New BiPAP ST user Vet with complex apnea

[Sleeprider]

What I want is a zoomed in view of your respiration.  The Organizing your Charts link in my signature describes how to do this.  here is an example. Note how the individual wave form is visible so we can see in detail exactly what is going on n respiration.

[SHatfield]

   

Under Show AHI/Fit/P    it's set to AHI Off

Under Humidification it's set to A





Here are the settings.

[Sleeprider]

That's a start. Let's try increasing the setting for Ti from 1.0 to 1.5. We can go a little longer if you still feel your breath is being cut-off. Your current settings are ST mode with IPAP 15, EPAP 10.0 and BPM is 12. Other settings we might want to see include Rise time and BiFlex.

You can safely turn AHI to ON. This will allow you to see the AHI in the on-screen sleep report.
The A+ with a fan next to it allows the machine to automatically turn on when it detects breathing. The symble with the Off allows the machine to turn off automatically when the mask is removed.

You really need to get a clinical manual to understand this stuff. Send an email to: apneaboard@gmail.com and put "Setup Manual" (without the quotes) in the subject line. Then, in the body of your email write: Philips-Respironics DreamStation BiPAP ST.

[SHatfield]

   

Is this right??

[SHatfield]

That's a start.  Let's try increasing the setting for Ti from 1.0 to 1.5.  We can go a little longer if you still feel your breath is being cut-off.   Your current settings are ST mode with IPAP 15, EPAP 10.0 and BPM is 12.  Other settings we might want to see include Rise time and BiFlex.

You can safely turn AHI to ON. This will allow you to see the AHI in the on-screen sleep report.
The A+ with a fan next to it allows the machine to automatically turn on when it detects breathing. The symble with the Off allows the machine to turn off automatically when the mask is removed.

You really need to get a clinical manual to understand this stuff. Send an email to: apneaboard@gmail.com and put "Setup Manual" (without the quotes) in the subject line. Then, in the body of your email write: Philips-Respironics DreamStation BiPAP ST.

Sleeprider I can't thank you enough for all this information.  I will send an email for the setup manual.  I'm a little hesitant to begin making changes to my settings knowing that my sleep doctors at the VA are reading the information from my machine and will know that I'm messing with it.  I'm going to hold off until they answer my last set of questions.  I'm new at all this and am hoping to talk the VA into that ASV machine if at all possible.  

Again,  I can't thank you and everyone enough.  This is a lot more complicated than I first imagined when I was diagnosed.  

Steve

[Sleeprider]

I can help you make changes to your settings that are strictly going to address comfort, not your therapy settings. Your last chart shows how our inspiration gets cutoff and leaves you in expiration with an interesting rebound. My recommendations are:
Ti: Set to 1.5. This will give you longer breath support.
BiFlex: If you are using it in the above chart, turn it off and use Rise Time below. If it is off, turn it on and we will do rise time later.
Rise Time: Set to 750. Rise time makes the increase in pressure from EPAP to IPAP more gradual with a higher number. Yours appears to be set to about 300. The numbers are milliseconds, and if it is 0.3 than it is seconds. So you may need to change to 0.7.

[SHatfield]

Thank you very much!

[SHatfield]

I changed the Ti to 1.5.

Can't find anything called Biflex

Did find a "rise time" setting but it only had settings of 1-6.  Mine was on 6.

[muziccity]

Hey SHatfield. I'm also struggling with the Dreamstation. I have the exact same one as you and I also have Obstructive and Central apneas. My experience with that machine has been a nightmare. So much so that I told my family if I die in the night it's the machine's fault! Of course the machine isn't going to kill me, but that's how I felt. I had those weird pressure problems you did as well. 

Even though your chart shows "0" obstructive apneas, that is likely incorrect. My chart showed the same thing even though my device showed many. If you have the dreammapper app it will show you the actual amount. Make sure you grab that beta version of Oscar. It will be able to read the data much better and the experts on here can you help analyze and optimize settings.

You might wanna take a few minutes and read my thread here. You'll see my experience over the past or month or 2 and you'll learn more about that machine and the different apneas and treatments. You will gain some knowledge in 1 day that took me months to learn. You will see my struggle with the machine and my doctor. Finally (today) My doctor has agreed to give me another sleep study for the ASV machine. I believe you need ASV as well. I'm not the type to order my doctor what to do but with gentle persuasion and some keywords like "inappropriate machine" and discussing how it's impacting my quality of life he couldn't really say no.

[SHatfield]

Thanks muziccity 

I was told by the VA that, even though my initial home study showed OSA and CSA that the diagnosis was OSA from the titiration study and that it was the OSA that was failing to respond at this time. 

I'm not sure how I'm going to proceed.  For the moment they want to increase my pressure from 15/10 to 16/12.  

I think I'll have to collect more data, which I'm doing now with OSCAR (I'll get the beta).  

I'll read your thread.  

BTY,  I don't know if I "feel" significantly better, but the data so far says I'm not improving. 

Thanks
Steve