Question about Flow Limitations

[retired_guy]

Surfies right. I thought it would be good to relax the higher pressures a little when you exhale. If you're getting 0.0 that's pretty good I think. The only problem with it is Jedimark's goofy happyface that shows up. (Actually Jedimark, that's a small price to pay for this great product. So don't zap me....)

Now, about that banana split...............

[JimZZZ]

At what number does flow limitation indicate a problem? Or what flow limitation range is considered normal?

[surferdude2]

Hi Jim, It appears that that flow limitation number is a decimal representing the degree of restriction using 1 as fully restricted (not able to breathe) and 0 as fully breathing through unrestricted airways. With that in mind, the particular number doesn't tell the whole story as to how the restriction is affecting you. It would depend on how much excess capacity you have that could be given up before you felt the effects. That would vary from person to person and depend on what state the person's pulmonary system was in. Some of us don't have much that we can stand to give up before it causes distress. Others are more fortunate.

From what I understand, most people are born with approximately 10 times the lung capacity that they actually need. Obviously a 50% restriction in breathing wouldn't be much of a problem at that time. That's probably a very good thing or else most babies would be in danger of suffocating when the covers get accidentally pulled over their heads for hours at a time.

Some people didn't get the full "10X more than necessary" from the get go. I think I am in that group. Any restriction over .15 has enough effect on me to cause discomfort and sometimes awakens me. Most of those events are handled well by the S9 Auto feature when it raises the pressure but sometimes that just doesn't happen quickly enough. My response is also affected by what stage of sleep I'm in when the event occurs.

I suspect a normally healthy person would score a goose egg in the flow limitation area but since I'm not normal I can't be sure. I've tried to get Mrs. Surferdude to take part in an experiment to compare how she scores in some of these areas but so far she has declined to participate (grossly understating her response).

[PaytonA]

Flow limitations are important as a precursor to OAs. That is how the S9 Autoset uses them. When it sees flow limitations that fall beyond some norm that they have determined, the machine raises the pressure (if it is an auto machine and in auto mode) to prevent OAs.

Actually-I am guessing-The decimal representation for flow limitation refers to what degree of flat the exhale to inhale peak on the flow chart shows. 1.00 would be fully flat and 0.00 would be fully rounded. If you look at the flow limitation chart on Rescan near the Y axis they show representations.

Best Regards,

PaytonA