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Hi there - looks like I finally got the high leak rate figured out. My first night's results under the new regime attached.
I have an Airlift F20 full face mask. It's very uncomfortable, digs into my face, so I added a fabric pad that makes it bearable but also makes it hard to get a good seal. I have to pull the headgear very tight in order to get leak rate below 30 L/min.
My last sleep study showed 10.8 AHI. But here I seem to have zero.
The gaps on the chart - I got up to go to the bathroom three times during the 4:42 of usage.
I got another ~90 minutes of sleep in after taking the mask off, and I was absolutely exhausted this morning.
Your AHI looks great. Most feel starved for air at pressures in thee range of 4-6. Also. to get full advantage of your EPR setting of 3 you need to set your minimum pressure to 7 since the machine cannot go lower than 4. I suspect your pressure increases are due to flow limitations which EPR will reduce. I can only speculate since you didn't include the flow limitation graph. p[ease re-post your data with that included. You can use the mouse to flatten the other graphs a little make room for it. I use the F20 mask and it only hurts my face if I adjust it to tight. That may be your problem. Also a too tight adjustment can cause leaks just as too loose. See the link to the mask primer below. I adjust my mask until it just leaks slightly and then pull it away from my face slightly and reseat it to allow the cushion to inflate. The result is a comfortable fit with no leaks. Hope this helps.
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.
please add the flow limits to your original chart. We want to see event flags, flow rate, pressure, leak rate, and flow limits together in the same chart. You can make them fit by compressing the height of each graph by clicking on the line under each and moving it up. It appears that your pressure increases correlate with spikes in your flow limitations but it is easier to see if they are in the same chart.
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.
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.
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.
You can't do better with respect ti AHI. If you feel your sleep is disturbed it may be due to being starved for air at the low pressure and/or the sudden pressure increases. As I guessed they are being caused by spikes in flow limitations. increasing minimum pressure to 7 and keeping EPR at 3 should prevent the flow limitation spikes and sudden pressure increases. A min pressure of 7. Will also supply sufficient air for comfort and allow full benefit from EPR. I would like to see data for more nights.
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.