[Treatment] Review of OSCAR Result

[wasvsdal]

I have been using my CPAP machine (AirSense 10) for 4 days now; first two days were miserable: bloating, sneezing, runny nose. Since then, I changed my tube to climate air, increased humidity to 4 from 2, and turned on EPR to 2. Felt good with the setup last night, although I had to remove the mask at 2am because I wanted to sleep on my stomach. My pressure is set to auto with a range of 4 to 12.

I was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea, which was worse on supine and very mild on other sides. I am assuming results from monitoring machine were worse than actual because I've learned to sleep on my sides and stomach, and wearing a machine forces me to on my back and sides. I'm learning this about myself after wearing the CPAP machine. Biggest thing that got me interested in getting this machine is my oxygen saturation level was dropping on both back and sides. I don't have an oximeter. 

Here are the results. Is my machine working? Should I do anything else to optimize my settings?

Height 5'10
Weight 170 lbs
Gender Male

[upsman]

If you could follow these instructions to organize your OSCAR charts, it would be helpful. 

https://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.ph...ganization

[PeaceLoveAndPizza]

As upsman said, best to post charts in the format we use. See the link in my .sig.

Generally speaking, your pressure is too low. Try using a min of 7, max of 20 (so we can see where it goes before tweaking), and EPR of 2 or 3.

Once you post more charts we can help tweak…

[wasvsdal]

Here you go. I hope I did it right; did follow the instructions.

[CPAPfriend]

hey wasvsdal, don't take this the wrong way, but your question depends on its meaning. To know if your machine is working, we need to know what your sleep like was before and what you're aiming to achieve. 

Overall, your data looks pretty clean, but that's not necessarily an invitation to rest upon your laurels. How do you feel? Are you experiencing any comfort issues? Are you satisfied with your sleep? 

The more days you start to accumulate of therapy, the better we will be able to steer you in the right direction.

[wasvsdal]

My sleep test shows mild apnea; 5 events per hour while on my side and about 8 while supine. I do feel a little more rested. But I am trying to figure out why I still have Obstructive Apnea even with the mask on. Last night had the most OA's since I've started wearing the mask; AHI is 0.92. 

Also, is it weird that sometimes I feel air coming into the mask, i.e., feel the air on my face, but other times I don't. It depends on the swivel position. I am able to breathe fine, and there's clearly air coming out of the vent holes all times.

[CPAPfriend]

AHI is an incomplete screenshot of how poor you sleep is, as it's not accounting for RERAs or any of the other telling subtleties potentially present in your overnight sleep data. 

An AHI of 0.92 is a good start. I wouldn't say that you're having a lot of OAs.

That air-feeling sensation is a leak. You can try adjusting the mask, not moving around as much, tightening the mask, switching out component sizes, trying a different mask, mask liners, etc. Masks are the hardest part to acclimate to / find effective arrangements for most patients. Those spikes in your leak-rate graph are likely do to your mouth opening because of airway resistance / insufficient oxygen, or your mouth just falling open. 

The air coming out of the vents is a feature, not a bug.

[staceyburke]

Move the min to 7 and make sure the EPR is on full time set to 3.