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Leaks

I have been noticing that alot of you are putting quite a bit of time and energy into the leak average part of your data. From a tech veiw I don't think this is necessary. At least not as much as I have seen. As long as your AHI is low, you are not snoring, and the leak is not bothering you I would not worry about it. The formula I use in a lab setting is this. 4x the pressure=equal leak allowance for any nasal mask. 5x the pressure=leak allowance for Full face masks. For Mike's setting at 12 cmwp I would allow a leak of up to 48L because he is on a nasal mask. The goal is to keep the events as low as possible. Everyone is different. Some people need a higher leak to stabilize the pressure. The leak average will drive you insane. Believe me I have spent needless hours trying to lower leaks when the events were pretty much gone.

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Permalink Reply by Judy on May 17, 2009 at 10:35pm

Ooops, Rock Hinkle. I just realized as I read thru this thread again that I never commented on your "formula" for leaks that you use in your lab. It seems to work quite well for my leak rates prior to and after using the chin strap. Did you come up w/that formula on your own??

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Permalink Reply by RockRpsgt on May 18, 2009 at 1:52am

I stick to my formula now Judy. No problems as of yet.

Judy said:

Yeah, well, Rock Hinkle, don't get tooooo complacent about leaks!! I went TWO YEARS w/way too high a Leak BECAUSE the sleep techs who titrated me and the sleep doctors who were "treating" me weren't at all concerned about my Leak rate despite my asking about them many times. I was always told that today's xPAPs compensate quite nicely for leaks.

Yeah, well, "we" didn't achieve success UNTIL the RPSGT at the last sleep lab I went to picked up on it and said right off the bat that my leaks were too high. The sleep tech who did my actual titration came in midway thru the night with a chin strap for me. The addition of the chin strap, not the titrated pressure, was what FINALLY brought me success (the titration was "off" by 1 cm AND the dolt of a sleep doctor almost forgot to include the addition of 2L of 02 on my script). Duh! He was just a PITA anyway. Had he not ordered the titration study he would have been a COMPLETE waste of my time.

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Permalink Reply by RockRpsgt on May 18, 2009 at 1:53am

Yes
Judy said:

Ooops, Rock Hinkle. I just realized as I read thru this thread again that I never commented on your "formula" for leaks that you use in your lab. It seems to work quite well for my leak rates prior to and after using the chin strap. Did you come up w/that formula on your own??