[Treatment] Hypopneas keeping AHI high

[BernieG]

My wife has been on CPAP for several months now after being diagnosed with mild-moderate sleep apnea (test score of about 15).  Since starting CPAP at a pressure of 5 she definitely feels better and is much more wakeful.  However, her AHI remains around 15 or higher most nights and the machine is indicating that she is experiencing very large numbers of hypopneas and very few central or obstructive apneas.  Her doctor raised the pressure to 8 several weeks ago, but nothing has changed--still high AHI and lots of hypopneas.  We were disappointed with her sleep test.  Most of the evening was spent on diagnosis and only a few minutes on actually setting pressure.  Any suggestions?  Would it be appropriate to raise the pressure even higher?  Since she's feeling better should we just not worry about the machine-reported AHI?

[DeepBreathing]

G'day Bernie. Welcome to Apnea Board.

An AHI of 15 is not acceptable and needs to be addressed. To address it we need some real data, not the limited coverage provided by the on-line app. So, I have a list of things for you to do to provide us with the knowledge to make some solid recommendations which will help get her treatment on track.

1. Make sure Mrs G is fully engaged with this process. While it is great that you have taken the initiative, encourage her to get involved in the discussions and decisions.

2. It would be good to see a copy of the sleep test report, which the clinic should have provided you. If not, get hold of a copy. We need to see the full report with charts and tables, not just the written summary (which often leaves out important stuff). Make sure you erase items such as name, address, phone number etc that you don't want floating around on the internet.

3. Let us know exactly what machine she has (there are many different Dreamstations). Remove the humidifier tank, then turn the machine over to see the label on the bottom. The model number will probably start with DSX.

4. To provide the detailed data which will unlock the mysteries, you need a software program called OSCAR. This will show everything that happens on a breath-by-breath basis all night. You will find the links to download and install Oscar in my signature below. Make sure you organise the pages as per the instructions. For Oscar to work, you must have an SD card in the machine when it is in use.

Again, welcome to Apnea Board.