New to the forum here's my story

[mesenteria]

There are some models of PAP machines that do nothing but give you a straight-pressure blast of air, with the adjustments for pressure based on your prescription.  Some don't even had a slot for an SD card so that you can download your night's report to see what happened and how the machine reacted.

The better machines, like the Autoset and Airsense, Aircurve, will not only be more adaptable, they may help to show how poorly a straight PAP machine is going to serve you because they can more accurately show what you really have going on when you sleep.  IOW, by their adaptability, they 'auto-titrate'.  They do a better job of showing practitioners how THEY can't even prevent all the bad stuff from happening while you're blissfully asleep...or trying.  That is to say, the more sensitive, adaptive, and capable the machine, the closer we all come to a fuller understanding of what you really need in the way of performance from whichever machine it turns out you really need...if that makes any sense.

[Sleeprider]

The Resmed Airsense 10 Autoset is an auto CPAP that can provide full data to help you self-titrate without a clinical study. You may want to download OSCAR software (free) and ask your supplier to include a SD card with your machine. I can list many reasons why self titration is better than a clinical titration. Let me know if you want that. Take a look at the many "new to CPAP" threads on this forum and you can see the process. For most people, we know in one night what your optimal therapy settings will be, but some require additional optimization for comfort and effectiveness. A clinical CPAP titration is simply a trial and error process which starts at a low CPAP pressure (4.0 cm) and increases pressure until events are resolved and the clinician observes REM sleep. The quality varies quite a bit, and the resulting prescription is usually a single pressure which seems to work less effectively than what we strive for with auto CPAP, which is a narrow range of pressure that is comfortable and not disruptive to sleep.

[BillHD28]

Thank you so much.  Sounds like I should just call them and say I want the resmed s10 auto. Instead of waiting for that titration study. Ive heard the resmed auto for her machine is good to should I do that one? It doesn't bother me if it's girly as long as that son of a gun works lol.

[staceyburke]

I would get a ResMed s10 autoset ASAP and start treating your problems. The titration will be done for insurance. You will get better served self-titration on this site where you will get help much more quickly.

Otherwise you will get it done and wait a week and get back from the Dr to give you another setting and wait for the Dr to check things and a week or to 2 more get another change and that goes on and on

Here you will get the change to make anytime you share your OSCAR charts.

[Sleeprider]

The "for her" variant has an extra mode and does not cost more. We highly recommend it. It's not so "girly" and lots of members use it and find the for her mode works better, other end up with the standard mode. The difference is subtle but it actually targets UARS which is somewhat more common in women. Again our wiki http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php...Algorithms

[Gideon]

Let me welcome you to the Apnea Board.   I see you are in great hands here.

[BillHD28]

I called this morning and they are expediting my order to the DME. I gotta call the dme Monday but I will be getting a resmed. Hopefully I'll be able to pick it up Monday as well.

[Sleeprider]

Congrats on the fast response. You will learn a lot once you have the machine and can look at the data. Be sure to ask for a SD card. Many do not include it.

[BillHD28]

Not to bother you but you could explain why the apap is better for titration?

[Sleeprider]

The Autoset is programmed to increase pressure for obstructive events (flow limitation, hypopnea and apnea) and to decrease pressure in the event of a central or when obstructed breathing is not detected. By observing the behavior the machine and your response to it, we can easily see the range of pressure that works well and optimize the settings. The APAP delivers lower pressure when that is what you need, and higher pressure when that is what you need. As long as that pressure variation is not too wide, it is more comfortable and more effective than a fixed pressure for most people. We have set fixed pressure for some members that are sensitive to variable pressure, but most do pretty good with APAP.

The default settings for the Autoset are a minimum pressure of 4 and maximum pressure of 20. We usually start new users at a minimum of 6.0 and maximum of 12.0 with EPR full time at a setting of 1 for the first night. A higher minimum pressure is easier to tolerate for most people as the minimum of 4.0 usually does not provide enough air and feels claustrophobic. We limit the upper end of pressure, mostly to keep it in a comfortable range that works for most users. We can raise or lower pressures and EPR after observing the first night results. A single pressure machine can be used for titration, but it takes longer and may be uncomfortable if it does not resolve events at the set pressure.