pressure question

[DreamDiver]

If Oak were experiencing mostly obstructives, I'd say max it to 20, but she's getting mostly centrals. I'd go with Oak on this one, starting with 10|14, but then I like taking it in small steps.

[oak]

Agree with others that you should figure out if the machine plateaus at 20 or somewhere before then.

Could this flow limitation be a sign of some kind of obstruction in the airway such as a deviated septum or nasal polyps?

nope-had deviated septum repaired in 1999. no polyps.

i am going to 10-14 tonight because i do get air in the gut and will see what happens. thanks everyone for your thoughts. it helps in understanding all of this craziness

[RonWessels]

If Oak were experiencing mostly obstructives, I'd say max it to 20, but she's getting mostly centrals. I'd go with Oak on this one, starting with 10|14, but then I like taking it in small steps.

Two different issues going on. The first is the actual apnea events. With mostly clear airway apneas and an AHI less than 3 at that, the apneas are clearly under control with the current pressure settings.

If this were a fixed-pressure CPAP machine (or in that mode), everything would look just fine. However, she has the machine in auto-CPAP mode, and is therefore getting more information. The flow limitation is indicating that, while the obstructive apneas are under control, the pressure is close to the lowest point that will do so, and any other effects (such as sleeping on your back, alcohol consumption, etc) might push it over the edge and prompt the apneas to happen again.

It's your choice, Oak. If you want more of a "safety margin", go ahead an increase your upper pressure limit. Whether you go straight to 20 or increment slowly is your decision.

[oak]

thanks everyone for your feedback. i am set at 9-15 now and will leave it that way for a couple of weeks and see what happens.