Back for a Second Round...this time I'm going to get it
Hello,
I'm back for another go at sleeping with a CPAP. I have a Phillips Respironics with a humidifier, and I'm in possession of both nasal pillows and a full face-mask. You will see some initial data below...can a more experienced CPAP user tell me if my flowrate waveform looks odd. Thanks, ATLApnea
[attachment=4240]
RE: Back for a Second Round...this time I'm going to get it
Ummmmm....where's the rest of your night????
It would be really helpful if you could use your xPAP for the entire time you sleep and then post a SleepHead chart. Start with a SleepyHead chart for the whole night and then drill down to a small segment. Maybe post a couple of nights.
Those wave forms don't look unusual, but I'm a newb.
Oh, congratulations on taking a second look at an xPAP regimen.
RE: Back for a Second Round...this time I'm going to get it
Will do...this is all I could muster on this night. My goal is to persevere and utilize the device for 6 to 8 hours. Glad to know the waveform doesn't look irregular. It seemed strange that there was a hump in the middle of my inspiration. Thanks for the feedback!
RE: Back for a Second Round...this time I'm going to get it
Hi ATLApnea,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
Better luck to you this time around with CPAP therapy.
Hang in there for more responses to your post.
trish6hundred
RE: Back for a Second Round...this time I'm going to get it
ATLAtlant, actually the wave forms show some pretty strong flow limitation. There seems to be a brief initial inhale, pause and inhale then resumes. This causes the inhale to be longer than exhale which is a bit unusual (search I:E ratio respiration). Higher pressure might help you to initiate and maintain inspiration and normalize that curve. Another possibility for this wave form anomaly is the A-Flex setting which provides transition pressure as you initiate inspiration. In flow limitation or where inspiratory volume is low, that pressure support may not be sustained for the full inhale time. That may explain the "double pump" effect. If you are using A-Flex, you might consider lowering the Flex setting to 1 or using C-Flex which may improve that.
This is a brief look at a small part of the night, but based on what I'm seeing here, I recommend increasing minimum pressure to 6.0 and change Flex settings to CFlex at 1.
RE: Back for a Second Round...this time I'm going to get it
I did let you know I'm a newb! But live and learn.
I frequently have wave forms like that and, ahem, I have high flow limit.
I had thought high flow limit created flat-top waves, but maybe that too.
RE: Back for a Second Round...this time I'm going to get it
Thanks so much Sleeprider! I caught this advice right before I was about to fire-up my respironics beast. I will implement your suggestions tonight and report back. Take care and sleep well!