Obstructive Hypopneas
Hi Guys,
Looking at the last 10 days reports, I realized that more than 90% of my events are Obstructive Hypopneas. See attached reports from two different nights. My current pressure settings are 12/5.5 with SoftPAP of 3 cm (meaning reducing the exhale pressure by 3) which does not look to affect anything (except increasing the machine noise...) . What should I do in order to reduce these Hypopneas? I'm going to buy a cervical collar in parallel.
Thanks,
Arik
02-17-2019, 05:06 AM
(This post was last modified: 02-17-2019, 05:08 AM by ardenum.)
RE: Obstructive Hypopneas
In the main yellow column I can see as the leak happens the pressure drops and you get an apnea.
you can add +1 to your EPAP, lets see what happens with the leaks
if the cervical collar doesn't help you can get a $50 nichtvision camera, set it up close to your head and see what happens. I find a camera is a really good diagnostic tool, especially when you move a lot during sleep like I do.
RE: Obstructive Hypopneas
Welcome to the forum.
If you were using a Bilevel machine I would have you increase your pressure support from 3 to 4. with your machine all you can do now is raise both your min and max pressures to resolve the issue.
RE: Obstructive Hypopneas
Unless I'm missing something, the leaks are a significant problem, and appear to be air escaping from your mouth. The collar may help with this, but you may need to reconsider using a nasal mask if the leaks do not come under control. Your event rate appears lower during periods of low leaks, but you have excessive leaks nearly all the time. If you are using a minimum pressure of 4.0 as suggested in your profile, I would suggest increasing the minimum to 8.0 and increase the maximum to 14.0.