[CPAP] Software Readout VS Treatment Result questions

[sleepnewjersey]

I just now was able to import my data and read it on Sleepyhead software. I am seeing my AHI report and I am concerned. I was provided my Sleep Study by the VA Medical system. I recieved my unit on 4-4-13.
I never sat down with the Sleep Study personell to go over my study. I was just given the machine. The tech was less than enthusiastic with the process. Informed me if I had questions on how to use the machine to contact her. I am feeling better with the CPAP. Should I have been given an appointment to follow up and see if the unit is working properly?If the settings are working correctly. Don not get me wrong. I am grateful for receiving the the sleep study and the CPAP machine. I am just not sure after looking at my statistics it is running in optiimum for my treatment. Any suggestions????

CPAP Statistics as of Saturday, May 18, 2013
45 days of CPAP Data, between 4/4/2013 and 5/18/2013
Details Most Recent Last 7 Days Last 30 Days Last 6 months Last Year
AHI 4.47 5.22 2.72 2.59 2.59
RERA Index 0.74 1.51 1.09 0.93 0.93
Hours per Night 06:43 04:58 04:47 05:07 05:07
Pressure 13.00 13.00 13.00 13.00 13.00
Average Total Leaks 35.83 33.67 35.23 38.76 38.76
95% Total Leaks 39.00 36.00 46.00 69.00 69.00

Changes to Prescription Settings
First Last Days AHI FL Machine Mode Pr. Rel. Pressure
4/4/2013 5/18/2013 45 2.59 0.00 PRS1 CPAP C-Flex+ x1 13.00
The above has a threshold which excludes day counts less than 5 from the best/worst highlighting

Machine Information
Brand Model Serial First Use Last Use
Philips Respironics System One RemStar Pro with C-Flex+ (460P) P08172793C6A2 4/4/2013 5/18/2013

[trish6hundred]

Hi sleepnewjersey,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
Hang in there for answers to your questions, someone will be able to help soon.
You've come to the right place, best of luck.

[PaulaO2]

Two things.

- As long as your AHI is below 5, you're doing good. Yes, you can do things to get it lower but it's too soon for such fine tuning.

- Your leak rate is a little high. Not by much, but still there. Any time you have a spike or prolonged leak going on, the data it reports cannot be trusted.

As for the doc, pfft. Typical of them. It is like a doctor giving out hypertension meds and never taking their blood pressure again nor asking if they've done it since the last visit. This early in your treatment, you should see the doc about 3 mos then 6 months after you started. They recommend you see the sleep doc about once a year after that. I've seen mine 3 times since diagnosed about 8 yrs ago. Useless. With most patients being given a brick machine (no data collection) and with the doc with no data to go by other than the patient saying how they feel, it is my opinion docs such as these are worthless. If at your first follow up appointment the doc doesn't ask the see the data, ask why not. If you aren't happy with the answer, go elsewhere.

AHI is but one part of the game of sleep apnea. There's how you feel when you wake up, how awake and alert you are during the day, and how well you sleep. Learn how to evaluate the data and look for trends. Know what is your normal ranges.

[vsheline]

CPAP Statistics as of Saturday, May 18, 2013
45 days of CPAP Data, between 4/4/2013 and 5/18/2013
Details Most Recent Last 7 Days Last 30 Days Last 6 months Last Year
AHI 4.47 5.22 2.72 2.59 2.59
RERA Index 0.74 1.51 1.09 0.93 0.93
Hours per Night 06:43 04:58 04:47 05:07 05:07
Pressure 13.00 13.00 13.00 13.00 13.00
Average Total Leaks 35.83 33.67 35.23 38.76 38.76
95% Total Leaks 39.00 36.00 46.00 69.00 69.00

Hi sleepnewjersey, welcome to the forum!

I think the VA may say your AHI was fine until about a week ago. Did you adjust anything (like C-flex) or start sleeping on your back more often, or start taking a new medication?

I have no idea what policies/guidelines your VA doctor may follow, but the AHI statistics for the past 30 days (2.72) and for the past 6 weeks since starting (2.59) may look fine to him, so he might not want to change anything at all, unless you are also reporting continued daytime sleepiness (or whatever).

Since the tech said you could call her, I suggest asking her if, since it has now been 45 days or so, can she adjust the pressure 1 cmH2O higher so you can see if that is more optimal. In one of my doctor's office the techs were respiratory therapists and I think they were allowed to make some adjustments on their own.

By the way, for the past 7 days, what was the breakdown of Central Apnea Index, Obstructive Apnea Index, Unknown type Apnea Index, and Hypopnea Index? (The AHI is the arithmetic sum of these numbers.)

Also, take a look on the Events tab (near the big pie chart of your events) to see if any events were lasting a long time (like 30 seconds or more). The doctor or tech may be interested to know these numbers.

It may be very helpful to buy a Pulse Oximeter (such as the ones from Supplier #19 on Supplier List), so you will be able to tell your doctor if your blood oxygen level and pulse rate are normal during sleep. I use one of the wrist-mounted models, which are more comfortable to wear all night than the finger clip-on style models.

Take care,
--- Vaughn

[zonk]

Should I have been given an appointment to follow up and see if the unit is working properly?

I think you should have a followup after the first couple of weeks to check on your progress
Yours numbers looks good to me, don,t think you've spent an time (%) in large leak

The only thing you need more sleep but its a working progress and there is an adjustment period
You might want try wear the mask with the machine on during the day so it becomes easier to keep the mask on during the night
It can get better and in no time you,ll be sleeping longer and getting ready to run marathon ...
well maybe not running but not feeling as if had ran one