Welcome to Apnea Board !
As a guest, you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use.
To post a message, you must create a free account using a valid email address.
Login or Create an Account
So I've just stumbled across this in the OSCAR wiki:
And this has let me have a closer look at my data. I have pretty sinusoidal breathing until I drift off to sleep, in which case, my flow shape begins to look like the Class 6 shown above and stays that way. I have seen a Class 2 shape on occassion, also. I don't quite understand the interpretation of "marked tracheal traction support during lung inflation."
What can I do to improve my inspiratory flow shape?
I was thinking about purchasing a refurb AutoSet and using that instead of my Elite - can an AutoSet respond to flow limitations proactively rather than reactively, thereby causing an improvement in the flow shape?
rfburns, sorry I cant help you out, but I do thank you for that post, to my attention re "inspiratory flow shape" as that has build some knowledge, inform me, to read flow, compare against my own, flow shape, which to me at least also look to Flow Class 1 mostly, except coming on event's actual occur.
Class 6 in that figure can easily be misinterpreted because all of that flow must be above zero and not include the normal zero or low flow at the end of expiration. Where this occurs, it is easy to see how pressure support would mitigate the lower flow early in inspiration.
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
It helps if you include dotted line for zero (right click on the "Flow Rate" graph title). Then it's clearer which part is inspiration. In this case there doesn't appear to be any flat zone in the inspiration phase. The pause between breaths (flat zone that often occurs after exhalation) is below the zero line which suggests there may be some leaks occuring.
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
What I see is a ramp up to a late peak and then drop off rather than a hump. So the OP was seeing it look more like Number 6 and that is what I see as well. So a ramp up to peak and then quick fall off is normal as it does not match the NORMAL image in the graphic of examples.
Thank you but I do not see number 6 in that new chart that you posted. It is not dealing with what I think they're talking about with trachea obstructions. I'm trying to also figure out what a chin tuck pattern would look like. Either way, number six is not shown or mentioned in the new diagram.
![[Image: Flowlimitations_Classes.png]](http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/images/f/fd/Flowlimitations_Classes.png)
