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[Symptoms] Emergent Central Apnea - 1 week in with Wellue SleepU
#1
Emergent Central Apnea - 1 week in with Wellue SleepU
A quick update and a question -

Background: I am now about 5 weeks in on my DS 2, now set at 6/min 15/max pressures. Several week sin, after waking up during the night with heart pounding and clearly not breathing, I put on my fingertip pulse oximieter. Waking up the same way from the next doze cycle, it was flashing "77" at me, not a good sign. The sleep doc put me on an official overnight pulse oximeter study (a week later no results) but I also decided to order a Wellue SleepU to collect my own data. The fact that the finger sensor vibrates when your SpO2 falls below a chosen trigger level is also a positive (providing an intervention measure rather than just observing).

Question: For 6 of the past 7 nights, I find that as soon as I fall asleep, my SpO2 jumps off a cliff, usually triggering the vibration alert, although I don't always wake up all the way for it. Is this a common pattern for people with emergent central apnea?

Here is a closeup of one event (black triangles are the vibration alert) from the O2Insight Pro provided by Wellue:
   

There are other similar events during the night. Over this week, time below 90% SpO2 has ranged from ~30 sec to 7 minutes, and AHI's were ~7 to 12 (overall mean about 10).

I am quite pleased with the Wellue and have integrated it with my CPAP routine. Quick hint: rather than cart it off to a carger somewhere each day, I keep a little portable USB powerbank with the system. Multiple SleepU recharges later, the bank hasn't even gotten down to 75% charge level yet, so this works great.
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#2
RE: Emergent Central Apnea - 1 week in with Wellue SleepU
I don't think I'd call dropping SpO2 like this for anyone normal, treatment emergent CA aside. Keep tracking this and keep notes. I'd be calling Dr. McQuack's office back and request the test results. Maybe he's too busy on his sailboat to get back to you.
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEBSITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#3
RE: Emergent Central Apnea - 1 week in with Wellue SleepU
What's especially weird to me is that I don't see any significant change in heart rate. I'd expect to see some sort of pulse disturbance in response to that kind of desaturation.
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#4
RE: Emergent Central Apnea - 1 week in with Wellue SleepU
OK, could this had been a shifting finger probe thing that SleeperAwake21 may be dealing with? How many nights does it drop like this?
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEBSITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#5
RE: Emergent Central Apnea - 1 week in with Wellue SleepU
(12-29-2021, 10:52 PM)SarcasticDave94 Wrote: OK, could this had been a shifting finger probe thing that SleeperAwake21 may be dealing with? How many nights does it drop like this?

Good questions.

How often: it's now 10 out of the all 10 nights, occurring whether I fall asleep right away or when I've been up reading awhile (like last night, overview below). Last night it happened again after I was briefly awake at 6AM.  The depth of the desaturations varies from night to night, and seem to be worse when I've been up too long (like getting ready for Christmas). 

I have tried several fingers, and for the past week I have been using the base of my little finger, where it feels snug without being constrictive.
Last night I was awake reading for almost an hour, and that motion of reading didn't seem to affect things. I also don't find it displaced when I wake up. The patterns for the first several nights when I used my index finger seem the same.

Sounds like I will be sending the sleep doc some of my data reports to see what's going with their results (which were collected between my first and second nights of getting my own data)

   
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#6
RE: Emergent Central Apnea - 1 week in with Wellue SleepU
OK, then that likely shoots down the moving oximeter thing it seems. This latest chart, the drop after 603 is probably the pattern most important to focus on. Its duration was longest and drop was lowest. Yes call that docs office or sailboat. They need to get to work instead of ignoring this.
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEBSITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#7
RE: Emergent Central Apnea - 1 week in with Wellue SleepU
From all the information I've found, the two most preferable digits to mount the sensor are the thumb and ring finger on your non-dominant hand. Rapid hand movement or bumping the sensor will cause artifacts like yours.

If this condition persists, I would consider requesting Wellue service to verify that it's properly operating.
Crimson Nape
Apnea Board Moderator
www.ApneaBoard.com
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INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#8
RE: Emergent Central Apnea - 1 week in with Wellue SleepU
This could be an artifact of using your little finger.

I only got reasonably reliable readings with my index finger, and less so my thumb. Middle finger didn't seem very accurate.
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#9
RE: Emergent Central Apnea - 1 week in with Wellue SleepU
Thanks all - will try a index finder for a few nights!
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#10
RE: Emergent Central Apnea - 1 week in with Wellue SleepU
A quick set of responses:

1) SPO2 data pattern looks somewhat similar when sensor is on my index finger base, but any real comparisons are shot due to a virus and sinus congestion. Three nights of only 1 hr on CPAP (while awake reading) and then just under 6 hrs last night. Congestion + CPAP = hopeless sleep potential.

2) sleep doc response on my overnight oximetry test: "Since you had less that 4% of time below 90%, O2 supplement is not needed, and should get better in 3-6 months.

3) My Wellue SleepU is still generating data, but I noted that only 1 of the 2 red sensor LEDs is working now after only ~2 weeks. Contacted tech support 2 days ago and again tonight since no response yet.
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