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Good AHI but some long OAs with slow machine response
How usual/normal is it to have some long OAs while in general having good treatment as reported by AHI?
I've been watching my wife's data closely for a few weeks. Her AHI is usually around 1. However when there are OAs some can be 20 seconds or longer. For example she had a series of 3 OAs in a span of about 9 minutes the other day. The OAs were 59, 12 and 75 seconds long. They happened while she was going to sleep. During this period the IP was already at the max of 12.
The next night, with pressure max still at 12, there was one OA of 37 seconds. When her breathing stopped upper pressure was at 11.02. Pressure wasn't increased for about 30 seconds and when it was her breathing resolved. That seems like a long time with no response from the machine.
Machine: Lowenstein Luisa Mask Type: Full face mask Mask Make & Model: Resmed Quattro FX Humidifier: separate F&P humidifier CPAP Pressure: Epap 4-20 PS 4-20; "auto" rate CPAP Software: Not using software
Other Comments: Using 45 degree angle upper body wedge (36"x36") and 4.5"soft cervical collar; 500 assured tidal vol
RE: Good AHI but some long OAs with slow machine response
Two quick things that might help would be: 1. raising her max pressure to either 13 or 14 or even more. You can do it in small intervals of 0.2 to make it a more tolerable change.
She doesn't have many OA's (that is a good thing), but when she has one it is long. She could trial a soft cervical collar to try to prevent these long OA's. Other things like using a lower pillow height; possibly changing sleeping position (i.e. - from back sleeping to side sleeping) also. Several things to try.
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