Please Review My Oscar Results
Hello,
Can someone please look at my Oscar screen shot and see if anything I should know stands out? I currently have my pressure set from 9-16. Should I increase my minimum pressure? I switched from Dreamwear FFM to Airtouch F20 and my 95% pressure went from 12 something to 15-16. Should I also increase the maximum? I was only diagnosed with mild sleep apnea. Is it weird to have pressures this high with someone that only has mild sleep apnea? AHI has always been below 1.0 since I started CPAP treatment in January.
Another random question - is it normal to wake up in the middle of the night and feel like your mask isn't even working even though the pressure is much higher than when you went to bed? I can't hear it because of a loud fan, so sometimes I have to look over and make sure it is actually on. I guess your body gets used to it gradually through the night?
06-06-2022, 10:40 AM
(This post was last modified: 06-06-2022, 10:41 AM by staceyburke.)
RE: Please Review My Oscar Results
Welcome to the board!
ResMed raises pressure when you have flow limits. Flow limits are apnea but the smallest ones. They are NOT scored in the AHI. you can see how apnea is scored in my signature on the bottom of the post.
To help eliminate flow limits we use EPR. Your EPR is set to the maximum of 3 but you have it set for ramp only which means while you are asleep you are not using EPR.
Change the EPR to full time and your pressures will not be as high.
Also with the EPR on full time you should be able to turn the ramp off. In ramp no therapy is being given and if you remove your mask to use the restroom it starts over again.
RE: Please Review My Oscar Results
With a low AHI, there is no need to raise your pressure.
Stacy explained it well. You are experiencing some Flow Limitation which can disrupt sleep. Compare the pressure graph with the FL graph. You can easily see when the FL is higher, your pressure will also rise. This can be avoided by using EPR. Currently, EPR is set for ramp only. Set it to EPR 3, full time.
The next time you post a chart, whittle this down to the following graphs:
Events, Flow Rate, Pressure, Flow Limitation and Leak Rate.
And yes, you do get used to the quietness of the machine. Even after 8 years, I sometimes wonder if my machine is actually running, as I can't hear it or even feel the pressure. This is as it should be.
RE: Please Review My Oscar Results
(06-06-2022, 10:40 AM)staceyburke Wrote: Welcome to the board!
ResMed raises pressure when you have flow limits. Flow limits are apnea but the smallest ones. They are NOT scored in the AHI. you can see how apnea is scored in my signature on the bottom of the post.
To help eliminate flow limits we use EPR. Your EPR is set to the maximum of 3 but you have it set for ramp only which means while you are asleep you are not using EPR.
Change the EPR to full time and your pressures will not be as high.
Also with the EPR on full time you should be able to turn the ramp off. In ramp no therapy is being given and if you remove your mask to use the restroom it starts over again.
(06-06-2022, 11:49 AM)OpalRose Wrote: With a low AHI, there is no need to raise your pressure.
Stacy explained it well. You are experiencing some Flow Limitation which can disrupt sleep. Compare the pressure graph with the FL graph. You can easily see when the FL is higher, your pressure will also rise. This can be avoided by using EPR. Currently, EPR is set for ramp only. Set it to EPR 3, full time.
The next time you post a chart, whittle this down to the following graphs:
Events, Flow Rate, Pressure, Flow Limitation and Leak Rate.
And yes, you do get used to the quietness of the machine. Even after 8 years, I sometimes wonder if my machine is actually running, as I can't hear it or even feel the pressure. This is as it should be.
Thank you both! I will try EPR and see if that improves things. I had tried it before with the Dreamwear FFM and my AHI went from around 0.3 to more like 0.9, so I turned it back off after a couple nights. Based on my current images, is my current flow limitation high enough to cause my sleep and/or cpap treatment to suffer? Or is it more like a "it is already pretty good, but this might make it even better" type of thing?
RE: Please Review My Oscar Results
In the two charts shown, your flow limitation values are 0.17 and 0.19. The general consensus is that we try to get flow limitation value below 0.10, so you have room for improvement. Trying EPR at 3 cm H2O, and Full Time should show improvement in the FL. It's possible your AHI may increase a little, but the reduction in pressure bumps should improve your sleep over the long term.
