CPAP at 6500 feet elelvation

[Esme]

I know aspects of this topic have been covered here before so I apologize if my question has been discussed previously. I did a search of the forum but didn't see an answer to my specific question. I live at sea level and am headed to Yellowstone where I'll be spending my nights at 6500 feet. I have a Resmed Autosense 10, which I use at a fixed pressure of 8.6.

I see several folks here have said these newer machines are self-adjusting (don't know if that's the right term) for elevations up to a point, others say to adjust manually at higher elevation. The user manual for my machine says that the Autosense 10 has a range of sea level to 8500 feet but I'm not sure what that means. My simple question is, do I need to change the pressure manually to accommodate the higher elevation, or does the machine automatically adjust? Nothing I've found in the manual addresses this, but I may not be searching correctly. Thanks for any help you can give.

[Pugsy]

Your machine will auto adjust as need for changes in elevation up to 8500 feet with zero problems...no need to do anything.

In reality...they will handle even higher elevations and it not be a critical issue and no need to try to alter the pressure manually.
I have been at over 10K feet and didn't do anything and didn't have a problem.
It's really only the most basic cheap machines that won't auto adjust...all of ResMed's newer machines in the last 10 years will auto adjust...

[chunkyfrog]

Enjoy Yellowstone.
You have to be there to appreciate it fully.
It is awesome.

[grayghost4]

The only problem I have had is the auto start/stop can be a little "iffy"

[jnk...]

The problem isn't a matter of the machine adjusting to altitude; it is more a matter of some of us humans adjusting to altitude. If one has a central aspect to one's sleep-breathing issues, altitude may exacerbate the problem. This is highly individual in that it is a big problem for some and not any problem at all for others. My AHI has increased significantly when sleeping at elevations above 5,000 feat.

Some of the phrases in the following may provide search terms for finding authoritative works or speaking to a doc about any concerns:

High-altitude periodic breathing . . . occurs even in healthy persons at altitudes above 6000 ft. It may lead to sleep disturbances with frequent awakenings and a feeling of lack of air. High-altitude periodic breathing in healthy mountain travelers and in patients with preexisting obstructive sleep apnea can be prevented or treated with acetazolamide, a drug that is also used for acute mountain sickness. Travelers to high altitude (>2500 m/>8000 ft above sea level) should ascend slowly and drink sufficient amounts of water. Sleeping altitude should be as low as possible. People with a history of severe altitude sickness should consult their doctor regarding the use of acetazolamide before traveling to a high altitude. Patients with obstructive sleep apnea who travel to high altitude should continue to use their CPAP machine while traveling as they do at home. Such patients might benefit from preventive treatment with acetazolamide when staying at an altitude higher than 1600 m; they should consult their doctor about this possibility. -- https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/f ... le/1484517

It helps me to keep hydrated if I can keep my urine clear for a few weeks before travel to high altitude. I offset any increase in fluids by supplementing with electrolytes. The dryness of the air in high country can be as problematic as the low O2. When I travel to higher altitudes, I try to arrange for sleep accomodations at as low an altitude as possible in the vicinity to make sure my sleep is as restful as it can be.

[Esme]

Thank you! Happy to know I won't have to make changes to the machine. I don't have any underlying respiratory problems, but will be hiking at up to 7500 feet so 6500 feet may start to feel pretty good at the end of the day. Chunkyfrog - yes, I am looking forward to visiting YNP. Been there twice before in the distant past, both times in the summer when it was quite jam-packed so I'm hoping for a better experience this time.

[palerider]

The problem isn't a matter of the machine adjusting to altitude....

Older machines had to be manually adjusted for altitude. Modern ones have pressure sensors and just create x pressure over ambient.. so they automatically compensate for pressure changes in the environment... Up to a point where the machine is working so hard that it can't move enough air to maintain pressure.

[Chris8243]

I live near Yellowstone and travel fairly often to the east coast, sea level. I don't ever mess with my CPAP, seems to function perfectly well wherever I am.

[jnk...]

APAP is APAP at any elevation if max is at 20.

But I might lessen the delta on a bilevel or lessen ResMed EPR if I wanted to lower the odds of experiencing CO2-washout-related dysregulation at very high altitudes.

[D.H.]

I asked the manufacturer of my CPAP what happens if I go higher than the supported elevation. The answer was that it would work and may be off setting only slightly. However, if one's pressure is at or near the machine max, you might exceed the capacity of the motor.

Note that in case of the original question in this thread, the destination is within supported elevation range, so no need to worry about this.

Also, I'm not sure about anything below sea level, such as Ein Gedi (1388 ft below sea level).