Apnea and Pulmonary Hypertension

[OpalRose]

Thanks for your response-  I did change it yesterday to 6.5- I'll be anxious to see what that does. Thanks again!

Haynbo,
Please keep us updated on your progress.  Often, it is a work in progress, and may take a few tweeks.
Dont forget to download the #SleepyHead software.

[Haynbo]

Don't quite understand how to interpret the OSA vs. the number of Hypopneas- last night was my best night- my AHI was 2.6- with 3 osa''s, 2 clear airway and 18 total hypopneas- that type of ratio is what I seem to be getting- the total hypop seems to be the dominant number- what does that mean and is there anything that can be done? Thanks!

[OpalRose]

When you can, download #SleepyHead and send us a screenshot using the tutorials in my signature line.

It looks like your heading in the right direction, but may still need a little higher minimum pressure. Can you tell us what your 90% pressure reading is? Once we know that, you can set a pressure range around that number.

[Haynbo]

Thanks- I will do that- as far as the pressure readings- it shows 13.0 for 1 day, 10.0 for 7 days and 9.1 for 30 days- does that tell you anything? Thanks very much!

[OpalRose]

Thanks- I will do that- as far as the pressure readings- it shows 13.0 for 1 day, 10.0 for 7 days and 9.1 for 30 days- does that tell you anything? Thanks very much!

If those are 90% pressure readings, then your minimum pressure is still too low. Without seeing some data (a screenshot), I hesitate to advise on pressure changes, but you can try to set a pressure range of 9 minimum and 15 maximum.

Follow the tutorials in my signature line to organize and post here.

[Haynbo]

Thanks again- what should the 90 percent readings be?

[OpalRose]

Thanks again- what should the 90 percent readings be?

Haynbo,
There is no "right" 90% pressure reading.  This is very individual and based on your need at any given time during the night.  

The 90% pressure is where you were at for 90% of the night and under.  Note the "and under".  
This doesn't mean you were at a certain pressure for 90% of the night.  But this number is a good start point for setting a pressure range that will work for you.  

If your minimum pressure is too far away from the 90% pressure, then the apap has a much harder time getting the pressure to where it needs to be to keep your airway open.......hence (the hypopneas).

Once you have #SleepyHead running, you can see the different apnea events and how your pressure relates to them.

[Mark71]

Haynbo, welcome. Have you downloaded Sleepyhead and been able to build any data yet?

[Haynbo]

As an update to my original post about the pulmonary pressures- with the stress echo that I had back in Jan the pressures were at 58- high!- I had started the CPAP therapy about 2 weeks prior to that but not very consistent- from that time on I have been very good with it and my cardiologist felt that with the treatment, the pressures should go down. Anyway, I had a repeat echo last Wed and the pressures dropped to 44- still above normal but much better than what it was. He feels that with time and consistent use of the CPAP I should see further improvement (hopefully).
I do a have a question relative to my daily results on the Dream Mapper- my results have improved but not to where I feel they should be- I have been fairly consistently below 5 with a low of 2.6 but my overall average stands at 5.5-my earlier results were higher which has impacted the average. My concern deals with the number of hypopneas that I have each night- while my OSA's and clear have been fairly stable at a lower number, my hypopneas are consistently higher- mid 20's to the 40's. I have read a lot about this and it appears that the treatment is the same- I do know that my nose breathing is probably an issue- I have always had issues with a stuffed up nose because of allergies and a broken nose from my football days- hence, I have always been a mouth breather. Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions as to how to reduce that number and, if in fact, is that significant. As an aside, I still do not feel fully rested during the day- find myself looking at the clock and counting the hours till bed! Thanks!!

[Haynbo]

Thanks for your interest- I am working on the Sleepy head app- I downloaded it this morning but do not know how to transfer the data to the computer- I put a call in to Respironics and am waiting for a reply- I did do some research on it and I think I found that I need to get some type of an adapter- sound right? I'll post when I get it done. Thanks!