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
Machine: Resmed S9 AutoSet Mask Type: Full face mask Mask Make & Model: Quattro FX Humidifier: S9 CPAP Pressure: 10-20 CPAP Software: Not using software
From your message, I gather that upping the EPR will hopefully reduce the flow limitations spikes I'm noticing on my plots, by making it easier to inhale? Is that correct?
It seems that flow limitations are correlated to obstructive apnea events, which makes sense. Are flow limitations the manifestations of OAs? If so, wouldn't increasing the therapeutic pressure be effective against flow limitations by "overcoming" the obstruction? Why focus on EPR?
11-26-2021, 05:20 PM (This post was last modified: 11-26-2021, 05:21 PM by staceyburke.)
RE: Where to post Oscar screenshots for review?
EPR reduces your exhale pressure for example min 9 EPR 3 - inhale pressure 9 exhale pressure 6. Making it much easier to exhale. It was made for that but we also found it helps decrease flow limits. And Flow Limits are apnea and FL are what raises pressure on a ResMed.
EPAP or Exhale pressures what treats And heads off OA events
IPAP, Inhale pressure or simply Pressure n CPAPs treats flow limits and hypopneas
Pressure Support is the difference between inhale and exhale pressures. Therapeutic EPR fits on this category.
Without EPR or Pressure Support, or the ability to increase these, iPAP or pressure is used to fight flow limits and hypopneas.
Pressures of 4 and 5 are considered pediatric pressures by many. And many adults have complaints about breathing thru a straw or being air starved and are removing the masks to breathe. 7 is the min pressure where all values of EPR will work all the time. The actual formula is min =4+EPR for EPR to work.
Gideon - Project Manager Emeritus for OSCAR - Open Source CPAP Analysis Reporter
Machine: Resmed S9 AutoSet Mask Type: Full face mask Mask Make & Model: Quattro FX Humidifier: S9 CPAP Pressure: 10-20 CPAP Software: Not using software
I'm back. Following the friendly advice dispensed, I bumped up my min pressure from 5 to 7 and EPR from 0 to 1. I do find a little easier to exhale - should have made that change 7 years ago! HA!
I've attached last night's OSCAR plot for your review. Do you recommend any more tweaks?
I'm a little concerned about the reported 3 mins spent in Apnea. Isn't that enough to kill someone???
Don't worry about TTIA, if it was 3 minutes all at once that would be a bit of a problem, but it's not. It's 10-15 seconds here and 10-15 seconds there spread out.
Your numbers are great. Because you got some relief from EPR=1 and you pressure is still being driven by flow limits
Try EPR=2, then tell us which feels better, EPR=1 or 2?
Gideon - Project Manager Emeritus for OSCAR - Open Source CPAP Analysis Reporter
Yes, EPR should reduce your FLs -- and already has. FLs are like OAs in one way, because they both involve reductions in the airflow through your airway. An increase in your pressure without EPR might help some with FLs, but EPR is more effective. It gives you a boost right as you begin to inhale, supporting your breathing effort.
Machine: REMstar System One with Autoflex Mask Type: Full face mask Mask Make & Model: Quattro AirFit F10 Humidifier: yes typical setting = 1 CPAP Pressure: 10.5-14.5 APAP with AFlex x1 CPAP Software: SleepyHead
EncoreBasic
the back end of each peak in your pressure curve is usually a nice long ski slope, ending at its lowest point (which your chart shows is still above the minimum you have set) The lurching in pressure is due to the flow limitations that begin to occur in a less-gentle way that shows as a steep, sometimes high, peak.
If you want to reduce the amount of lurching in this pressure chart, you may want to set your minimum (EPAP = exhale pressure) high enough to "shorten your skiing time" so you don't get back into that rougher climb-y activity.
From Nov 27 chart, you'll see the two tallest peaks were climbed as a result of stuff happening when ski time ended at 00:40 and 06:30, where the EPAP was about 6.4.
To shorten the skiing, you would raise the EPAP to above that value (check multiple nights and see how consistent it is). On Nov 24, for example, you would notice that is about 7.0. What this suggests to me is that the logical EPAP minimum would be more like 7.6 to artificially bottom out the ski slope in hope that would not bring on much boosting.
With EPR of 1 set, your pressure would be 8.6 and the EPAP would be 7.6,
I know that is a bit more that the current 7.0 pressure, so if you wanted to give it a go, you might work the pressure up by 0.6 per night (7.6, then 8.2, followed by 8.6), and then hold for a while to see what that does for your comfort, your sleep satisfaction, and the snores and flow limitations.
