Using a Bipap Auto SV and using a Vpap Adapt SV

[-SWS]

SWS,

Verrry interesting.

I just tried all the Bipaps & with my nose clear and easy to breathe, all the Bipaps are working acceptably - the Pro II did seem a tad more sensitive on the ipap to epep switch but as just tested I would confidently sleep using it.

This brings me to another issue. It seems to me that I have long got used to taking long slow breaths through my nose due to a lifetime of restriction - I am now thinking that with cpap I have been slowly changing my breathing rate & in the past 8 months or so, with the ability to switch nose to mouth with ease, that I can now maintain a higher BPM - the data from the Bipap AutoSV shows BPM (spontaneous) of 14 & 15 bpm as typical.

Allowing for the noticeable improvement with the Bipaps from the tests I just ran, I still can't explain why the other brands did not exhibit the premature ipap to epap that I was finding with the Bipsps specified.

There is a story her, just need to think about it.

DSM

Doug, interesting, indeed! That gets me to wondering about your transient nasal impedance issues over the years. Is there a possibility that your past "ups and downs" regarding daytime energy might have tracked your periods of high nasal impedance? Do allergy seasons tend to be low energy seasons?

If so, I'm wondering if you essentially suffer UARS-type sleep arousals and UARS-type somnolence primarily or even exclusively during your transient periods of rhinitis. And that begs the question: can there be such a thing as transient UARS? Researchers are still trying to understand whether UARS arousals might be inherently different (perhaps airway receptor based) than apnea arousals (blood-gas receptor based).

And according to some researchers it's possible to have both of those obstructive etiologies and both arousal types happening at the same time. Presumably when your nasal impedance in not problematic you just may not suffer transient UARS type issues in physiology. And that also begs the question of just how severe or perhaps "non-present" your OSA just might be during those recurring periods of acceptable nasal impedance.

Regarding whether an SV machine is your magic pill: I sure hope it is! However, like you I also suspect that "trial by time" will be the true efficacy test. Good luck with that SV machine!!!




P.S. But what a hypothetical question brought to mind: Can UARS be strictly transient and recurring in at least some cases? Hmmm... I don't see why not. Yet I have never read about fully-symptomatic UARS recurring on a seasonal or transient-only basis.
.

[dsm]

SWS,

I'd like to say I could link the high energy periods with nasal congestion but I just haven't made that connection.

One of the worst forms of nasal congestion I get is if I drink a particular brand of local beer (Hahn Premium)
http://www.australianbeers.com/beers/ha ... remium.htm
That one beer is so bad that half a bottle is certain to jam up my nasal passages & very quickly after drinking it. Needless to say I now avoid it like the plague.

A beer that seems to have the least effect on nasal airways is James Boag.
http://www.boags.com.au/Files/00561-J-Boag-&-Son.asp

It is considered an expensive boutique beer here - comes from Tassie (Tasmania) that little Island floating off the bottom of Australia below the state of Victoria.

Also some red wines can also cause the nasal congestion.

I had never associated my congestion with beer until a friend who sells beer told me to keep trying brands until I found one that didn't stuff up my nose - he was right. He said that modern beers in bottles & cans have SO2 added as a preservative and it was well known in the trade that many people react to the concentrations of SO2 while others don't notice it.

When I was in HK there was an embarrassing situation for a wine importer who had all his Australian reds rejected as unsuitable for Chinese consumption because the brand had unacceptably high amounts of SO2.

Keg beer (what we also call tap beer) doesn't have this concentration of SO2 - only beer & wine with a shelf life gets it seems.

Apart from beer - the other time of nasal congestion is springtime. I never remember being trouble like this as a youngster - the awareness of hay-fever is more when I started into my 50s.

PS at least 2 of those nights last week on the Bipap AutoSV were after I had consumed at least the equivalent of a bottle of red wine when we had dinner guests home. The data showed no detectable difference - so the Bipap AutoSV may qualify as a master machine for normalising breathing despite what abuse we dish up to our internal systems

DSM

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): bipap

[-SWS]

at least 2 of those nights last week on the Bipap AutoSV were after I had consumed at least the equivalent of a bottle of red wine when we had dinner guests home. The data showed no detectable difference Smile - so the Bipap AutoSV may qualify as a master machine for normalising breathing despite what abuse we dish up to our internal systems

DSM, in my book that's pretty darn good news about the SV machine. Hope that machine turns out to be just what you need over the long haul, my friend!

I didn't realize SO2 at certain high levels (allowed elsewhere) was rejected for import in HK. I know SO2 is routinely and prolifically added by many wine makers. Speaking of allergies in relation to alcoholic beverages: I have a moderately-imbibing friend who is somewhat of a health nut. He also suffers from allergies that entail both headaches and rhinitis. When it comes to alcoholic beverages, he'll only drink potato-based vodka mixed with lime juice. He came to that conclusion after conferring with a holistic MD then researching on his own. He now swears off any other alcoholic beverages! Needless to say my wife and I keep a bottle of potato vodka for when we entertain. We always stocked that handy lime juice.

Again, thanks for sharing all your SV info with us!!!
.

[dsm]

Last night I again tried & used the Bipap Auto (non SV model) but again this morning the card gives an error when Encore pro tries to read it -

This card was ok as this time it was the one from my Bipap AutoSV, reformatted & set up for the Bipap Auto. So there seems to be some problem getting data off this machine.

I'll be going back to the Bipap AutoSV.

Again I have the SpO2 data & will post that later.

As for adding any more dat to this particular thread, I'll post tonights data as a wrap up then just get back to normal use.

