Getting used to ASV pulses

[DeepBreathing]

For ASV machines the mask pressure graph is far more useful than the red pressure graph when you're zoomed in like this. IIRC the mask pressure is sampled 25 times a second but the overall pressure is only sampled once/second, which is why the graph looks so lumpy at this scale).

[JesseLee]

Very good point Deep Breathing. Never thought about sample rates for CPAP machines, I like it! Now if I can remember that in the future 

[Sleeprider]

b.e. wilson your Philips Auto SV Advanced has some settings that the Resmed ASV guys don't have. Another member here t.j.Moody uses a Philips machine and has set his breath backup rate to manual and is currently using a BPM setting of 5. That is an uncommonly low rate. The default backup rate for these machines is 15 BPM, and if the auto mode is not working for you, you can switch to a manual BPM and try some lower settings that better reflect your respiratory rate. Many members using these machines do well at 10-12 bpm. Keep in mind the Resmed paces the user's breathing rate, while Philips times it. You may need a lower BPM with Philips in order not to get the pressure surges until you need them. Just a thought, and I encourage you to continue trying to use the auto settings if possible; but if you feel it does not provide a comfortable match for your respiration rate, you have an alternative to experiment with.

[b.e.wilson]

S. Rider,

The settings which affect my regular breathing are what I'm playing with now. Here is last night:
5-9, PS 2-6. Flex off, with a timed breath setting of 6 (how fast it turns around from exhale to inhale, relative numbers, not seconds).
Result: AHI went up, as did periodic breathing and central apneas. But it felt better sleeping, and my tidal volume was way up.

Tonight I'll lower pressure support to 1-6 and see how that works. Or maybe it would be better to set 4-8 with PS1-6? But I like the larger tidal volumes a lot. I sleep hotter that way, which means more cells are staying active at night. If that doesn't improve things, I'll go to timed breathing.

Thanks, all for comments and advice.
Working it out,
Bruce

[Sleeprider]

I'm not surprised that some minimal PS and a much lower BPM created some more CA events, but interesting that it helped the tidal volume and how you felt. Those may be more important parameters. As I said before, I think you need to keep a more conventional bacup rate (bpm) of at least 8 to 10. Keep us posted how you sort this out. I would try to sort out the PS issues separately from BPM.

[b.e.wilson]

Sleeprider,

Something you mentioned has caught my eye, about ResMed machines being more "responsive" to breathing than the Respironics machines. I thought that too, but have found that when Flex is disabled, the Respironics machine is very responsive to my breathing. I've been running with it off, and it's far more comfortable than on. I've been running with 1-2 cm of inhalation boost in the pressure support setting.

I've also found the most restful sleep I've gotten will have 2-3% periodic breathing. When periodic breathing is zero I don't feel well-rested. Strange.

Bruce

[SarcasticDave94]

Sleeprider,

Something you mentioned has caught my eye, about ResMed machines being more "responsive" to breathing than the Respironics machines. I thought that too, but have found that when Flex is disabled, the Respironics machine is very responsive to my breathing. I've been running with it off, and it's far more comfortable than on. I've been running with 1-2 cm of inhalation boost in the pressure support setting.

I've also found the most restful sleep I've gotten will have 2-3% periodic breathing. When periodic breathing is zero I don't feel well-rested. Strange.

Bruce

Is this maybe a great example of feeling better doesn't have a good looking number, comparatively, to go with it and vise versa?