[Equipment] Resmed S9 question?

[BarryB]

I've only used this machine 2 nights in a row. I did have a Philips.
I acquired this resmed s9 auto-set, What I want to know since it is an auto-set. Lets say I set min pressure to 7 and max pressure to 20. Well it automatically go to 20 during the night, or will it monitor my breathing and adjust the pressure as needed? up to the max pressure setting.

[Tez62]

BarryB, it will stay at 7 till you get an apnea then kick in to a pressure that you require somewhere between 7 and 20 then reduce back to 7 until you require the pressure to raise again. It isn't instant, it takes time to raise then time to lower. You shouldn't really ever hit 20. Not sure if the Phillips was an auto or constant, I have been using the auto for 2 years now and it is much more comfortable than a constant machine. Once you get into it a bit more, you can download your data using sleepyhead software and see what you doing each minute of the night as far as leak, AHI etc are conerned, good luck with it and ask any questions.

[PaulaO2]

Actually, if I am reading my data correctly, it does not necessarily respond to an event but rather to what is happening before one. It knows it should get X resistance. As that resistance increases (throat is collapsing) it increases the pressure, trying to prevent an event from happening. But since the only thing it can go by is that resistance, it's not always successful in preventing one. It is constantly compensating but not second by second. The machines are not that good...yet.

What I see in mine is a nice flat, maybe slightly inclining line and then a quick jump up. That's when I fall asleep. It seems to say "Okay, here we go" and continues to adjust from there, slowly going back down. "No, wait, too little" the starts back up again. For me, my pressure graph looks like a rolling wave with peaks and valleys. Not every event ending corresponds to a peak.

[zonk]

I've only used this machine 2 nights in a row.

I,m into my 3rd year, had the minimum and maximum pressures 9/16 for some time, recently adjust to 10/14 with Ramp for 15 minutes at 9
I,m still trying figure it out, my doc tells me, all good, don,t worry ... be happy
It just takes some work to get everything dialed in ... trial and error

If you don,t mind me asking you a question before answering your question "I set min pressure to 7 and max pressure to 20"
whats the data shown on the S9 sleep report (AHI, AI, CAI, pressure, leak)

On auto, the machine sense your needs and provide variable pressure throughout the night
S9 AutoSet increase pressure in response to snoring, flow limitation and apnea. If open airways detected as in central apnea, the S9 does not respond by increase pressure, so pressure does not run away as in the case of some other auto-PAP machines and cause all sort of problems, pressure induced central apnea and more leaks

The minimum pressure is the most important, too low would feel suffocating and too high would feel uncomfortable

[BarryB]

I'm not that advanced yet to know what all those measurements are. the reason I set the pressures that way, was because my old machine was a constant 7. so I set this remed s9 to min 7, and I think I have up to 9 max actually. I am still so new to learning all this new info, I was a bit skeptical to turn my max setting up past that yet. I can tell you this, using this machine I am sleeping better and seem to be more refreshed the next day. Oh, I forgot, I believe it was this morning, my AHI was 0.9

Thanks for all the helpful advice so far.

[Sleepster]

the reason I set the pressures that way, was because my old machine was a constant 7. so I set this remed s9 to min 7, and I think I have up to 9 max actually.

If you have it set for a range of 7 - 20, then the max is 20, not 9.

To answer your original question, the machine is supposed to increase the pressure only if it determines that an increase is required. Sometimes the machine doesn't do what it's supposed to do, so people set it to a narrower range.

You need to look at your data to determine what your pressure range should be. I'm guessing that your old pressure of 7 wasn't high enough, and your new machine is giving you the higher pressure you need. The only way to tell for sure, though, is to look at your data on your computer.

[zonk]

I can tell you this, using this machine I am sleeping better and seem to be more refreshed the next day. Oh, I forgot, I believe it was this morning, my AHI was 0.9

Thanks for all the helpful advice so far.

Feeling refreshed is a good indicator ... actually its the best indicator

[BarryB]

the reason I set the pressures that way, was because my old machine was a constant 7. so I set this remed s9 to min 7, and I think I have up to 9 max actually.

If you have it set for a range of 7 - 20, then the max is 20, not 9.

To answer your original question, the machine is supposed to increase the pressure only if it determines that an increase is required. Sometimes the machine doesn't do what it's supposed to do, so people set it to a narrower range.

You need to look at your data to determine what your pressure range should be. I'm guessing that your old pressure of 7 wasn't high enough, and your new machine is giving you the higher pressure you need. The only way to tell for sure, though, is to look at your data on your computer.

Sorry for the confusion. I was using 20 as an example. I have the machine set for 7 min, and 10 max.
I noticed when I woke up this morning, it gave me that status for that night. slept 8.3 hours. and my AHI was 0.2 If I am reading correctly the lower the AHI # the better. correct?
I apologize if these questions have been asked before. I'm still learning what to search for.

[Tez62]

BarryB, your right 0.2 is very good, you can almost never get 0, the figures can also be distaughted, sometimes that record apneas that are actually movement, coughing etc. The next step is leave it for a couple of weeks and see how you go especially how you feel during the day is a true test. You can use software called sleepyhead to review your data which is free, all you need is a card reader unless your computer has a built in card reader but you really need a couple of weeks of data, keep us updated on how your going.

[Sleepster]

I have the machine set for 7 min, and 10 max.
I noticed when I woke up this morning, it gave me that status for that night. slept 8.3 hours. and my AHI was 0.2

That's awesome, I wish I could get my AHI that low. The next thing you want to check is your leak rate. Then you can look at your pressure and see how much of the time you're spending near the high end of the 7 - 10 pressure range.

You can get Rescan or SleepyHead software. Both are free and I recommend that you use both.