HELP ! CAN'T EXHALE

[Cokomo]

"Cokomo, can you zoom in your flow rate trace during one of these strange AA valve events? I'd like to see if your breathing pattern is unusual, or if the machine is able to track your breath at all."

I may have caused confusion by switching to CPAP. Tonight, I will leave it alone ---APAP 15-20. Will post graphs and try to blow up some events .

[ChicagoGranny]

Any chance your hose has a hole or is being squished somehow? Could something have fallen into the hose and it is clogging it sometimes?

His leak rates (graph) are fairly consistent and sufficiently high enough. This is an indication that the system is delivering enough air.

[zoocrewphoto]

Any chance your hose has a hole or is being squished somehow? Could something have fallen into the hose and it is clogging it sometimes?

His leak rates (graph) are fairly consistent and sufficiently high enough. This is an indication that the system is delivering enough air.

The graphs look like the pressure is staying on, but seeing and hearing that valve open and close sounds like something is causing the air flow to stop at the mask. Even if it is on and off quickly. He's being using this machine and style mask for over a year without problems, so something must have changed.

[Otter]

Any chance your hose has a hole or is being squished somehow? Could something have fallen into the hose and it is clogging it sometimes?

His leak rates (graph) are fairly consistent and sufficiently high enough. This is an indication that the system is delivering enough air.

If the hose got briefly pinched or kinked, would the PR1's total leak trace drop near zero, or is it an average that wouldn't show a brief interruption?

[archangle]

But he does say this,

The asphyxiation flap in both swivels, shuts and is audible when it does and exhalation is greatly reduced .

The "audible" is indeed the valve closing.

Or it's the sound of the valve "opening."

It's a two position, three port valve. It has ports for the hose, mask, and the room room. There is no "open" and "closed." In one position, if you exhale, air goes back up the hose. In the other position, air goes out the hole and into the room.

When there is no air pressure, it's "open" to the room air and "closed" to the hose.

[Cokomo]

The flap not being held open by the incoming air pressure is what really puzzles me.

[archangle]

The flap not being held open by the incoming air pressure is what really puzzles me.

That's odd unless the pressure is going away from the machine. Try disconnecting from the hose and blowing into the mask while holding the mask against your hand like it was on your face. When I do that, I can feel the valve open and close and block the airflow.

Have you disassembled it at looked carefully? You can go all the way down to taking the silicone flap out. You can see the silicone tab that sticks out of the elbow. That's just in a little clip that snaps off of the elbow with very little effort without disassembling anything else. https://www.cpap.com/productpage/resmed ... -clip.html

disassembly guide..

[Otter]

The flap not being held open by the incoming air pressure is what really puzzles me.

So it's stuck in the position it would be in if the machine shut off? For safety's sake, those valves are designed so that if they fail, it will likely be in that position. This is beginning to sound like a mask problem after all, unless I have the current definitions of "open" and "closed" confused.

Edit: I went back and read your first post. Seems it's stuck in the other position, so that even with the machine off it doesn't open? That is both weird and mildly dangerous.

[ChicagoGranny]

Edit: I went back and read your first post. Seems it's stuck in the other position, so that even with the machine off it doesn't open? That is both weird and mildly dangerous.

If he hears it opening and closing, then it is not stuck in either position.

There is no "open" and "closed."

Sure there is, otherwise there is no functionality to the valve.

Cokomo wrote:The flap not being held open by the incoming air pressure is what really puzzles me.

Is terminology confusing this discussion?

Do you understand the valve is supposed to be closed when the mask is pressurized?

"Closed" means no air can leave the mask by way of this valve.

[The Choker]

Have you ever checked it with your technician or doctor in charge who recommend that for you? If not its a must to do it now.

All the doctors I now have very little familiarity with masks. I am not so sure about many of the technicians either.

Did you join to get free advertising in your signature? Free advertising by mooching off of one of your competitors?

[Cokomo]

Happy to report no issues last night! Have no idea why the bump in AHI the last few days, but I surely feel better today. No flap open/close problems. Would like to thank all for your help. I've included last night's graphs. Possibly there is an answer hidden, but I am pretty much clueless in reading between the lines. Thanks again. Cokomo

[Pugsy]

Sometimes we just don't have the answers....that's when I like to blame it on the aliens. They do like to mess with us sometimes.

[khauser]

Huh! Well, don't argue with success!!

[archangle]

There is no "open" and "closed."

Sure there is, otherwise there is no functionality to the valve.

The valve has two positions.

In one position, the air path between the mask and the hose is "closed" and the path between the mask and room air is "open."

In the other position, the path between the mask and the room air is "closed" and the path between the mask and hose is "open."

The valve is always "open" to one side and "closed" to the other.

[ChicagoGranny]

The valve has two positions.

Yes it does. Open and closed.

The valve has only one raison d'etre. The valve's sole purpose is to allow the passage of air to and from the room and the patient in the case of failure of the system to provide mechanical air flow. No manufacturer would put a valve in this mask if this wasn't a desired, even required, feature.

So it logically follows the valve is correctly described as 1) being open when it allows air to flow to and from patient to room and 2) being closed when it does not allow air to flow to and from patient to room.

Attempts to define open and closed in any other manner are purely factious.

Back to you.