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+--- Thread: [Treatment] Struggling with increased AHI and CAs (/Thread-Treatment-Struggling-with-increased-AHI-and-CAs)
Struggling with increased AHI and CAs - flyingcrowgang - 08-23-2024
Hey all,
I'm looking for some advice on my treatment. I've spent a few nights my nasal pillow mask and have been having issues with higher AHIs and Clear Airway events. I've tried interpreting the results based on other threads but am having trouble with next steps. I've included 3 photos:
- 4AHI night with nasal pillow at 7.8 -15 pressure range EPR 3
- 6AHI night with nasal pillow at 9 - 15 pressure range EPR 3
- 0.92 AHI night with nasal cushion at 6.6 - 15 pressure range EPR off
RE: Struggling with increased AHI and CAs - staceyburke - 08-23-2024
Your centrals are treatment emergent which means you will have them until your body gets use to the treatment. Your centrals are caused because the machine is removing C02 more and you stop breathing until the C02 increases and you begin breathing again.
You have flow limits that need to be treated. Flow limits are apnea just like Oa and H events but not long enough to be classified as a large apnea (I have how apnea is classified in my signature) The problem is EPR is how we treat FL but your body is not use to the treatment and you have centrals. The one night you had to EPR off you had a lot of Flow Limits but your centrals were low.
You can not treat Centrals with pressure, we can only try to lessen them until your body adjusts. This means that you will need to lower your EPR (I would suggest 1 instead of turning it off) and see how that effects your centrals. If it is ok keep it there for a couple weeks and move EPR to 2. Again wait a couple of weeks at 2 and see if the centrals are ok and move EPR to 3. It is a process of allowing your body to get use to the cpap.
By the way a central can be recorded simply by holding your breath while turning over in bed, adjusting pillows, pulling up covers. The machine can NOT tell if you are just holding your breath or if your and awake or asleep.
RE: Struggling with increased AHI and CAs - flyingcrowgang - 08-23-2024
Thank you so much for all your advice and for the explanation. This is really helpful. It's good to know that these are aspects I just need to iron out as I adjust to therapy. I'll switch my EPR to 1 and track how that goes. Thanks a bunch again.