"please keep me updated about oximeters "
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How to understand bipap patient menu
We have just recently gained access to the patient menu. Eliminates a lot of unknown! We would like to see if there is an acceptable/normal level we should be watching for with the VT, MV, resp rate and AHI events. The pressure on his machine was lowered end of Feb and so with the new patient menu we would like to learn as much as possible about monitoring so we know if it is time to talk to the doctor about his treatment/pressure. Also, the information will be important as we are trying different sleep locations, positions, etc. Just getting over the hump of machine fears and increasing time used from 1 hour (past 6 months) to a range of 3-6 hours.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by The Wife in OSA Life on
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Leak rate has been 1.26 to 0.26 since we accessed info a week and a half ago. AHI has been 1.7 to one night of 19.4. AI has been mainly 0.0 in the 2's or like last night at 0.3. More hypoaneas. The usage is improving, tho not nightly consistent yet. When watching the AHI and usage time I guess I need to know how to tell if things are improving. I mean, it seems like he goes up and down in AHI and not necessarily with longer use time. What can we look for, position, readings, to see if we can figure out if any plays a part in the sleep. Or do we just let the machine make up the difference in breathing and go on? I don't know and am quiet confused as to what we can do to improve his sleep. His pressure was lowered from 16 on a cpap to 14/10 on the bipap almost 2 months ago in hopes of overcoming suffocating feelng, too much chest pressure, lack of time used. Now that he is making headway we just need to know we are doing whatever we can to improve things. Still waiting for records to arrive to get more info ourselves.
j n k said:I don't know what the specific diagnosis of the user is, but with simple obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) the most important info is number of hours used, leak, and AHI. Vt MV and RR don't come into play much with OSA, as I understand it.
AHI from a home machine is mostly trending information, which means that there is not so much a target as there is a need to monitor whether things are getting better or worse over time.
First goal should be to use the machine all the time. No sleeping without it. Next goal is to make sure there isn't too much mask leak. Third goal is to get AHI as low as possible. Again, that is assuming the full diagnosis is OSA. Anything beyond that usually requires the doctor to be very involved in interpreting the data and deciding what needs to be done about it.
I am not a doc, just a fellow patient.
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Permalink Reply by Mary Z on
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Assuming you have follow up with a physician, I would keep things consistent until time for follow up, if it is in a reasonable amount of time. AI sounds good. Leakage could be worked on.
Good Luck,
Mary Z.
MF said:Leak rate has been 1.26 to 0.26 since we accessed info a week and a half ago. AHI has been 1.7 to one night of
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What numbers would we looking for to have an improved leak rate?
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Mostly you need more time using the bi-level for there to be any real meaning or accuracy of the data. Our breathing when awake is quite different from our breathing when sleeping. A large share of the data from these short 2-4 hour sleep sessions is wake data which is unduly influencing the sleeping data. I seriously doubt you will get any consistent, meaninful data until the sleep sessions are 4 hours or more at one time.
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Do you mean awake data as not being in REM for longer or more frequently?
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No, I just mean that I seriously doubt that your husband falls asleep w/in 5 minutes each time he lays down w/his PAP and turns it on. The PAP is gathering data whether he is asleep or not.
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The wife, as a ball park (depends on masks) under 0.4 leakage. A leak of 0.26 is very good and if you can achieve that every night that would be great. I too am having trouble with leaks right now.
Mary Z.
Mary Z said:Assuming you haveLeak rate has been 1.26 to 0.26 since we accessed info a week and a half ago. AHI has been 1.7 to one night of
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