recorder that lets me review my breathing. I can look at different times of night when my oxygen was doing different things, and know what my breathing sounded like at the exact minute that an oxygen drop occurred. You can also record video of yourself sleeping so you can check for changes in position. It's a bit of detective work.

Good luck!

---

Oh wait, you were talking about IPAP and EPAP with your machine, not an EPAP device.  Oh well, maybe someone else will find that helpful, haha.

[MrIvanDrago]

Found my answer, for those who need it:

When titrating BPAP, starting pressures of 8/4 cm H2O are typically used. Both IPAP and EPAP are increased together for obstructive apnea. For obstructive hypopneas, RERAs, and snoring, the IPAP alone is increased.

[Sleeprider]

The translation to that is for obstructive apnea, increase EPAP, for flow limitation, RERA, snoring and hypopnea, increase PS in Vauto mode, or IPAP in S mode. Both of these changes increase the difference between IPAP and EPAP (PS). Keep in mind you don't have to change in full increments of 1-cm.