[Equipment] what are repercussions of capping max pressure?

[Sleeprider]

I'm glad to see you have achieved good progress by incorporating EPR into your therapy. That avoids most of the flow limits  which result in the pressure spikes and leaking.  Looking at your most recent chart, you had three episodes of "positional apnea" where you tucked your chin or got into a position that contorted your airway and caused the mask to leak. This can often happen in a fetal position as well as on your back. These episodes are very easy to pick out and also coincide with your SpO2 desaturations. This article on Positional Apnea is from our Optimizing Therapy wiki http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php...onal_Apnea

[famewolf]

Yes I can set the level in settings for the ring in vihealth app...so what level would you set it to?  What exactly do you mean by artifact?   Temporary glitch?

[famewolf]

@SleepRider
Thank you for the link on positioning.  I've ordered a Dr. Dakota soft cervical collar which should be here on the 25th. I seem to have some snoring around same time as the areas I think you targeted so perhaps I was on my back and not propped up enough by pillows....I seem to have many more events when laying "flat" which is hard to avoid since that's the way I was sleeping the majority of the time prior to treatment starting.

[Crimson Nape]

An artifact is a stray data point. It can be caused by rapid hand movement or bumping the sensor.

- Red

[Sleeprider]

Be careful about "propping" yourself up. The pattern is caused by chin-tucking, often associated with too many pillows that prop up the head and cause a chin-tuck.

[staceyburke]

Your O2 drop correlate with your mask leak and Flow Limits.  You need to work on mask fit.  Look at the first part of the night.  Your pressures were great, NOT high and then you got mask leaks that caused your problems.

[famewolf]

For the guys who use full face masks,  how much do you find that shaving or not affects your mask fit?  Last night didn't go as smoothly...o2 ring went off around 3 times....mask hissing a couple of other times.  

the wellue ring is confusing me...I wore ring all last night but only additional file was dated 01/20 so showed up on previous day.   Yesterday it didn't want to show up either so not sure if it's putting last night on previous day.   I excluded a small nap earlier in the day which was just me trying to sleep without using ear plugs.

[Sleeprider]

I don't see the point of setting an alarm on the oximeter. You are disrupting your sleep unnecessarily. Getting the data should be enough.

[famewolf]

For the last 2 nights I've slept through the night...even woke up an hour early today and couldn't really get back to sleep because I felt rested but I'm wondering if I still have bad flow limits.   Last nights chart attached.  I did set the epr to 2 instead of 3 because initially on previous night it felt like I was having trouble breathing and that seems to have fixed issue.  Anything look like it needs to be changed?

[Crimson Nape]

The OAs seem to be positional, since they occur only in intervals. Also, you're hitting your max pressure.  The flow limits are probably driving the higher pressure, but your CPAP's EPR is maxed out on this setting.  I would test it by setting it to a 10 to 15 range.  The worst thing that can happen is it won't help.

Good luck!

- Red