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Sorry for my english. I have been diagnosed with severe apnea two months ago. My life has changed for the better thanks to the Resmed airsense 10 Elite. Now my life is great. But I have to overcome something that I can't understand. Why when changing the mask for another model the AHI and flow limit arise?. There is not a leakage when this happen. My results are great (AHI:2) when using a F&P facial mask, but when using an Apex wizard 320 or a BMC F1A the AHI are aroung 5 or higher and the flow limit is very high. Where is the problem?.
I attach two sreenshots of the Oscar graphs so you can view the detail fot two different days, the first one with one mask (F&P) and the second one with another mask (Apex wizard 320).
Thank you for the great community and the effort you put so we can learn how to optimize the treatment.
10-27-2021, 05:10 AM (This post was last modified: 10-27-2021, 05:15 AM by SarcasticDave94.
Edit Reason: mod info
)
RE: question on variable AHI
Welcome to the Apnea Board,
One of the first differences I look for when this question comes up is leak rate. Your first chart with lower AHI has leaks Max at 8.4 where the chart with higher AHI has leak Max at 13.2.
There's several ways higher leaks can affect events and whether or not you are well rested. Higher leaks cause higher disturbances, and if high enough leaks are present, can reduce therapy accuracy. I don't think leaks have increased enough to affect your accuracy however.
I think it's more likely in your case leaks are causing you disruptions and arousals, which in turn trigger more events.
Also of note is your event type is changing from night to night. Chart 1 has only Central CA events, where chart 2 has lower CA but increased Hypopnea events.
Lastly, due to your AHI being under 5, of the 2 charts, which night represents better comfort and rest? Why ask that? Because being well rested and having treated Apnea isn't all about low event numbers. Again both are under 5 AHI so this equals treated. I imagine one of these nights was more comfortable. You decide which. And there's not a wrong answer, it's about successful treatment including your comfort.
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On the second night with the AHI 4.77 it looks like you may have had positional apnea. We also call it chin tucking. It is when you get into a position where you cut off your own airway usually because your chin drops to your chest. There is not a way for the pap machine to help with this the only thing you can do is to stop getting into that position. many times it is because of sleeping on your back or using to high of a pillow. What ever the reason try to stop getting into that position. That did not happen the other night so hopefully it is just a one time thing.
Thanks a lot for your help, sarcasticDave and staceyburke. I have switched the mask during several days and the results are consistent: very good AHI for the F&P and not so good AHI for the other two masks. Is there a correlation between a mask and the AHI you get assuming there are no leaks?.
I can't explain the why but what I see is a positional problem, I think you are tucking the chin in some form with one mask, and not the other. I see it in both the hypopneas and the flow limits. Any chance you are using your pillow differently?
Gideon - Project Manager Emeritus for OSCAR - Open Source CPAP Analysis Reporter
10-27-2021, 10:45 AM (This post was last modified: 10-27-2021, 10:50 AM by staceyburke.)
RE: question on variable AHI
I don’t think so. Positional apnea can be seen where either OA or H events are clustered together. Check your other days and see IF you have grouped events. If you do it would have nothing to do with which mask you are using but in the sleeping position.
Stacey, a Mask can and well affect how you can position yourself on a pillow. Example would be if you sleep on your back with a FFM but your side with a pillow mask.
In this case the Mask is the obvious change, what I don't know is why the difference. Sleeping on your side with a FFM will push it all over the place resulting in your having to sleep more or less on your back.
Gideon - Project Manager Emeritus for OSCAR - Open Source CPAP Analysis Reporter
Pablo, I see something on your 11-Oct OSCAR that I see a lot of, and seems to be pretty rare. The respiration rate around 6:15 is shifting up and down very fast, and it's showing many values at 50 breaths per minute.
Use the zoom to show about 2 minutes in that region, and take screenshots. (hint: to set the zoom to 2 minutes, change from the Details to the Events tab on the left sidebar, and then look at the very bottom. There is a knob you can drag to get a zoom level that's exact. After you set your zoom you can switch back to Details. Another hint -- when you have 2 minutes zoomed, take a screen shot. Then hit the right arrow on your keyboard 8 times -- it will slide the graph over to the next 2 minutes. Another screen shot, right arrow 8 more times, take a 3rd screen shot. You can then post all three, which together show six minutes zoomed in.)
Also if you can arrange at least one screen shot showing both sides of the 6:18 mark when the respiration rate shifts dramatically down, you will be able to compare both sides and see what's going on.
