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+--- Thread: [CPAP] Interpreting the Auto CPAP Summary Report (/Thread-CPAP-Interpreting-the-Auto-CPAP-Summary-Report)
Interpreting the Auto CPAP Summary Report - gwenvaughan - 04-22-2012
[/size][/font]I am a new member . . . have been using a Respironics A-Flex System One CPAP with humidifier and nasal pillows (tolerated much better than a mask) for about six months. I feel like I am sleeping better (nearly six hours per night, with frequent potty breaks), and am less fatigued during the day. So I guess it is working! However, my husband wonders if I need to continue CPAP because the numbers on the report out of the machine look so good: Average AHI is only 2.2 and the average device pressure is 7.3 (even though I sleep on my back). Assuming I should continue with the CPAP, should I gradually lower the peak pressure setting?[font=Arial][size=large]
RE: Interpreting the Auto CPAP Summary Report - PaulaO2 - 04-22-2012
Oh for....
Slap your husband for me, will you? Hard?
If you take insulin for diabetes, your blood sugar levels would be great, right? Would you consider stopping the insulin then?
If you take medication for high blood pressure, your BP would be within normal ranges. Would you consider stopping the med?
CPAP is the same thing. Your numbers are so low BECAUSE of the CPAP. Stop using it and those number will go back to what they were before. CPAP use does not cure sleep apnea. It is a treatment. And you must keep treating it.
No, I'd not change the high number. 7 is rather low and if you set it lower, you're going to feel as if you aren't getting enough air. With an AHI of less than 5, your treatment is working great.
RE: Interpreting the Auto CPAP Summary Report - JumpStart - 04-22-2012
(04-22-2012, 11:25 AM)gwenvaughan Wrote: [/size][/font]I am a new member . . . have been using a Respironics A-Flex System One CPAP with humidifier and nasal pillows (tolerated much better than a mask) for about six months. I feel like I am sleeping better (nearly six hours per night, with frequent potty breaks), and am less fatigued during the day. So I guess it is working! However, my husband wonders if I need to continue CPAP because the numbers on the report out of the machine look so good: Average AHI is only 2.2 and the average device pressure is 7.3 (even though I sleep on my back). Assuming I should continue with the CPAP, should I gradually lower the peak pressure setting?[font=Arial][size=large]
xPAP is a therapy for life, assuming no major events intervene after your initial diagnosis. Changes such as a large weight loss could make a difference, either in the need for xPAP (depending on its severity), or the amount of pressure needed for proper treatment (the more likely event, IMO). If you ever have a serious thought about discontinuing therapy, ASK YOUR SLEEP DOC FIRST. And I mean a doctor qualified to answer sleep therapy issues, not a GP who, while probably qualified in a broad spectrum of issues, may not have the knowledge to treat apnea effectively. Failure to control apnea has, as you no doubt know, serious implications for your health - and life!
RE: Interpreting the Auto CPAP Summary Report - gwenvaughan - 04-22-2012
(04-22-2012, 11:38 AM)PaulaO2 Wrote: Oh for....
Slap your husband for me, will you? Hard?
If you take insulin for diabetes, your blood sugar levels would be great, right? Would you consider stopping the insulin then?
If you take medication for high blood pressure, your BP would be within normal ranges. Would you consider stopping the med?
CPAP is the same thing. Your numbers are so low BECAUSE of the CPAP. Stop using it and those number will go back to what they were before. CPAP use does not cure sleep apnea. It is a treatment. And you must keep treating it.
No, I'd not change the high number. 7 is rather low and if you set it lower, you're going to feel as if you aren't getting enough air. With an AHI of less than 5, your treatment is working great.
Paula: Thanks for the input . . . I'll slap him for sure!! Regarding the setting, I don't know what the current setting is, but I think the sleep doc said it would initially be set at 15, but that the machine would automatically reset itself . . . does this sound right? Or did he say that it would only go up as high as needed each night? Gwen