How to read a sleep study test

[ozij]

Dan,
CPAP is fixed pressure, not a range.

A machine set up between 7 and 9 will never reach 10.8. I don't know the machine enough to guide you through the proper setup, but I'm sure others will do so soon.

Slinky for instance knows the Vantage very well.

O.

[d.green]

Here is the other page of the report.

[d.green]

Dan,
CPAP is fixed pressure, not a range.

A machine set up between 7 and 9 will never reach 10.8. I don't know the machine enough to guide you through the proper setup, but I'm sure others will do so soon.

Slinky for instance knows the Vantage very well.

O.

I just set the from outset, to CPAP today because it has been on auto all this time. with pressures at 7cm to 20cm. The CPAP setting are set at 7cm-9cm, and I will try this for awhile and see if it helps.

[Slinky]

... I had a sleep study test done back in August of this year. I was placed on a cpap at 9cm. ... Arousal index was 24.3 split equally between spontaneous arousals and those associated with respiratory events. The patient had this CPAP pressures of 5, 7, 9 and 10 used. He also had bilevel pressures of 14/10 up to 16/12. the best pressures were the CPAP pressures of 5,7 and 9. On all of these settings his Apnea Hypopnea Index was less than 5 and his RDI less than 8. The best pressure appeared to be 9cm where his RDI was 7.6. His supine RDI was also 7.6. On 7cm, his RDI was the same, but he had no supine sleep during that time. There was no REM sleep on any of these settings. Higher CPAP pressures and bilevel pressures appeared to induce central events. ... No, it was not set-up for me, so I left it on auto. I just set it to CPAP, with pressures between 7cm and 9cm. Here is what my numbers was last night.

Press: 10.8
Leak: 0.12
AHI: 10.9
AI: 0.8
HI: 10.1 ...

... I just set the from outset, to CPAP today because it has been on auto all this time. with pressures at 7cm to 20cm. The CPAP setting are set at 7cm-9cm, and I will try this for awhile and see if it helps.

Ahhhhhh! NOW we are getting somewhere! I took the liberty of highlighting your original auto pressure range in bold. My impression is that the ONLY centrals you encountered were at the higher bi-level pressures. Spontaneous arousals are NOT the same as central apneas and spontanenous arousals are often caused just by the constant pressure changes and can be more frequent just due to the strange sleep surroundings and equipment.

I'd reset it to Auto mode - BUT - I'd set the pressure range from 6 cms to 12 cms. AND LEAVE IT THERE FOR A WEEK. The AI and the Leak rate are going to be the two items I'd pay closest attention to. I'd then be inclined to quite likely reduce just the top pressure by 1 cm to 11 cms - BUT - I'd wanna base my decision on that week's data. I'm just venturing a guess that most likely 9 cms isn't that far off target of a mid range for you.

Are you using the Ramp option? Do you find that you need it to get to sleep? Do you use Ramp when you wake during the night? If you can COMFORTABLY use this Vantage w/o using the Ramp option do so. But the idea is COMFORT so you can sleep so if you need Ramp USE IT!

[d.green]

I read that I also have hypersomnolent, and that I could be a dangerous to myself and others. What is this and can CPAP treat this?

[Slinky]

Hypersomnia = sleeping for excessive lengths of time. It may be associated with psychiatric illness, drug or alcohol use or narcolepsy.

I'm taking a guess that most likely your excessive sleepiness would make you a hazard whilst driving, that you could fall asleep at the wheel whilst driving. And maybe the sleep doctor is leaving an opening for ordering a MLST (multiple sleep latency test) for Narcolepsy in the future.

Successful CPAP therapy could well solve your sleep problems. However, one can have more than one sleep disorder and so we can't offer any guarantees.

[rested gal]

I read that I also have hypersomnolent, and that I could be a dangerous to myself and others. What is this and can CPAP treat this?

hyper = a prefix signifying above, beyond, or excessive.
somnolence = sleepiness; also, unnatural drowsiness.

You were being described as excessively sleepy. A pretty common description for people who suffer from sleep disordered breathing. Sleep breathing disorders like Obstructive Sleep Apnea interfere with getting good sleep and can leave a person feeling extremely sleepy the next day.

Anyone who is excessively sleepy can be a drowsy driver, could fall asleep driving, and yes, be a danger to himself and others if sleepy while driving.

CPAP can treat sleep apnea. When CPAP treatment works well, and there aren't other sleep related or other health issues or medications to cause drowsiness, the hypersomnolence will go away. You'd be awake and alert instead of hypersomnolent (overly sleepy.)

[rested gal]

The CPAP setting are set at 7cm-9cm, and I will try this for awhile and see if it helps.

Dan, I'm still a little confused....sorry.

7cm-9cm sounds like a range of pressures to be used in "auto" mode. Sounds like setting the Vantage in "autoset" mode for a minimum pressure of 7 and a maximum pressure of 9.

Or do you mean you've set your Vantage to "cpap" mode at a pressure of 9, and that you've perhaps set a "ramp" pressure to start at 7 ?

[d.green]

The CPAP setting are set at 7cm-9cm, and I will try this for awhile and see if it helps.

Dan, I'm still a little confused....sorry.

7cm-9cm sounds like a range of pressures to be used in "auto" mode. Sounds like setting the Vantage in "autoset" mode for a minimum pressure of 7 and a maximum pressure of 9.

Or do you mean you've set your Vantage to "cpap" mode at a pressure of 9, and that you've perhaps set a "ramp" pressure to start at 7 ?

I set it cpap setting instead of the auto setting. Minimum of 7cm and maximum of 9cm

[Slinky]

Dan, what we are trying to get across to you is that in CPAP mode there is only ONE pressure setting which would be either the 7 cms or the 9 cms, but it can't be both.

In Auto mode then, yes, you can set a pressure range and could have it set to a range of 7 cms to 9 cms.

I've PM'd you about the VPAP and the settings. Do check your PMs and maybe we can get this straightened out so you know how to set and what settings to set.

Now, if you are using Ramp in CPAP mode, then the starting Ramp pressure could be set at 7 cms w/your AutoSet Vantage.