Mask leak but good AHI

[JayTea26wy]

Hi, new here. Details: 1st sleep study and prescribed Dreamstation and large size Amera full face mask. When DOC got my disk and saw results ordered another study.
Then home care company changed pressure to (I don't know what) but after ramp up, I feel more air pressure. Now, I only get a 30% mask fit, leaking, I'm a side sleeper and mouth breather. My AHI is now always below 5. Before it was very high but with good mask fit.
Question: should I care about mask leak as long as AHI is good? Or, does leaking mask make AHI results inaccurate.

[kwhenrykerr]

I just raised my pressure and my leaks went away.

[JayTea26wy]

Thank you. Unfortunately, when machine blows more air now I get indication of poor mask fit. But, under 5 AHI.

[Possum]

Yes, chronic, high leaks will make your AHI inaccurate. You will need to get leaks under control, which can be challenging and may even require a different mask.

[JayTea26wy]

Thank you for the reply and information. I'll try again to adjust mask myself. My Homecare/insurance company on Medicare advantage program said I need to wait until the end of July for them to inspect fit of mask for me. I have a call into my Pulminologist to ask for an override and get fitted by a professional at Homecare company.

[DeepBreathing]

Your machine can tolerate leaks up to a certain level (24 L/min on Resmed machines) but I don't know what the value would be on your Dreamstation. Above the limit, the machine will struggle to provide the correct pressure consistently, and the detection of apneas and hypopneas is suspect. There is a setting for mask type on your machine - check that to ensure it's appropriate for the type of mask you're using. Again, I apologise for my lack of knowledge about the details of the Respironics machines.

Frequent leaks below the threshold won't bother the machine too much, but can disturb your sleep and that of your partner.