Respironics Everflo Q-Settings when connected to ClimateLine Oxy for AirSense 10 Auto

[Orionsnet]

Hello,

I bought a Everflo Q and a ClimateLine Oxy Heated Tube for my Resmed Airsense 10. I was looking for some advice on what settings to choose on the Everlfo Q when connected and running when using the ClimateLine Oxy. Looks like you can set it from 0 to 6 and the specs say it produces 93% oxygen up to power setting 5, not sure about 6. 

The Everflo Q also has a built in Humidifier. Should this be bypassed since the AirSense 10 Auto also has a Humidifier that I do use?
Alternatively, should I run the Humidifier on bother units. Looks like no power settings on the Q for the Humidifier, you either use it or bypass it.

Thanks in advance for any feed back!

[justMongo]

Have you been told you need extra oxygen? I hope your not just adding oxygen without a physician's advice.

I use the same concentrator with my setup. I don't know what's right for you, so I'll just explain my setup:
The humidifier on the Everflo is not needed. I don't use a climate line hose with the oxygen port. I just use a tee at the CPAP humidifier outlet to induce 2 liters per minutes of oxygen from the Everflo into the CPAP flow stream; and a common 22mm CPAP hose from the tee to the mask.
The flow meter on the front of the Everflo has a needle valve adjustment and a floating ball flow meter. It's calibrated from 0 to 5 liters per minute.

One thing I was told -- don't overdo the oxygen!

[Orionsnet]

Thanks for the input. 

My Dr. said it would likely increase my results with the Airsense to add oxygen.

I will set it to 2 on the floating ball and bypass the Everflo Humidifier. 
What is a T? Should I just lookup CPAP T connector? The ClimateLine Oxy has already shipped and will be here soon though.
Do you think I will get less effectiveness with it than the T?
I have grown to really like my regular ClimateLine I'm using because I set it all the way up to highest temp which makes therapy more comfortable for me, but I'm certainly not opposed to trying something different. I don't think any of the ClimateLines are 22, I think they are 15, but not positive...

BTW-did they explain an adverse effect of overdoing the oxygen?

[justMongo]

This is an example of a Tee:


You can use the climateline hose with its port to inject oxygen into the flow.

Sorry, I don't know the downside of too much oxygen. I have heard that too high a % of oxygen can collapse a lung.

And, BTW -- the couplers on CPAP hoses are 22mm even if the hose itself is 15mm

from: EMSWORLD. By William E. "Gene" Gandy, JD, LP and Steven "Kelly" Grayson, NREMT-P, CCEMT-P On May 1, 2013
"More Oxygen Can’t Hurt…Can It?

...High oxygen concentrations can also cause atelectasis. Air is about 21% oxygen and 79% nitrogen. The alveoli depend on nitrogen to maintain surfactant production and alveolar patency; when high concentrations of oxygen are administered, oxygen may “wash out” nitrogen and leave the alveoli susceptible to a lack of gas as oxygen diffuses into the blood, causing them to collapse...

[under pressure]

I was prescribed 2 liters of O2 by my Doctor, I use the same set-up (Airsense Auto and Everflo Q with the Climateline Oxy) the set up works just fine, easy peezy, and retains the benefits of the Climateline including the nice 90 degree connection with the APAP.

I monitored several nights with and without the O2 with a recording oximeter. In short my average O2 saturation went from 89% with APAP with no O2, to an average of 94% average saturation with the O2 injected into the APAP flow. So a definate improvement, and I feel less "morning fog" when I wake in the morning -- increased mental sharpness with the O2. But as Mongo stated you should only do this under physicians orders, obviously not everyone would necessarily benefit from additional O2, and it may even be detrimental in certain circumstances.

One note - you will actually be receiving something less than the 2 liters at your mask due to the increased flow of air streaming thru the APAP mixing with the O2 as opposed to someone that had just the O2 flow through a cannula directly to their nose (without CPAP). In other words the increased air flow through the pap system, some of which is just exhausted through the mask, washes out some of the O2. But of course a Doctor that is prescribing the CPAP with additional O2 is taking that into account when telling you what flow to set from the concentrator.

[eseedhouse]

One note - you will actually be receiving something less than the 2 liters at your mask due to the increased flow of air streaming thru the APAP mixing with the O2 as opposed to someone that had just the O2 flow through a cannula directly to their nose

Since the average tidal volume is around half a liter per breath and most people breath around 15 times per minute that's about 7.5 liters per minute of air each minute, 21% of which is oxygen, so people "normally" breath around 1.5 liters of oxygen per minute (according to Google which is always right...).  What percentage of the 2 liters per minute actually gets into your lungs I don't know enough to estimate.  As you point out some of it gets blown out the mask and doesn't make it into the lungs.

I was placed on 3 liters per minute a couple of years ago, and that made a big difference in the effectiveness of my therapy.  Recently I decided to dial back to 2 liters per minute and my waking blood O2 levels seem to hover around 98% just after I turn the machine on, and since I still feel good when I wake up maybe I will think about dialing it back a bit more after I have a talk with the respiratory therapist next month.

[Orionsnet]

Great feedback. Im going to start on 2 with the Everflo Q once my climateline oxy arrives and if that keeps me above 95% I'll stay there or move down or up from there respectively to maintain around 97%.

One thing that surprises me is the everflos dont come with a built in Oximeter for spot checking with how much they cost new.