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What do blood oxygen levels indicate
#1
What do blood oxygen levels indicate
I started PAP therapy about 6 weeks ago based on an in home sleep study.  One night my blood oxygen level dipped into the 70's my PCP said that if I held my breath till I passed out I could get my blood ox levels into the 70's.  Being the curious person that I am I purchased a blood ox recorder and tested if my levels are improved and they are mainly staying in the 90's with a dip into the high 80's on several occasions in the night.

My wife snores and has been having trouble with sleeping and feeling rested.  For giggles I put the recorder on her for a night and found that her blood ox dipped into the high 70's three times during the night.  Is this a good indicator that she is experiencing apnea in some form?  Based on this would the logical next step be a home sleep study?  

Is it dangerous to start PAP therapy without a sleep study?  We have a resmed apap that she could use.  If that isn't being caviler and dangerous how would we start therapy?  Settings?
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#2
RE: What do blood oxygen levels indicate
It could be a sigh is apnea. The drop in 02 is not a big thing unless it is a prolonged period below 88%. Sharp spikes are probably bad contact with the probe.

There is no problem to try Cpap without a sleep study. If I were doing it I would set the pressures at

EPR3 full time
Min 8
Max 15
Apnea (80-100%) 10 seconds, Hypopnea (50-80%) 10 seconds, Flow Limits (0-50%) not timed  Cervical Collar - Dealing w DME - Chart Organizing
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#3
RE: What do blood oxygen levels indicate
Compman2, low SpO2 levels can be signal problems, but considering the snoring and arousals, it is very possible your wife could benefit from PAP therapy and a sleep test is the best way to get a diagnosis and prescription. You have a Resmed Autoset, and that would not pose a health risk to try out. What is the model? If it provides data, you can quickly optimize the therapy and learn more of her sleep disordered breathing, as well as judge whether she finds the therapy more comfortable or restful. Just because you can doesn't mean you should. Not every wife is open to the idea of her husband supervising her health care, and her willingness to participate in self-care is something I can't judge from the bleacher seats here. I think the long-term solution is to get a test and undertake therapy with a doctor's supervision, but even with good insurance there are currently long delays in getting tests and equipment. We are certainly all about empowering individuals to manage their own care, and forum members tend to do better than the general population in getting effective, comfortable therapy.
Sleeprider
Apnea Board Moderator
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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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#4
RE: What do blood oxygen levels indicate
I am currently using a resmed Airsense 10 autoset on borrow from a family member that discontinued PAP therapy.  I have purchased a Resmed Airsense 11 autoset so either unit would be available for her to use and both are data capable.  I have been using Oscar and am familar with it's use.  

Yes you do need to tread lightly when trying to supervise therapy for your spouse.  We have talked it over and she is willing to give it a try.  Wants to sleep better and feel more rested.
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#5
RE: What do blood oxygen levels indicate
I use a recording pulse-ox that OSCAR understands, and so I load all my data into OSCAR and the SpO2 is an important part of my data. I totally disagree with Stacey -- in my case, sharp spikes are clearly showing apneas, and the oxygen levels clearly crash and then recover following the flow rate curve in a way that is completely plausible.

Example -- whole night, showing spikes, followed by a closeup on the ugly cluster around quarter-til midnight, then a closeup of that really ugly 59-second apnea that produced a dive down to 84%.

My experience is that I can use my pulse-ox tracing alone to measure my AI. Hypopnea's, no, in that those cause little dips that aren't deep enough to stand out from the generally noisy signal.

Not sure how open your wife is to geekiness, but I think that this is an example of what you can record at home with what it sounds like are tools you've already bought and paid for.

[Image: Mar20WholeNight.png?raw=1]

[Image: Mar20Cluster.png?raw=1]

[Image: Mar20LongNasty.png?raw=1]

(And I will note that the 59-second apnea left me with a vicious headache all day Monday...)
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#6
RE: What do blood oxygen levels indicate
Compman, if your wife wants to try therapy as a possible solution, my suggestion is to start with Autoset Standard mode with a minimum pressure of 7.0, maximum pressure 12.0 and EPR 2. Record the data and have her make notes on how she feels before seeing any data. We can try to put the quantitative and qualitative inputs together and make more specific recommendations. Makes no difference what machine you use. For coaching purposes, this process takes time to adapt to the mask and pressure. You can make things more comfortable with a fleece tube cover (I think it's a game changer) and an appropriate humidity setting. Mask fit and type will be personal choices. I don't know what you have available, but my preference is to start with nasal pillows (for-her if she is small) and adjust if mouth leaks cannot be prevented. Most important, have her open her own Apnea Board account and let her control her therapy with guidance from both the forum and yourself. It will probably be easier.
Sleeprider
Apnea Board Moderator
www.ApneaBoard.com

____________________________________________
Download OSCAR Software
Soft Cervical Collar
Optimizing Therapy
Organize your OSCAR Charts
Attaching Files
Mask Primer
How To Deal With Equipment Supplier


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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#7
RE: What do blood oxygen levels indicate
This is what I mean by spikes, you can see there is no apnea associated with the spikes.


Attached Files Thumbnail(s)
   
Apnea (80-100%) 10 seconds, Hypopnea (50-80%) 10 seconds, Flow Limits (0-50%) not timed  Cervical Collar - Dealing w DME - Chart Organizing
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