+- Apnea Board Forum - CPAP | Sleep Apnea (https://www.apneaboard.com/forums)
+-- Forum: Public Area (https://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Forum-Public-Area)
+--- Forum: Main Apnea Board Forum (https://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Forum-Main-Apnea-Board-Forum)
+--- Thread: Dreamstation not getting to max pressure. (/Thread-Dreamstation-not-getting-to-max-pressure)
Dreamstation not getting to max pressure. - VegasGMC62 - 08-08-2020
My machine is 3 years old. About a month ago I started waking up gasping and I couldn't breath with the mask on. My pressure was set at 4-20 and I could tell the pressure was no where near 20. Normally it would blast me in the face if I took the mask off. I discovered Oscar last week. According to it my max pressure never goes past 12, usually 8-9. And my AHI has doubled. The pie chart is mostly hypopneas with only 2-4 obstructions. I'm not getting any errors from the machine except something about writing to the SD card. I just discovered the card is blank past July. The filters are clean and there are no leaks. I've also been feeling a lot better in the morning I think because 20 was way too high. Thanks
RE: Dreamstation not getting to max pressure. - sawinglogz - 08-08-2020
Welcome!
Wow, 4-20 means they never bothered to titrate you -- that's wide open. No wonder you're feeling better with something else.
Lots of folks here will be able to help you dial in your treatment if you post some OSCAR screenshots of your nights.
2-4 events per night is pretty good, but major pressure swings are likely to disrupt your sleep, even if your respiratory numbers are good.
RE: Dreamstation not getting to max pressure. - Dormeo - 08-08-2020
Yes, it would be great to see a recent chart. Without a doubt you would benefit from a higher minimum pressure, but further advice would be best based on more information.
About the SD card: I wonder whether this advice might apply to your situation:
"On most SD memory cards, there is a sliding "lock" on the left side of the card. When moved downward to the "lock" position, data can be read from the card, but new data cannot be written to the card. When moved up to the "unlocked" position, data can be either read or written to the card. When used in conjunction with a data-recording CPAP machine, it is important to make certain that the SD card remains in the "unlocked" position so the machine can record patient data to the memory card."
That's from this page of the wiki linked at the top of the page:
http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php/Secure_Digital_(SD)_memory_card#Card_Locking_Feature
RE: Dreamstation not getting to max pressure. - SarcasticDave94 - 08-08-2020
Agreed with others. You need to post OSCAR data. We need to see this data so we can help you get pressures that are optimized for you. 4-20 is a default setting which tells us your sleep technician, doctor, or respiratory therapist decided you didn't need settings specialized for your apnea therapy needs. This is also called laziness. This person didn't care enough to offer the best therapy for you to get what you deserved and paid for. Every PAP user needs pressures set for themself and that is 99.9% never the default setting.
RE: Dreamstation not getting to max pressure. - VegasGMC62 - 08-08-2020
Thanks for the response. I was never titrated. I never knew anything about that until last week. I've complained to my doctor for 2 years that I feel horrible with the machine and all he says is "Your numbers are good. Just stick with it". He's supposed to be the best in town. I've completely lost faith in him and want to see if I can improve things on my own. I've changed my setting to 7-14 and will be trying a static pressure soon. My main concern is the machine may be faulty because it wont reach its set max pressure. I'll try to post an Oscar reading.
RE: Dreamstation not getting to max pressure. - sawinglogz - 08-08-2020
It won't ever hit max pressure unless it thinks it has to. That doesn't indicate a defect.
RE: Dreamstation not getting to max pressure. - Gideon - 08-08-2020
You will honestly be stunned with what we can read from an OSCAR screenshot. And we know that a good AHI is not the only thing needed for a good nights sleep.
But good advice hinges on good data, such as that which OSCAR provides.
RE: Dreamstation not getting to max pressure. - sleepyp - 08-10-2020
Don’t assume your doc knows anything about this stuff, most are clueless.
RE: Dreamstation not getting to max pressure. - Hydrangea - 08-11-2020
I'm with the others.
Your machine won't reach the max pressure unless it deems you're needing it.
Sleep doctors tend to be extremely clueless and easily pleased, without caring about a patient's symptoms or concerns.
Maybe your SD card is full, and you just need to delete it or reformat it?
RE: Dreamstation not getting to max pressure. - Sleeprider - 08-11-2020
So many people are given a CPAP machine and no support. Many fail and insurance and the doctors blame the patient. It's disgusting. Vegas, it's obvious your minimum pressure needs to be raised from 4.0 to about 9.0 and as others have said, show us the data. Your machine is particularly unresponsive to obstructive precursors that cause immediate pressure response in machines like the Resmed Airsense 10 Autoset. It absolutely requires optimization or it will repeatedly leave you with hypopnea and obstructive events. It's criminal you have had to endure this torture.