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50% leak rate
#1
50% leak rate
i have 50% leak rate. i used machine for 5.38 hours, if it takes me 38 minutes to to fall asleep (i see no leaks in 1st 40 min and it takes me long time to fall asleep),  so with more than 50% of time i have high leaks.  may i assume that i only get therapy for about 2.5 hours?
i am not asking how to fix leaks. all i am asking if i actually engaging in total waste of time with cpap. if 2.5 hours is correct, i guess it is better than 0 hours without machine.
i  know i have to keep trying different masks to work on leaks, but my question is about current usage


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#2
RE: 50% leak rate
Leaks on this chart seem to be mouth breathing or air escaping from your mouth.  A flat top is how it looks on a graph.  So most of your problem is keeping your mouth closed.  It is something that is problem for many people on the site.  There are ways people have tried to stop it.  Tape the mouth closed, a collar (link at the bottom of the page), full face mask and what some call here the tongue suck method. - putting the tongue just behind the top front teeth and sucking it back a little to stop air from coming into the mouth.  Sounds strange but some say it works.  You can search for the thread if you want to read about it.

I can not see the Event flags but the right says clear airway is the most prominent.   To help get rid of them I would do 2 adjustments.  1. raise the EPAP to 10    2. turn off the EPR  Those 2 changes should help your centrals.

I know it is frustrating but it takes a while to get things set correctly for you.  Again, this is a new post - it is much better if you stay with the same post so people can look back at the same post to see what has happened.  Starting a new post only gives information of one night instead of an overview of all of your therapy.
Apnea (80-100%) 10 seconds, Hypopnea (50-80%) 10 seconds, Flow Limits (0-50%) not timed  Cervical Collar - Dealing w DME - Chart Organizing
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#3
RE: 50% leak rate
my question was really how effective is therapy? do i get it for 2.5 hours or 50% or not? 
i know it is a process and i am willing to work thru it. All i am asking is it working for 2.5 hours in total.
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#4
RE: 50% leak rate
I know you said you didn't wan't to discuss leaks, but you have to realize that a high leak rate renders your machine incapable of providing therapy.  

Do you feel you had 2.5 hours of good sleep?  Are you refreshed in the morning?  Are you awake during all that leaking (mouth breathing), or are you sleeping through it?

It would be great if you could repost that chart and include the Event and Flow Rate graphs?  Thanks! Smile
OpalRose
Apnea Board Administrator
www.apneaboard.com

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#5
RE: 50% leak rate
The leak Rate is NOT like an on off switch. You are getting some therapy throughout the night. Some of the obstructions are made smaller. Look at your flow limits. It is very high - without pap they would be a larger apnea (H or OB) so I cannot give you a percentage. But without using pap you would have larger events.
Apnea (80-100%) 10 seconds, Hypopnea (50-80%) 10 seconds, Flow Limits (0-50%) not timed  Cervical Collar - Dealing w DME - Chart Organizing
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#6
RE: 50% leak rate
i started cpap 6 months ago and had 3 nights in total when i slept for 7 hours, had few leaks and felt better during the day. how can you feel not tired sleeping for 5 hours? so if therapy not working with high leaks and i have them 1/2 of the time,  is it working other 1/2 of the time?


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#7
RE: 50% leak rate
Yes the PAP is working during the time when the leaks are under control. The therapy is far less effective during the large leaks. Your therapy would be far better if you get the leaks taken care of.

Are you looking for help? Please take the advice of the excellent members here on the AB. Your apnea will not be fully controlled if you have large leaks. It's possible your mask may be leaking or your mouth may be open. There may be additional reasons. It would be helpful to show in detail a region in the Large Leak area. Pick one and zoom into a 2-3 minute wide region. One way of doing this is to put your cursor on the grey area and repeatedly click. This zooms into an area around the cursor. Perhaps this will give the members enough information so they may be able to further help you.
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#8
RE: 50% leak rate
i just want to make sure, any time i sleep with mouth open oscar will report it as large leak?
attached are enlarged images


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#9
RE: 50% leak rate
As I said in another post look at the normal leak chart - when you see a flat top breathing patterns that is either mouth breathing or air coming out of the mouth. If it is spiked top it is a mask leak.
Apnea (80-100%) 10 seconds, Hypopnea (50-80%) 10 seconds, Flow Limits (0-50%) not timed  Cervical Collar - Dealing w DME - Chart Organizing
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#10
RE: 50% leak rate
(10-25-2020, 05:58 PM)cpapnovice Wrote: i just want to make sure, any time i sleep with mouth open oscar will report it as large leak?
attached are enlarged images
You need to zoom in further.  You have posted a 50 minute span, make it a 3 minute span total.  We need to see the details of the waveform.
If your mouth is open I think it will be reported as a large leak.  (Everyone, please correct me if I'm wrong.)  Please post a 3 minute span as we are trying to see your individual breaths.
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