My wife is saying that the room looks like a hospital ward with all the cpaps & spo2 machines & cables & its about time to get back to normal.

DSM

[dsm]

Here is all the SpO2 data in one post

So the first links are all while using the BiapAutoSV - the last two links are the nights I used the Bipap Auto (non SV model). My own observations are that with the Biap AutoSV esp after bumping epap to 11 CMS, the SpO2 levels are always slightly higher than when on the Bipap Auto & the pulse rate is steadier when on the Bipap Auto SV. Just how much that really means is open to debate but I clearly prefer the Biap AutoSV. In particular I dislike the low 2 CMS gap that the Bipap Auto starts with & seems to maintain. On my dial manometer this gap is even less than the CMS shown on the screen.


1. http://www.internetage.com/cpapdata/dsm ... pr08-2.jpg
2. http://www.internetage.com/cpapdata/dsm ... pr08-2.jpg
3. http://www.internetage.com/cpapdata/dsm ... pr08-2.jpg
4. http://www.internetage.com/cpapdata/dsm ... pr08-2.jpg
5. http://www.internetage.com/cpapdata/dsm ... pr08-2.jpg
6. http://www.internetage.com/cpapdata/dsm ... pr08-2.jpg


DSM

[Lubman]

DSM

Glad to see that you are documenting the new experience with the
BiPaP SV.

An experienced sleep tech told me that the great thing about this machine was the amount of items one could change; and the bad thing about this machine was the amount of items one could change.

Since you know your own data so well, I think you have a better chance of getting the setting right than a DME or tech with minimal experience using the machine.

I would agree if SAG or SWS can weigh in on the impact of certain parameters, even if they don't suggest a setting - which may be difficult to
do for someone not as familiar with your results -- you may get some ideas on how to adjust all the myriad of settings on the Respironics machine.

If Banned does loan you an Assist SV, Doug, it will be very interesting to get
your impressions and your comparison.

Lubman

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): bipap, DME

[Banned]

I'm still going to send dsm the Adapt SV for evaluation. The Respironics PiPAP Auto SV has a whole-lot of settings, whereas with the Adapt SV you just set EEP, or if you want to be more creative, set EEP and MIN PS, either way you are done. The difference between set-up involved for each machine is mind numbing.

It would be nice to hear from SAG, again. Maybe he went surfing or took early retirement, or just got sick of newbies. Hope he didn't just disappear like the late, great, 'Christine' who hopefully wasn't in a car wreck.

Hey dsm, PM with your email address, if you would, when you get a chance. Thank you.

Banned

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): respironics, auto

[dsm]

[quote="Banned"]I'm still going to send dsm the Adapt SV for evaluation. The Respironics PiPAP Auto SV has a whole-lot of settings, whereas with the Adapt SV you just set EEP, or if you want to be more creative, set EEP and MIN PS, either way you are done. The difference between set-up involved for each machine is mind numbing.

It would be nice to hear from SAG, again. Maybe he went surfing or took early retirement, or just got sick of newbies. Hope he didn't disappear like the late, great, 'Christine' who hopefully wasn't in a car wreck.

Hey dsm, PM with your email address, if you would, when you get a chance. Thank you.

Banned

[dsm]

At last after persevering I got the data off last night's Bipap Auto run (non SV model). I suspect that static elec was interfering with reading the card because I just now had no trouble reading last night's after 5 failed attempts yesterday & as many on last nights data this morning.

By all accounts I guess it is what anyone would call a good night. I am not quite as familiar with the Bipap Auto printouts so will need to further evaluate but at 1st glance it appears to have had little trouble the AI = 1.0 & HI= 1.0

Settings used were ...

epap = 10
IpapMax=20
MaxPS = 4

http://www.internetage.com/cpapdata/dsm ... apauto.pdf

From the look of the SpO2 chart for the last 2 nights I am thinking the results for the night before last (that I lost when unable to read that card) night were probably very similar

DSM

[dsm]

My 1st question to those familiar with the BipapAuto is why does the chart show 90% epap as lower than the MinEpap setting ???

MinEpap=10
90% av epap = 9.9 ???

DSM

[rested gal]

One tenth isn't much difference. Got Bi-Flex turned on?

[dsm]

One tenth isn't much difference. Got Bi-Flex turned on?

RG,

No - just went for straight Abpap

Cheers

DSM

[dsm]

RG,

I would take it from the data shown the original settings I have adopted of 10/13 are optimal.

The machine doesn't seem to have been straining - there clearly were a few AI events scored but interestingly few HIs. It seems to have lifted Ipap from 12 to 13 based on what I see there, but kept epap low.

To cap this info off last night was dinner out at an Indian restaurant - we all ate lots (certainly more than I normally do) & self polished off 1 beer & 2/3rds bottle of red wine.

I am used to seeing higher AI & HI scores after such an evening.

[-SWS]

My 1st question to those familiar with the BipapAuto is why does the chart show 90% epap as lower than the MinEpap setting ???

MinEpap=10
90% av epap = 9.9 ???

DSM

That's not the only reporting bug on that report either. That entire report contains only one night of data. That single night an AHI of 1.0 is recorded. But the long-term trend for that same single night of data reports in with an average AHI of 2.0.

So just what kind of math classes did these programmers attend back in college anyway? Really weird stuff...

[rested gal]

RG,

I would take it from the data shown the original settings I have adopted of 10/13 are optimal.

The EPAP 10 / IPAP 20 you have the machine set for looks like it's doing fine for you.

If I changed anything, I'd probably put the EPAP at 11 to see if that might knock out all the apneas. But as scattered and insignificant in number as they are, you really don't need to change anything. Looks very good.