Respironics questions

[CPAPreturnee]

1) Reading the flex setting, that 1 provides a small amount of pressure relief and high numbers more relief.  Tried the flex demo and could not tell difference, so will leave at 1.  Critical.

2) I have a 10 foot 22mm hose that connects to the mask with a short 15mm hose.  Do I set machine for 15 or 22mm (would assume 22 as it is many times longer than the mask 15mm.)?

3) Resistance setting is 1 to 5.  Respironics may provide a resistance number otherwise I assume default is x1.  Looked at the various mask pressure graphs and all seem close to same as the one Respironics I own, so will assume other non-Respironic masks can be left at resistance x1

Curious, as doubt any are likely to affect my results.

[C0mbe]

Your title says Resmed, but your profile says PR and flex is a PR feature. I'm not as familiar with flex, but I believe that flex only provides up to 2cm H20 of expiratory relief. Resmed EPR is slightly more like a bilevel, and drops the pressure by 1-3 cm h20.

I would set my hose size based on the actual hose (22mm in your case) and not on the size of the small head gear hose.

As for resistance - PR suggest you set mask resistance to 0 or off when using a mask from another manufacturer.

Hope that helps!

[OpalRose]

1) Reading the flex setting, that 1 provides a small amount of pressure relief and high numbers more relief.  Tried the flex demo and could not tell difference, so will leave at 1.  Critical.

[Flex settings 1, 2, and 3. for PR machines
You can receive up to 2cm pressure relief, which is flow based.
• C-Flex – Provides pressure relief upon exhalation.
• A-Flex/C-Flex+ – Provides pressure relief taking place at the end of inhalation and at the start of exhalation. 

2) I have a 10 foot 22mm hose that connects to the mask with a short 15mm hose.  Do I set machine for 15 or 22mm (would assume 22 as it is many times longer than the mask 15mm.)?

When you connect a hose to a System One machine, it automatically selects the size.

3) Resistance setting is 1 to 5.  Respironics may provide a resistance number otherwise I assume default is x1.  Looked at the various mask pressure graphs and all seem close to same as the one Respironics I own, so will assume other non-Respironic masks can be left at resistance x1

Respironics masks have a resistance number on the mask packaging.  If using a non Respironics mask, it is recommended to leave at 0.

Curious, as doubt any are likely to affect my results.

All you can do is try the various settings to see what works and feels best for you.

I have changed the title to this thread to reflect the subject content.

[quiescence at last]

for 1) above there is a graphical presentation in a sales brochure, which you can see if you to an internet search on "CFLEX 1063524"

I referred to the images in post, which was edited out at some point:
http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...#pid105592

RESPIRONICS has two pressure relief technologies that work together or separately.  They are completely different from each other.  These are [PAP mode] and [Flex setting].

[Flex setting] All of the Flex settings are *based on airflow* so the more volume you breathe in, the greater the reduction of pressure at the beginning of the exhale.  This operates the same whether you are in CPAP, APAP, BiPAP, or in a newer setting CPAP with C-Flex+.  It cannot be independently determined how much the greatest reduction of pressure is or would be. Flex of 3 has a more gradual shift to exhale pressure and deeper reduction of pressure than Flex of 1, and Flex of 2 is in between.

[PAP mode] There are 4 modes: CPAP, APAP, BiPAP, and what I will call CPAP+.  The first three are not confusing.  CPAP has no relief of pressure always, APAP has 2cm exhale pressure reduction always, BiPAP has 4cm exhale pressure reduction always. The last mode CPAP+ is basically APAP, but with a single base pressure setting, so it also has 2cm exhale pressure reduction always. This pressure relief is NOT dependent on flow.

The complexity of setting choices, and even how they feel to each patient, makes fine tuning hard to advise on.

Hope that didn't shock you into switching to the ResMed machines.

QAL

[PaytonA]

First the Bilevel machine may work for you once the settings are done correctly. Bonjour is on the right track. I would follow his recommendations. It is "possible" that you may have pressure caused CAs which might go away with optimized settings and a chance for your body and mind to adapt. If that does not happen then the alternative would be an ASV machine but that is further down the line. I do not think that you are far away from being successful.

Keep at it and sleep well.

PaytonA