+- Apnea Board Forum - CPAP | Sleep Apnea (https://www.apneaboard.com/forums)
+-- Forum: Public Area (https://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Forum-Public-Area)
+--- Forum: Main Apnea Board Forum (https://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Forum-Main-Apnea-Board-Forum)
+--- Thread: Oscar screenshot. Can anyone advise whats next? (/Thread-Oscar-screenshot-Can-anyone-advise-whats-next)
RE: Oscar screenshot. Can anyone advise whats next? - cathyf - 09-09-2021
WHOA dude!!!
That is some amazing extended sustained flow limit you managed to produce there! (a 95th percentile FL of 0.66 -- just wow.)
Zoom in on the flow rate curve between about 1/4-past and 3/4-past midnight -- from the zoomed out it looks like you are in the range of hypopnea there!
(If you right-click on the y-axis of the flow-rate curve you can override the curve limits. Over that 30-minute time span the curve is really tight. If you zoom in vertically as well as horizontally you can get a much better idea of how squished that really was.)
RE: Oscar screenshot. Can anyone advise whats next? - legrunt - 09-10-2021
(09-09-2021, 11:32 PM)cathyf Wrote: WHOA dude!!!
That is some amazing extended sustained flow limit you managed to produce there! (a 95th percentile FL of 0.66 -- just wow.)
Zoom in on the flow rate curve between about 1/4-past and 3/4-past midnight -- from the zoomed out it looks like you are in the range of hypopnea there!
(If you right-click on the y-axis of the flow-rate curve you can override the curve limits. Over that 30-minute time span the curve is really tight. If you zoom in vertically as well as horizontally you can get a much better idea of how squished that really was.)
Sorry, I am not exactly sure what flow limit actually means... Can explain it?
RE: Oscar screenshot. Can anyone advise whats next? - SarcasticDave94 - 09-10-2021
Flow limits are literally limits to your airflow, I think at about 50% restricted, or half an Apnea.
RE: Oscar screenshot. Can anyone advise whats next? - legrunt - 09-10-2021
Any advice what to do about that? Pressure back up slightly? Related to EPR?
RE: Oscar screenshot. Can anyone advise whats next? - SarcasticDave94 - 09-10-2021
Yes, it would be pressure and EPR related. If tolerated, EPR to 3 may help some.
RE: Oscar screenshot. Can anyone advise whats next? - legrunt - 09-10-2021
(09-10-2021, 01:53 AM)SarcasticDave94 Wrote: Yes, it would be pressure and EPR related. If tolerated, EPR to 3 may help some.
I've actually been trying to reduce my EPR actually. When zooming in to mask pressure, for a couple of previous nights (at EPR 3), I noticed that the mask pressure was low (exhale pressure) at the onset of each OSA.
As I am trying to reduce pressure overall to reduce aerophagia and gerd, I thought that by decreasing my EPR, I could then be increasing the exhale pressure, but at the same time being able to lower the max pressure.
In this case, if I were to bring EPR back to 3, would the exhale pressure drop too low? Or should I just bump up my max pressure slightly first?
RE: Oscar screenshot. Can anyone advise whats next? - OpalRose - 09-10-2021
I believe the flow Limitation was due to positional apnea. Look at the time in your FL graph around 24:00 and line it up with the clump of Obstructives you had. You probably were tucking your chin to your chest and this in turn cuts off your air. It happens occasionally, but if it continues, you may want to consider a flatter pillow that doesn't allow your head to tuck down or check into a soft cervical collar.
http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php?title=Soft_Cervical_Collar
As far as pressure settings go.... your main concern was Gerd and swallowing air. That's important to conquer right now for comfort. Lower pressures help, plus the use of EPR. You have to find a happy medium between no Aerophagia, and an AHI that isn't too high. You probably won't have both... it's a balancing act... sort of.
RE: Oscar screenshot. Can anyone advise whats next? - legrunt - 09-11-2021
(09-10-2021, 09:42 AM)OpalRose Wrote: I believe the flow Limitation was due to positional apnea. Look at the time in your FL graph around 24:00 and line it up with the clump of Obstructives you had. You probably were tucking your chin to your chest and this in turn cuts off your air. It happens occasionally, but if it continues, you may want to consider a flatter pillow that doesn't allow your head to tuck down or check into a soft cervical collar.
http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php?title=Soft_Cervical_Collar
As far as pressure settings go.... your main concern was Gerd and swallowing air. That's important to conquer right now for comfort. Lower pressures help, plus the use of EPR. You have to find a happy medium between no Aerophagia, and an AHI that isn't too high. You probably won't have both... it's a balancing act... sort of.
Thank you. I'll keep an eye out for this FL now that I know what it is.
And thanks also for the advice on the pressure. I went back up slightly last night, but no chance to look at the data yet, cos it's the weekend and the small devil at home totally demands all my attention when I'm not working.
RE: Oscar screenshot. Can anyone advise whats next? - Gideon - 09-11-2021
Opal nailed it. See the cluster of obstructive events just after midnight. That is the primary indicator. I think you were so severely flow limited that you established a new (ab)normal. I'd like to see another nights data to if it is a recurring issue.
I'll describe normal as breathing thru a snorkel
Flow limited as breathing thru a straw
You were breathing thru a mixed drink storing straw, for so long that your machine thought it was normal.
RE: Oscar screenshot. Can anyone advise whats next? - legrunt - 09-12-2021
(09-11-2021, 07:41 AM)Gideon Wrote: Opal nailed it. See the cluster of obstructive events just after midnight. That is the primary indicator. I think you were so severely flow limited that you established a new (ab)normal. I'd like to see another nights data to if it is a recurring issue.
I'll describe normal as breathing thru a snorkel
Flow limited as breathing thru a straw
You were breathing thru a mixed drink storing straw, for so long that your machine thought it was normal.
That sounds scary...
Here's last nights data.
I was thinking of putting it back to EPR 3. What do you think? Or do I need more max pressure?
[attachment=35654]