Newbie has question about leaks

[mikeinstlouis]

[attachment=7632] Hi All

I hope this is the right place to post Sleepyhead screenshots!!

I am a physician, just on day 4 of my CPAP trying to learn all about this fascinating topic!

I am trying to interpret my data.  I have read a lot of the great tutorials on here!  Very detailed.

I am using Phillips Nasal Pillows and I am still unsure how to interpret the leak rate.  I realize that it says Large Leaks 0% but I want to make sure that the program is reading my machine.  I see leaks go up (and I know that some leaking is normal...just want to make sure this is "good enough"

I will attach my screenshot.  Any help would be appreciated!!!

Mike

[Walla Walla]

You appear to have leaks that are called mouth leaks. The leaks aren't bad enough to affect your therapy though.

Check the link below called Beginner's guide to sleepyhead and that will explain all the charts and data for you.

[tarpshack]

And for my education, the assumption of mouth leak is because of the pattern of the leak graph with the variableness and the plateaus?

[mesenteria]

I would think that you would hope not to see a correlation between, or a coincidence between, what are apparently large leaks and records of OA, Hypopnea, and CA.  As leaks develop, you'd like to think, and to see, that the machine compensates and maintains your flow rate, and that there are no apparently related events of the unwanted kind; that is, that they appear somewhat more randomly at times, and not at intervals.  Otherwise you would see the larger leaks, and reports of same, and indications of commensurate restrictions.  

What I mean is that, ideally, your device does compensate for the various types of leaks we all experience now and then, probably nightly, and that when you do have apnea events/hypopneas they aren't the results of leaks.  They arise randomly, or positionally, and can be controlled in a way that leaks tend not to be fully controlled.  

In that respect, I don't see a problem or a concern in your chart.  Perhaps another person would feel differently, and will offer an opinion.

[mesenteria]

And for my education, the assumption of mouth leak is because of the pattern of the leak graph with the variableness and the plateaus?

The person mentions the use of nasal pillows, but does not report that he uses a collar or tape to control mouth leaks.  Nasal pillows and masks often go along with mouth leaks....not always, some can control their lips and tongue position, but many, such as myself, have to use other methods to control mouth leaking when we are fast asleep.

[Walla Walla]

I have said it appears to be mouth leaks. I can't know for sure though. I corrected the earlier post.

[sheepless]

one way to tell, tarpshack & mike , if you narrow the view of your flowrate waveform in sleepyhead to a 2 minute window, you might see something like the 2nd to last example below: "exiratory mouth breathing".