Can you use a cpap machine to pre test for apnea?

[MistRiver]

I pick up my machine Thursday, two hours before I get 2 molars pulled along with a bunch of other dental work.  I'm going to put off starting therapy for 3 days or so because of this.  I suspect my husband has apnea, he has a doctors appointment in Dec (It was a 4 month wait to get into this doctors office to establish care).  We will be bringing up apnea but in the meantime I was wondering if there was a way he could use my machine for the three days I'm not to kind of test the theory so to speak?  If so, how would you do that?

Also, they are doing sedation dentistry for me, do I need to worry about apnea and sedation dentistry? 

Thank you.

[PaulaO2]

If your machine is an APAP (meaning it has a min and max pressure setting vs a single), then yes. It is done this way quite often. Doc issues a rental or trial APAP for 30 days with the machine "wide open" (4-20) then decides the treatment pressure based on that.

I suggest you use your machine after the surgery. It will greatly help the recovery.

If I understand it correctly, you aren't truly knocked all the way out for sedation dentistry, just made unaware. Usually the "milk of amnesia" or valium or gas.

Oh, found this:

The levels of sedation used include:

Minimal sedation -- you are awake but relaxed.
Moderate sedation (formerly called "conscious sedation") -- you may slur your words when speaking and not remember much of the procedure.
Deep sedation -- you are on the edge of consciousness but can still be awakened.
General anesthesia -- you are completely unconscious.

What Types of Sedation Are Used in Dentistry?

The following types of sedation are used in dentistry:

Inhaled minimal sedation. You breathe nitrous oxide -- otherwise known as "laughing gas" -- combined with oxygen through a mask that's placed over your nose. The gas helps you relax. Your dentist can control the amount of sedation you receive, and the gas tends to wear off quickly. This is the only form of sedation where you may be able to drive yourself home after the procedure.
Oral sedation. Depending on the total dose given, oral sedation can range from minimal to moderate. For minimal sedation, you take a pill. Typically, the pill is Halcion, which is a member of the same drug family as Valium, and it's usually taken about an hour before the procedure. The pill will make you drowsy, although you'll still be awake. A larger dose may be given to produce moderate sedation. This is the type of anesthesia most commonly associated with sedation dentistry. Some people become groggy enough from moderate oral sedation to actually fall asleep during the procedure. They usually can, though, be awakened with a gentle shake.
IV moderate sedation. You receive the sedative drug through a vein, so it goes to work more quickly. This method allows the dentist to continually adjust the level of sedation.
Deep sedation and general anesthesia. You will get medications that will make you either almost unconscious or totally unconscious -- deeply asleep -- during the procedure. While you are under general anesthesia, you cannot easily be awakened until the effects of the anesthesia wear off or are reversed with medication.

[Beej]

Sedation can drop your respiratory drive, which may increase your apnea. It is why they monitor your vitals under anesthesia.

Resmed machines are often set up to "Phone home" and transmit data on the sleep patterns. If you turn that off, and if it is an autoset machine which is supposed to self-regulate the pressure, it may record if he has apneas. This should be stored on the removable memory chip.
Before doing this, download the manual and determine what the parameters set for you are, so you can reset them afterwards.

[MistRiver]

Thank you. I am getting the ResMed AirSense 10 Autoset for Her so I can definitely do those settings. They are doing IV moderate sedation but I will still be somewhat aware. The dentist said his patients generally drift off to sleep but it sounds like he can rouse them if needed. If I use my machine thursday night would I not have to worry about dry socket? I'm also worried about such a huge adjustment after the surgery. Maybe I'll split the difference and start friday night if it will help recovery.

[Stom]

I'd ask your dentist/oral surgeon about CPAP use. It's common enough that many dentists are familiar with the dental issues that can arise from CPAP, including dry mouth. Dentists want to know if you are using one.

[ardenum]

Your dentist is in for a surprise! kekeke

[SuperSleeper]

Although using your auto-CPAP for a few days might give you an initial indication of whether or not your husband has sleep apnea, what it cannot do is diagnose his condition the way an "official" sleep study can do.  In fact, he may have other sleep-related conditions (other than sleep apnea) that can only be discovered via a full sleep study. 

So, (although you probably already know this) if you choose to have him try your CPAP for a bit, don't rely upon that usage for diagnosing anything.

[mesenteria]

If he does any gasping, coughing, gurgling, and/or increasingly obviously restricted inhalation as he sinks into deeper stages of sleep, he has apnea.  It may be temporary, it might be related to an easily remedied condition, disorder, or disease, or it might be the typically progressive disorder known as obstructive/centeral sleep apnea that just gets worse over time, and which brings on other terrible problems like heart disease, insomnia, immune suppression, etc.  What I mean is, if you are like me, I can tell that my wife has some kind of obstructive sleep apnea.  I don't know why she has it, but she has it.  We're trying to get some things ruled out because she is a walking pharmacy and has heritable immune problems, not to mention IBS, hypothyroidism, Celiac, etc.  The docs don't seem to be in a hurry to get her on PAP therapy of some kind, but seem to want to play around with other data and possible problems.  It's agonizing.  

As suggested just above, the gold standard for determining that one has apnea, and how to treat it properly, is via a polysomnographic study at a sleep lab of some kind.  I don't see that it would 'hurt' to try a PAP machine on full auto that won't actually contribute to the danger he faces each night, but at most you'll get a report that the machine thought it had to deal with X, Y, and possibly Z.