gettingbetter - Therapy Thread

[Gideon]

Exhalation is normally longer but being equal or near equal is not a problem.

Look at the OSCAR logo, my avatar, in the "O" are 4 idealized normal breaths, the exhale has 2 phases, 1 nearly a mirror of the inhale followed by a shoulder of slow exhalation.

[SevereApnea]

Hi gettingbetter, 

great observation about the Cardiogenic Oscillations confusing the AutoSet Inspiratory time/Expiratory times.

You can easily see how the AirSense 10 AutoSet (+/- For Her) gets this wrong:

zoom into your flow rate...
Right click Flow Rate >> Dotted Lines >> Zero.

then measure the Insp time with Shift>> drag your mouse the tooltip gives you the time. 

[attachment=35002]

Notice how in my Autoset there is a difference, despite sampling only one breath:
this is because the Cardiogenic Oscillations cross the Zero baseline and is somehow confused as end of Expiration.

My AutoSet gives me I:E ratios of around 1.
My AirCurve 10 gives me I:E ratios of around 2.

The AirCurve 10 Vauto does a better job of ignoring the Cardiogenic Oscillations. Must be a different algorithm.

(wonder if anyone with the newest ResMed 11 can comment?)

[gettingbetter]

SevereApnea!  Thanks a bunch!  Knowing how to measure this accurately really helps.  Thanks for showing me this!  Both my med inspiration and expiration values are off.  When I measure them, inspiration is closer to 2 seconds with expiration being closer to 3.0-3.5 seconds.  Not the perfect 1:2 ratio, but closer to normal.

[gettingbetter]

Hi everyone!  I'm a newbie still learning.  I need help with graph interpretation, please.  The mask setting says "FFM" but I was using a nasal mask (forgot to switch the setting).

1.  I'm assuming the jagged edges at around the zero line look like cardioballistic artifact.

2.  Is there anything on my graph that looks like it could be palatal prolapse?


Thanks in advance for suggestions.

[Gideon]

There is no indication of palatal prolapse there.
And yes that looks like a cardiogenetic artifact.

[gettingbetter]

Thanks Gideon!  I appreciate your time and response!

What does palatal prolapse look like?  I've searched the forum but am having difficulty what it looks like on a flow graph.

[Gideon]

http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php...l_Prolapse

[gettingbetter]

Thanks Gideon!   More newbie questions, after looking at your link..

1.  So if you have PP on inspiration, you'd get the thick lines at the top of inspiration?

2.  if you have PP on expiration, you'd either get the thick lines on expiration OR a lengthy flatline at the zero?



Thanks again for your help!

[gettingbetter]

Big breakthrough!  Gideon was right!  My apnea with FFM was positional. 

*Using a cervical collar with back-sleeping with FFM didn't reduce AHI, but sleeping on my left side did the trick to reduce AHI from mid-30s to lower than 1.  
*My sleep was junky due to new mask and sleeping position, but that will improve in time. 
*I had pretty high mask leaks.
*I'll also need to bump up the pressure eventually (and use EPR) to address the flow limitations, but will have to do that gradually due to aerophagia.


All in all, I'm super pleased with this!  Now I can use a FFM during allergy season, and go back to the nasal mask after allergies have calmed down.

Any suggestions to reduce mask leaks?  I used the Resmed Airtouch FFM. 

Thank you.

[gettingbetter]

Has anyone ever had aerophagia from too low of a pressure?