User Flag #1 & #2
I wonder if someone would explain to me just what User Flag 1 & 2 mean and how they are are interpreted. I get alot of them, anywhere from 30 to 40 per night. I thought that anything over 10 seconds in the flow rate graph would be shown as an apnea or hypopnea. In the first attachment below I have a UF 1 that lasts 11 seconds and another one for 10 seconds. Why would they not show up as CA's ?
[attachment=3200]
In the second attachment below I have a UF 2 that lasts 13 seconds . Why would that not be recorded as a hypopnea ?
[attachment=3201]
There is obviously something I don't understand about the UF 1 & 2's so I would appreciate it if someone could educate me about them.
02-16-2017, 02:58 PM
(This post was last modified: 02-16-2017, 03:02 PM by Crimson Nape.)
RE: User Flag #1 & #2
The UF1 and UF2 stand for User Flag with the default being set to Flow Restriction 20% and 50% respectively. These values but may be changed, as well as the length in time. I renamed mine FR20 and FR50 so I could remember what they are. These are events that are calculated by SleepyHead and not a registered event by the CPAP. You can have a very low AHI and still feel tired. Reviewing these parameters may show that you are having little disturbances that are causing the tiredness.
They may be turned on/off by File->Preferences->CPAP->Custom CPAP User Event Flagging. To customize the labels, under Preferences->Events, then click on the label to invoke an edit box. This edit feature works on both the Name column and the Label column.
RE: User Flag #1 & #2
I still don't quite understand why the UF 1 & 2 in my example would not be recorded as CA's and Hypopnea by CPAP when they are over 10 seconds long. What am I missing in my logic ? Is it that the flow restriction used by CPAP is not the same as the 20 and 50% used by Sleepyhead ?
RE: User Flag #1 & #2
One point that may not be obvious is that Flow Restriction 20% (or 50%) means 'restriction down to 20% (or 50%) of prior flow'. This is evident from the fact that (in my charts, at least) UF2 (FR50) shows up much more often than UF1.
I haven't been able to come up with a short name that makes this clear.
RE: User Flag #1 & #2
nadprok,
A CA is the absence of breathing without an airway occlusion. An OA is the absence of breathing caused by an airway occlusion. A Hypopnea is diminished breathing precipitated by a partially occluded airway. A Hypopnea can be a precursor to an OA.
RE: User Flag #1 & #2
Hi,
"These values but may be changed, as well as the length in time". Where and how?...went on preferences...did not get.
I would like to flag Flow Limitation (25% resctriction) duration to < 10 seconds. Is this possible? I have been doing this visual counting them in the Flow Rate graph..
many thanks.
RE: User Flag #1 & #2
It is in the CPAP tab of Preferences, near the bottom left - a checkbox for Custom User Event Flag Checking. When you click the box, a larger box becomes visible, which gives you the percentage the breathing is reduced to, and the duration in seconds.
I know it's odd, but the default value for the first one is 20%, and means reduced to 20% of the previous average. You can see this because you will have more of the #2 events than #1.
Apnea Board Monitors are members who help oversee the smooth functioning of the Board. They are also members of the Advisory Committee which helps shape Apnea Board's rules & policies. Membership in the Advisory Members group does not imply medical expertise or qualification for advising Sleep Apnea patients concerning their treatment.