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Good afternoon! I am a new forum member, 68 years old, with recent diagnosed sleep apnea reporting 99 events per hour. My sleep Dr. prescribed a CPAP (Resmed Airsense 10 Autoset) with nasal mask. My AHI stats have been all over the place, but much reduced from 99. I had about four days of CSR ranging from 10-15% which I found worrisome, but by experimenting with all three mask types, I've reduced the CSR to 0 and my AHI in the past week to about 1. Nasal pillow with small mask seems most effective but my leak rate seems high. I tried a full face mask, but have a beard and didn't like the leaking / sounds. Would one of the forum experts please review my attached data and provide me with an opinion regarding the current settings, and if I can reduce the mask leak rate?
I am not an expert but until one comes along - - -
Congratulations on decreasing hour AHI so dramatically.
Are you absolutely sure it is a mask leak as opposed to a mouth leak? You need to know because the strategies are different.
Some people try chin straps, with varying degrees of success.
Some people try mouthguards, with varying degrees of success.
Some try taping the mouth, which happens to be what I do. This may or may not work for you. If you want to try this, I suggest a tape that is gentle on the skin when removing it -- such as the 3M "Durapore" silk tape.
08-10-2022, 04:48 AM (This post was last modified: 08-10-2022, 04:50 AM by dhamments.)
RE: Newbie Requesting Oscar Data Assessment
Thanks for taking the time to reply Clownbell and Cienapotr.... much appreciated! To be honest, I'm not sure that I'm having mask leaks vs. open mouth issues. Perhaps one of the forum experts can deduct the answer from today's attached Oscar data. I'm pleased that my AHI has dropped further to 0.26. Clownbell, I'll certainly try your recommendation of mouth tape to see what effect that has...
You have both types of leaks
Flat tops/tables/plateaus tend to indicate mouth leaks
Spikes tend to be mask leaks as the air flaps the mask making spikes.
A 3 minute view during a leak cann also provide insight.
Gideon - Project Manager and Lead Tester for OSCAR - Open Source CPAP Analysis Reporter
Thank you Gideon for the insight of the spikes and flat tops indicating the source of the leak. I am also new and have just finished a months trial on an APAP machine and less than a week on my own. I'm battling with leaks and trying to learn as much as I can about everything involving apnea. I've tried chinstraps and taping, but can't keep the tape on very long as it feels so claustrophobic.
Well done dhamments for being able to reduce your AHI so dramatically....hope I can soon.
