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Does this look normal? [flow data]
#1
Does this look normal? [flow data]
I looked at my flow data a little more closely, and I seem to have a LOT of this:
[attachment=8044]

This looks funny to me ... all those delays in taking a breath.  They seem like mini (5-6s) apneas.  Yes? No?
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#2
RE: Does this look normal?
It looks bad. Perhaps you are awake? Regardless, your treatment is not very effective.
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#3
RE: Does this look normal?
nope, not awake. Crap. Another thing to go back to my idiot doctor with.
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#4
RE: Does this look normal?
I get (and I assume many of us get) lots of breathing lapses less than 10 seconds long which are not therefore flagged as events. sometimes all by themselves in the flow rate chart, sometimes nipped by pressure or pressure support before they last long enough to be flagged, and often before and after a flagged event. a sleep doc would have to look deeper than summary and compliance data to notice these things and so in my limited experience it seems they tend not to notice. but I figure the cumulative effect of these along with other types of disordered breathing is not good and therefore should be addressed by titration, not just for apnea and hypopnea but for flow limitations as well. how is that not simply common sense? however, as noted here and in other threads, you still have a lot of flagged events that need to be addressed first. that alone might reduce the number of these shorter 'events'.
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#5
RE: Does this look normal?
(09-01-2018, 08:03 AM)allanri Wrote: This looks funny to me ... all those delays in taking a breath.  They seem like mini (5-6s) apneas.  Yes? No?

Hi allanri,

Notice that many of your exhalations (times of negative Flow) should be much larger. I think those are clearly times when the pressure is too low during exhalation (while EPR is reducing the pressure), allowing your airway to close and interfere with expiration. 

Using APAP may clear that up, or if you’re already using APAP then raising the max pressure setting may clear it up. 

Also, reducing EPR may clear that up. Reducing EPR also often reduces the number of central apneas.

Take care,
—Vaughn
The Advisory Member group provides advice and suggestions to Apnea Board administrators and staff on matters concerning Apnea Board operation and administrative policies.  Membership in the Advisory Member group should not be understood as in any way implying medical expertise or qualification for advising Sleep Apnea patients concerning their treatment.
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#6
RE: Does this look normal?
It's exhaling through the mouth around the mask.  I don't know how you're doing it with a full face, but you are.

[Image: attachment.php?aid=8044]

This is a graph from The Beginners Guide to Sleepyhead wiki  http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php...oring_Data  Looks the same to me.

[Image: Flow_limitation_images_zpsdb148d1f.jpg]
Sleeprider
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#7
RE: Does this look normal?
never mind. posted before seeing Sleeprider's post.
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#8
RE: Does this look normal?
Hi Sleeprider,

Notice that in the example of expiratory mouth leaking shown in the guide, the inhalations are never immediately preceded by exhalations, and that the inhalations tend to be all of equal size.

In contrast, several of allanri’s inhalations are immediately preceded by exhalations (as if a closed-off airway has been interfering with expiration) and when the inhalations are not immediately preceded by exhalations, the inhalations tend to be stunted, smaller (as if the lungs were already partly full of unexhaled air, preventing a normal sized inhalation).

Take care,
—Vaughn
The Advisory Member group provides advice and suggestions to Apnea Board administrators and staff on matters concerning Apnea Board operation and administrative policies.  Membership in the Advisory Member group should not be understood as in any way implying medical expertise or qualification for advising Sleep Apnea patients concerning their treatment.
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#9
RE: Does this look normal?
sorry if these are dumb questions:

wouldn't the leak rate graph indicate extent to which the traces allenri posted indicate leaks?

if there's any indication they're mini events, can you-all tell that what's shown in allenri's chart are obstructive and not central?
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#10
RE: Does this look normal?
Hi sheepless,

It may be instructive to see the waveforms for Flow and Leak shown next to each other for easy comparison. 

However, ResMed updates Flow data every 40 milliseconds (a 25 Hz rate) and updates Leak data every two seconds (a 0.5 Hz rate), so the Leak data will not show fine resolution.  Since the Leak data will include only a single point every two seconds, I’m not sure what Leak data would look like if Leak is happening only during exhalation.

In my view, the Flow waveform shown in allenri’s posted data indicates an obstructive condition during exhalation (while EPR would be reducing pressure), because it looks to me like airway restriction is interfering with his exhalations.
The Advisory Member group provides advice and suggestions to Apnea Board administrators and staff on matters concerning Apnea Board operation and administrative policies.  Membership in the Advisory Member group should not be understood as in any way implying medical expertise or qualification for advising Sleep Apnea patients concerning their treatment.
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