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High Leak Rate
#1
High Leak Rate
I've been using my ResMed AirSense 10 with a dreamwear nasal CPAP mask, and a chinstrap for 3 years.  For the longest time my leak rate was between 5 - 20, and I felt very reaonable in amount.  In the last six months or so, its gone up from there to be consistently in the 25-40 range.  I replace mask, chinstrap, and hose every six months.  I checked with Oscar and it looks like from the data that I am now going an hour with a leak rate of 40, then fine for a while, then another hour at 40 again.  Then fine for a while and then all of a sudden another hour with large leak rate.

Any ideas what's going on, and things I could check?  I thought it might be a bad mask, but replaced it again recently even trying a small as opposed to my normal medium size.

Thanks!
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#2
RE: High Leak Rate
Show us some data!  We would only be guessing to the nature of the problem.

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OpalRose
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#3
RE: High Leak Rate
Sorry for the delay, but here is a screen shot that looks somewhat typical for what has been occurring.  I read the thread on attaching data, so hope I got it reasonably correct.  

   
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#4
RE: High Leak Rate
You do have some pretty massive leaks through the night.  You machine can handle a leak up to 24 L/min but many of yours are much higher than that.  You will not get any effective therapy while the leaks are that high.

This wiki page may help you get the leaks under control: http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php/Mask_Primer
Jeff8356

MacBook Air (2017, Intel) | macOS Monterey (12.7) | OSCAR v1.5.1 | VM = Win10/Win11 |
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INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#5
RE: High Leak Rate
I'll make you feel better.   This is me last night, with my lips very firmly pressed together by BSN Cover tape (BSN Tape - Amazon Link).    There's no way this is a mouth leak issue.  When I woke up this morning, I tried hard to draw any breath through my mouth, and could not.  I've never been able to figure out out.   Although I'm pretty sure that caffeine intake in the last 6 hours before sleep, makes this worse.

My best guess is (I'm using a nasal pillow), that I'm moving the nasal pillow by rolling onto my side, somehow pulling against the tube, or something like this.  I'd have to video record myself all night to figure it out.

BTW - this was an AHI of 3.4.    If I wasn't using Oscar, any machine or App would just let me think I'm doing great.    CPAP Machine manufactures just want you to think the everything is fine though (by covering up the real data with only an AHI number for the whole night).

[Image: temp.png]
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#6
RE: High Leak Rate
Thanks for the references to mask leak.  I've reviewed, and made a few adjustments.  First, I had been tightening the mask thinking that would cause a better seal (to the point where it chafed my nose), and last night loosened it quite a bit.  Also, I moved the hose so that it goes over the back of my headboard so it can't get tangled up.  Last night's data was good, so I will keep trying this.  Attached is last night's chart.

Regarding my chart from the other day, the reference said that large leaks caused by mouth leaks cause long flat lines.  Can you tell if the large leaks from my earlier posts were most likely mouth leaks?  As I said previously, these leaks started to build in January, early February.  No difference in equipment, but I did change my pillow about that time from a cushiony soft pillow to one of those harder therapedic pillows with the ridges.  Could that have changed the positioning of my neck and head which might have increased the mouth leaks?

   

Thanks for the feedback.
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