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No min/max pressure needed?
#1
No min/max pressure needed?
I've been using a Philips Respironics M-Series REMstar Pro with Humidifier for about 5 years now. Even though it was an Autopap my starting pressure of 9
started right from turn on. Otherwise I had a problem with low pressure.

I just bought a new machine with prescription from my doctor with a min and max pressure. I asked about getting the 9cm pressure programed in and they
told me since this is a an auto pap no pressures need to be programmed, the machine does it all. Is this correct? Haven't put it to use yet but getting
ready to. The new machine is a Phillips Respironcis System One Auto (PRS1) model number 560

Thanks

Brian
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#2
RE: No min/max pressure needed?
It is true that the idea behind auto machines is they will establish where you need to be between a minimum and a maximum. However the default on my machine was min 4 and max 20. In my view 4 and 20 is only good if you're counting blackbirds with which to make a pie. Other than that, I want a much tighter range. You spent years at 9 but how well was your apnea controlled? If very well, then it would seem to make sense to just set it on 9 and leave it alone. But if you want to experiment a bit with the auto features, then I would set something like minimum of 6 and maximum of 12 to begin with and see what happens.
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#3
RE: No min/max pressure needed?
(07-31-2014, 11:57 PM)bkushner Wrote: I just bought a new machine with prescription from my doctor with a min and max pressure. I asked about getting the 9cm pressure programed in and they
told me since this is a an auto pap no pressures need to be programmed, the machine does it all. Is this correct?

Sort of. Is your doctor using it for an at-home titration, or is he planning on keeping it on automatic permanently? Also, what pressure range did he prescribe? After 5 years, it's likely that the 9cm pressure is no longer correct.

If your doctor is doing an at-home titration, he will want to set either a fixed pressure or a narrower range once he gets enough data from the machine. You will want to find out what your doctor has in mind.

If your doctor isn't doing an in-home titration, you may want to set a narrower range yourself. Some doctors are lazy, and will prescribe a wide-open range like 4-20. The auto-CPAP algorithm works better if it knows where to start. If you need to, you can search the board for information about self-titration. Again, find out what your doctor has in mind first.

I find that I do better leaving my machine in automatic mode, but some people are bothered by the pressure swings and they do better in fixed pressure. Do whatever works for you.
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#4
RE: No min/max pressure needed?
My current machine is set 9-15 or something I think and that's what the new script said. I might be misunderstood. The reason I want to start at a higher pressure then 4 is on my current machine if feels like I'm suffocating at the min so the min was set to 9. I usually fall asleep fast and i will be gasping for air if it starts at 4 unless it moves up quickly. My current machine did not.
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#5
RE: No min/max pressure needed?
That range is a good choice to start out, but it may need to be fine-tuned later. You may want to download ResScan or Sleepyhead to find out how well the new machine is working for you. Just be warned that some doctors are touchy about patients downloading their own data. Go to http://www.apneaboard.com/adjust-cpap-pr...r-computer for info about the software.
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#6
RE: No min/max pressure needed?
So I assume I need to get the set up manual and adjust this myself. Like I said the company I bought from wouldn't adjust even with script because they said the machine is fully automatic.
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#7
RE: No min/max pressure needed?
I'm sorry if I misled you. It's best to get your doctor to give you a different prescription if needed. Then, he will fax it to the DME. Ideally, your doctor should be a partner in your health care.

You can certainly get the manual yourself and make your own adjustments, but this is second best and may undermine your relationship with your doctor. You will find that the board is full of people who have been let down by the system, including myself. (Lost insurance, unresponsive doctors, long waits for appointments, etc.) Take advantage of your doctor's expertise as long as it is available to you.
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#8
RE: No min/max pressure needed?
What I read BKushner to say is that the doctor provided a script for 9-15 pressure and the DME ignored it. If so, the doctor will not be at all unhappy for BKushner to fix it. The DME is half right - the machine will adapt to your needs. However, it will slowly go up from 4 to 9 until it gets to the therapeutic range and during that time you will effectively be untreated. Just because the machine CAN be set to 4-20 doesn't mean it SHOULD be. Most people have better results with a narrower range. I would switch it to 9-15 and see how it works.

Many people find 4 cm to be too low a pressure and feel they aren't getting enough air with that pressure.
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#9
RE: No min/max pressure needed?
My doctor also prescribed a pressure of 4 but over a couple of months, I tweaked it up to a range of 9-14 where it has remained for the past 6 months. In doing this, it is very helpful to view your results on Sleepyhead or equivalent software.
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#10
RE: No min/max pressure needed?
Jim has a really good point. BKushner, the machine you have is fully data capable. Look around the forum to find the threads that talk about installing and interpreting SleepyHead results. They will give you a good idea of what the range should be. If you have questions, post the graphs from the night - there are a number of people on the forum who are quite adept at interpreting the results.
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