Sleepyhead interpretation & DreamStation Settings for Mask Type & Flex?

[Seajayh]

I was diagnosed with severe OSA in Jan. 2016 -

Prescribed the Dreamstation, current pressure 12-20, Flex 1, Mask type 1

Initially I was given the ResMed P-10 nasal pillows - to date they seem to give me the best results. Using the P-10 alone my AHI hovers around the 4.5 - 5.0 mark. In April 2016 my sleep doc ordered a titration study - at the study my AHI was .80 - the ONLY time EVER it has been below 1!! Go figure! The study recommendation included a full face mask - so off we go. I was given a fairly cumbersome, heavy Res-Med unit that caused even worse numbers than what you will see below. I then invested in a chin strap hoping that keeping my mouth closed might help...it is helping - I seem to usually get numbers between 2-3.

This week I was given a ResMed F-10 to try. When I fell asleep last night it didn't feel like it was leaking....

Screenshot below for 5-26-16 - Started the night with F10 full face mask - changed to the P10 (and chinstrap) when I woke up around 12:30 - 1:00.

Should I just give up on the full face mask? Thanks for your input - wish I really understood what SH is telling me. : - /

I had to reduce the file size in order to post this...hope it is readable.

Does anyone know what the proper settings on DreamStation of Flex and Mask Type for the P10 pillows? The F10 full face?

Thanks in advance for input...

[chill]

I will suggest posting your image at imgur.com and linking to it from there. You can post full size (I can't really read what you posted) and post multiple images.

Flex is not related to your mask, it indicates how much of a drop in pressure the machine gives you when you exhale. This is for your comfort.

I will see if I can find the mask type later unless someone has it handy. I am pretty sure this only affects reporting of your leak rate, and does not affect your actual therapy. Some masks are designed to leak more than others (they all leak by design as you need to get rid of the CO2 that you exhale). The type setting just tells the machine how much the mask is expected to leak when sealed completely.

[MitchS]

I use my FFM as a last resort due to it being harder for me to stay out of large leak territory with it than with nasal pillows. It looks like you had some large leaks with the F10 FFM and your leaks dropped to more acceptable levels when you changed to the P10.

The resistance settings on the DreamStation for most nasal pillows are: X1- large pillows, X2- medium pillows and X4 small pillows. I think those settings would work well for the P10. As a general rule a resistance setting of X1 works for most FFMs and should be OK for the F10.

Flex is a comfort setting and can be set to whatever level feels best for you. I started out using Flex and found that my AHI started creeping up on settings over 1, but you may find it works differently for you. I have stopped using flex altogether at this point.

[Seajayh]

I will suggest posting your image at imgur.com and linking to it from there. You can post full size (I can't really read what you posted) and post multiple images.

Flex is not related to your mask, it indicates how much of a drop in pressure the machine gives you when you exhale. This is for your comfort.

I will see if I can find the mask type later unless someone has it handy. I am pretty sure this only affects reporting of your leak rate, and does not affect your actual therapy. Some masks are designed to leak more than others (they all leak by design as you need to get rid of the CO2 that you exhale). The type setting just tells the machine how much the mask is expected to leak when sealed completely.

Thanks for the idea of uploading the pics elsewhere...duh! lol.

So, the following link is to my SH info for the 25th and 26th. On the 25th I used the pillows with a chin strap. The 26th I started out with the F10 but changed to the pillows... maybe someone on this forum has a suggestion for an awesome chinstrap?? Starting to get frustrated.

<Link to pics of screenshots: http://imgur.com/a/dMnYM

[MitchS]

Just to clarify, from what I can tell from your Leak Rate graph you had total leaks over 63.0 and approaching 95.0 at times with the FFM. Both SleepyHead and EncorePro flag any leaks I have at those levels as large leaks. The large leaks are shown as shaded areas on the graph. I don't see any large leaks flagged in either the Events Panel or the Leak Rate graph on your screenshot. To be sure that SleepyHead is setup to flag large leaks you can do the following:

Go to then CPAP section of the preferences menu. Make sure that Flag leaks over threshold is checked. I changed that value to 65L/min. I chose that value because it synced Sleepyhead's flagged large leaks more closely to EncorePro.

Go to the Events section of the preferences menu. Make sure that Large Leak and Leak Flag are both checked.

Finally, right click on the left side of the Leak Rate graph in the Daily view and go to CPAP Overlays in the resulting drop down menu and make sure Large Leak is checked.

[Seajayh]

Just to clarify, from what I can tell from your Leak Rate graph you had total leaks over 63.0 and approaching 95.0 at times with the FFM. Both SleepyHead and EncorePro flag any leaks I have at those levels as large leaks. The large leaks are shown as shaded areas on the graph. I don't see any large leaks flagged in either the Events Panel or the Leak Rate graph on your screenshot. To be sure that SleepyHead is setup to flag large leaks you can do the following:

Go to then CPAP section of the preferences menu. Make sure that Flag leaks over threshold is checked. I changed that value to 65L/min. I chose that value because it synced Sleepyhead's flagged large leaks more closely to EncorePro. This was checked - value 24.0L/min

Go to the Events section of the preferences menu. Make sure that Large Leak and Leak Flag are both checked. Large Leak was checked, the Leak Flag was not - I checked it.

Finally, right click on the left side of the Leak Rate graph in the Daily view and go to CPAP Overlays in the resulting drop down menu and make sure Large Leak is checked. This was already checked

I have the dream mapper software on my phone...it reported a 100% mask fit without any Large Leak... your input and explanations are very welcomed!! Thanks!!

[MitchS]

As chill said it may be better to post your screen shot on an image hosting site such as Imgur and then link to it. I have linked to some useful information on organizing your graphs, taking screen shots with sleepyHead and using Imgur to post your charts.

Organizing SleepyHead http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php...ganization

Screen Shots with SleepyHead http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php...Screenshot

Using Imgur to post your charts http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php...pnea_Board