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RERAs, RDI vs AHI in Oscar, flow limitations
#1
RERAs, RDI vs AHI in Oscar, flow limitations
Hi everyone! So I've been saving up some questions for some of you smart and experienced folks...so please allow me to share some background and then on to the questions!

Background: 55 y/o make, CPAP for 10 years, Resmed 11, pressure range usually 7-12 (been experimenting). Still feel sleepy during day (naps needed) even though AHI is in the 1-2 range. I use Oscar 1.5.0. Drs and sleep centers, while most are somewhat desirous to somewhat help, are basically no help (I bet you never heard that before Smile ).

Questions:
1. Reras are part of UARs, are flow limitations?
2. When viewing Oscar, the hypopneas, apneas, RERAs, flow limitations...is that info calculated by my Resmed device or by Oscar?
3. Is the RERA and flow limitation info in 2 above fairly accurate?
4. If my AHI is on average 1-2, and RDI is on average 1-2, per Oscar, should I be concerned that UARS is a source of my lack of rest? Whay might be another source?

Thanks! Thanks! Thanks!
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#2
RE: RERAs, RDI vs AHI in Oscar, flow limitations
1: yes, Flow limitations are very much a part of both RERAS and UARS. While RERAS always have arousals, UARS does not.

2. They are reported by OSCAR, but generated by the CPAP. The statistics are sometimes calculated by OSCAR. OSCAR uses a 99.5% stat instead of a true Max simply because many time the recorded max value literally makes no sense and borders on impossible.

3. OSCAR is extremely accurate in reporting what is recorded but both flow limits and RERAS are typically significantly under reported by the CPAP.

4. While having a AHI= RDI is an indication that you may not have significant UARS, go more by your symptoms and a deep review of the individual breathes in your flow rate chart
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#3
RE: RERAs, RDI vs AHI in Oscar, flow limitations
Interesting,

Eat-popcorn
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#4
RE: RERAs, RDI vs AHI in Oscar, flow limitations
Hi, CPAPveteran! I'm a newbie to CPAP, and today marks my 6th night, but I'm quickly getting the hang of the basics. I'm still fine-tuning the machine, and today will be my first night using the heated tube as I work on reducing Clear Airflows and RERAS.

Since I'm also new to OSCAR, my insights are limited to the daily fatigue you mentioned. My primary aim with the apnea treatment is to boost my energy levels throughout the day. Are you monitoring your blood oxygen levels? In my brief experience, I've observed a connection between fatigue and hypoxia. On nights when my blood oxygen level drops below 90%, I wake up feeling tired. However, when I manage to maintain saturation above 90%, I wake up feeling more rested and energetic.

I'm still adjusting to the machine, but each day brings improvements to my sleep quality, and I'm waking up with more energy. I haven't invested in a continuous oximeter yet; the sleep oximetry data is from my Galaxy Watch 6. Nonetheless, it was this device that helped me discover sleep apnea due to oxygen desaturations. Cheers!
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#5
RE: RERAs, RDI vs AHI in Oscar, flow limitations
(01-31-2024, 07:41 PM)SomniumSusurrator Wrote: Hi, CPAPveteran! I'm a newbie to CPAP, and today marks my 6th night, but I'm quickly getting the hang of the basics. I'm still fine-tuning the machine, and today will be my first night using the heated tube as I work on reducing Clear Airflows and RERAS.

Since I'm also new to OSCAR, my insights are limited to the daily fatigue you mentioned. My primary aim with the apnea treatment is to boost my energy levels throughout the day. Are you monitoring your blood oxygen levels? In my brief experience, I've observed a connection between fatigue and hypoxia. On nights when my blood oxygen level drops below 90%, I wake up feeling tired. However, when I manage to maintain saturation above 90%, I wake up feeling more rested and energetic.

I'm still adjusting to the machine, but each day brings improvements to my sleep quality, and I'm waking up with more energy. I haven't invested in a continuous oximeter yet; the sleep oximetry data is from my Galaxy Watch 6. Nonetheless, it was this device that helped me discover sleep apnea due to oxygen desaturations. Cheers!

Hi, changed my username, now CPAPnerd Smile. I have the O2 ring from Wellue. My O2 is usually in the 92-98% range, although I do have lots of fluctuations with O2, some even would be called desats. My belief is my residual fatigue is caused by one of two things:
1. My somewhat still irregular breathing flowrates that are causing micro-arousals and O2 fluctuations, both resulting in perhaps C+ level of effective therapy. Or...
2. Some other underlying medical condition, or combination of several smaller conditions.
Until a Dr can tell me I am fully treated with the right machine and settings, then I have to assume their is still work to do with my PAP therapy.
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#6
RE: RERAs, RDI vs AHI in Oscar, flow limitations
Hi, CPAPnerd! I believe the new nickname is more fitting since you certainly know your CPAP machine well! The questions you raised required delving beyond the surface, and the results you presented aren't just a result of the passage of time.
I genuinely hope you can pinpoint the root cause of your fatigue and share your findings with us. You are not alone in the quest, althoug our backgrounds may differ. As I mentioned earlier, even before discovering my apnea, I was already invested in having more energy to accomplish more throughout the day. I've taken a variety of supplements: Centrum (for about 20 years), additional vitamin D and magnesium (about 5 years) and since last year choline, lutein and zeaxanthin, CoQ10, Omega-3, creatine, most for improvement in brain and muscle performance. More recently (about 6 months), I've taken Ritalin for ADHD. Additionally I include caffeine, taurine, and inositol, the latter two to help alleviate any anxiousness from the Ritalin and caffeine. Despite being 49 year old and 60 pounds over my ideal weight (working on that), my blood screening results are all within the normal range, and I don't have any other known medical condition than ADHD (and rinits, for what I already did a surgery more than 20 year ago, wich took me out almost completely of antihistaminics, and rarely need some).
Last night marked my first instance of SPO2 above 90% throughout the entire night. However, in previous nights with the CPAP, I only experienced one or two minutes below 90%. Even with adjustments to the machine and not achieving my usual 7/8 hours of sleep, the usual daytime sleepiness has completely vanished. I've transitioned from around half an hour of major blood desaturations at night to almost none, but it's still too early to draw conclusions. Next week, I'll return to my regular weekly routine, allowing me to gather more data on my overall well-being with the CPAP.My AHI is still erratic, oscilating from 5.99 to 2.71, but my sleep has been constantly improoving in this first week with the CPAP. I hope I can help you in some way in the future, since you have shed light on issues that will assist my CPAP report analysis from the outset.
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