[Pressure] You CAN Adjust your own CPAP Pressure

[zonk]

KP = Kaiser Permanente

You learn something new everyday
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaiser_Permanente

[surferdude2]

Hi kaiasgram, AFAIK, mentioning is always allowed but active links are forbidden, if they connect to commercial web sites. Even spelling it out like < some commercial site dot com > isn't permitted.

Dude
ps. The link in the post by Zonk is an illustration of linking to a non-commercial website to get information about a company without linking directly to their site. It's akin to telling someone to Google Kaiser Permanente, which is allowed. No link, no problem.

[Tawaki]

Many of us were prescribed auto CPAPs and instructed to self-titrate. I'm sure I am not alone in receiving that prescription.

You are not. I also had a sleep doctor who trusted me to fine-tune my pressure settings because he understood that the professionals don't always get it right the first time, and that pressure needs can and do change over time, AND that when a patient has learned what to do and how to do it safely, there is no more risk to that patient adjusting their own pressure than there would be if an MD, RT, or DME rep had done it.

In fact if you are a typical KP patient you will likely go through home sleep testing (4 channels only), diagnosis, and titration and receive your machine without ever seeing a sleep doctor. Not even the doctor who signed off on your prescribed pressure(s). Whether you regard this as adequate patient care or not, you as the patient are really set up to have to take care of yourself with your CPAP therapy.

I like my sleep doctor, but she is not very aggressive. Most of her patients are 70+ years old, and her major battle is getting them to use the machine, not worrying about their AHI per say.

I want to optimize my treatment. I worked in a ER for 15 years, and in dialysis for 5, so I am used to adjusting machines and fiddling with stuff. My AHI refused to move from 5. I read how to SLOOOOWWLLY adjust the settings from this board. It took me a good 6 weeks. I didn't want to start seeing CAs on the Sleepy Head reports.

I switched up masks, adjusted the pressures and made my DME furious. How dare I touch anything! Screw them. 5 or 4.8 is not acceptable in my book.

My settings went from 4-8 to a 4 to 9.5. It wasn't a huge jump, but enough to bring down my AHI to below 0.5 most nights.

The original sleep study with the machine was an absolute nightmare. The tech was retched, and the data was rubbish. We were fighting with an ill fitting masks all night, and barely got enough sleep time to get the insurance to pay for the study.

I just now changed up the settings on my new machine to what my old one was. I'll check the data against Sleepy Head to make sure no weirdness is a foot.

KP is a total trip! I thought my insurance was bad....lol...not after my friend's KP experiences.

[Sleepster]

I only read the first few sentences of the post stating that it does not require a licensed medical professional to set the pressures on a pap machine. I can assure you that this information is not correct and, while each state has different laws, both the state of North and South Carolina, and probably many more or most states ABSOLUTELY DO require that only medical professionals licensed through the state's Respiratory Care Board can manipulate the pressure settings on pap machines, perform mask fittings and provide any medical education about the usage of these items.

Those laws pertain only to professionals who are doing it for the public.

Similar laws are in place for things like cutting hair. You need a license to be able to do it for the public, but you don't need one to do it for yourself.

There is no law in place that prevents me from adjusting the straps on my mask, either, even though I'm not licensed to perform mask fittings.

Most doctors and DME employees I've dealt with professionally don't know how to read the data on a CPAP machine and use it to make pressure changes. They don't know the answers to basic questions about it.

Read a few posts, Toby, and you'll see that people come here to get help because many medical professionals don't know how to educate their patients on how to maximize their therapy.

If you, for example, dispense bricks to your patients, shame on you. And if you don't, tell us why you think so many others are doing it.

[cate1898]

I want to know why these companies are still making bricks! Why bother. I have been quoted a $75 (Canadian) difference between the AirSense 10 CPAP and the Elite models.

[zonk]

I want to know why these companies are still making bricks! Why bother. I have been quoted a $75 (Canadian) difference between the AirSense 10 CPAP and the Elite models.

Follow the money trial ..................

I think, the main reason of making low end machines is something to do with insurance compliance requirement in US
Not everyone in US but US market share is huge in comparison to the rest of the world, and insurance buy most of the machines

Another reason is pure and simple is $$$, if everyone has an auto machine and can adjust pressure by themselves ...
Sleep labs and doctors go out of business (some at least)
Why kill the goose that lay the golden eggs

[archangle]

I want to know why these companies are still making bricks! Why bother. I have been quoted a $75 (Canadian) difference between the AirSense 10 CPAP and the Elite models.

A lot of doctors have their head stuck up their mask, and don't bother to look at the at home data collected by the machine anyway. They think a $leep $tudy is the only thing that matters.