Two weeks on Auto... Do the numbers mean anything?

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
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UKnowWhatInSeattle
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Two weeks on Auto... Do the numbers mean anything?

Post by UKnowWhatInSeattle » Fri Feb 25, 2005 12:02 pm

I've used my PB 420E for 2 weeks now. Aside from one night when the pressure ran away to its max (12), it has been pretty steady at 6 (62%), and that is with 2 nights of straight CPAP at 8 factored in. My titrated pressure from April Fool's day last year is 8. I've had one (1, uno) apnea and 2 apneas (with Cardiac Oscillation) detected in two weeks.

After my runaway problem, SWS suggested that I make the algorithm a little less sensitive to Flow Limited Runs by turning IFL1 off, and I certainly haven't had a runaway since. I raised my APAP low pressure from 4 to 6. I've also been exclusively using nasal pillows (breeze or swift) when running APAP after the runaway using a nasal mask (mustache leaks?).

Anyway, the only thing that looks unusual to me is that I still seem to have lots of "Runs" (careful, I know what you're thinking...). I've had 1368 or 13.7/hr of Flow-Limited Runs. For the 2 weeks, I've had an average of 85% Normal, 5% Intermediate, and 11% Flow-limited Cycles.

When I look at the graphs, I see lots of "Run" indicator marks (from 44 to 1182/night). Last night was 73 runs, the night before, 120. There isn't an obvious correlation between a high run-number night and a low run-number night as far as whether it felt like a "good" or "bad" night. Is this Normal, Typical, or cause for some concern or action?

Here's a link to the synthesis text output of the whole 2 weeks: http://www.nwlink.com/~jtn/JimFirstTwoWeeks.txt

-SWS
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Outstanding Flow Runs

Post by -SWS » Fri Feb 25, 2005 3:16 pm

I wish I had a medical/health background so that I could give you more information regarding whether those flow runs are cause for concern. Since you don't know the physiological mechanism causing those flow runs (rhinitis, asthma, COPD, deviated septum, mandibular alignment, etc.) I suspect no one here can tell you whether you do or don't have cause for concern.

If those flow runs cause neither cortical arousals nor desats (and they very well may not) then your sleep is essentially unimpacted by them. If you subjectively feel that you sleep poorly because of them, then you may wish to run some fixed pressure experiments while collecting data to see if CPAP yields improved or deteriorated sleep.

Whether you have a pulmonary, ENT, or mandibular issue that is related/unrelated to sleep that needs to be addressed can only be answered by your doctor(s) in my opinion.

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UKnowWhatInSeattle
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Post by UKnowWhatInSeattle » Fri Feb 25, 2005 5:27 pm

SWS,
As always, thanks a million for responding.

I do have sarcoidosis, but it has never been symptomatic. It was discovered in my lungs by imaging and confirmed by surgery (where they cut and went in behind the breastbone to harvest lymph nodes). The reason I say "not" symptomatic is that I have had several follow-ups in the past few years and imaging (X-ray and CAT) has shown no change and my lung function tests have all been "normal". My sleep doc is a pulmonary guy, so he did an additional lung function test just before my first sleep study.

I'll drag my laptop in to my sleep doc's office and see what he says about it.

The one thing to say is that I don't seem to see any correlation between a large number of runs and the feeling that it was a "bad" night, or vice versa.

Jim, whose verses are vices.

-SWS
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Pulmonologist visit

Post by -SWS » Fri Feb 25, 2005 6:24 pm

Jim, please let us know what your pulmonologist says about those flow limitations. I'm under the impression that we can experience a slight "flow limitation" by PB's definition, walk into the pulmonologist's office with that slight "flow limitation", and still pass the lung function test. That assumption of mine could be dead wrong, though...

Any information you can bring back from your pulmonologist to educate us is MUCH appreciated!!!

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UKnowWhatInSeattle
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Post by UKnowWhatInSeattle » Fri Feb 25, 2005 7:37 pm

Roger Dodger!

(apologies to Brits who might be offended by that)
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