About to order new machine. Need advice on pressure settings

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Sergey45
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About to order new machine. Need advice on pressure settings

Post by Sergey45 » Tue Jul 24, 2007 10:00 am

OK.
Finaly with a lot of help from this forum’s gurus I’ve choose my new machine
https://www.cpap.com/productpage-advanced.php?PNum=2018

Thanks to everybody who’s have some input.

Now. In order to place actual order to Apria my doctor needs to specify range of pressures on prescription. Well, I don’t know how to put it gently, but his qualification is much lower than many of yours folks. He is just ordinary pulmanologist, who is trying to expend his field of practice, so he is dealing with CPAP as well. Another words – he will put on that prescription any numbers I will tell him to put. Currently for year and a half I’ve been on straight CPAP with pressure 10. Doing reasonably well, much better than before CPAP. What would be the reasonable numbers to set for me?
Also it is BIPAP machine, so how many pressures suppose to be specified?
Inhale min- max??
Exhale min-max??
Thanks.


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Snoredog
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Post by Snoredog » Tue Jul 24, 2007 10:11 am

well you want to make sure you are getting the "Auto" version of the Bipap and not the "Pro" version of the Bipap.

If your current CPAP pressure is 10 cm, I would start out at:

Mode=BiFlex Auto
IPAP Max=15 cm
EPAP Min=7 cm
PS=4 cm
BiFlex=2 (Options are 1, 2 or 3)

When you turn on the machine IPAP will be 2 cm higher than EPAP, so it will be at 9cm IPAP and EPAP will start at the Min of 7 cm. Both will move up as needed, IPAP will increase up to 15cm, EPAP can be pulled up to 11 cm or 1 cm higher than current CPAP equal, or if event types dictate EPAP can move up to 13 cm if needed. There will always be a 2 Min gap between IPAP and EPAP on the closest side.

someday science will catch up to what I'm saying...

Sergey45
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Post by Sergey45 » Tue Jul 24, 2007 10:30 am

Or, Dear God.
Rocket science!
Thank you very much.

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rested gal
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Re: About to order new machine. Need advice on pressure sett

Post by rested gal » Tue Jul 24, 2007 9:01 pm

Sergey45 wrote:Currently for year and a half I’ve been on straight CPAP with pressure 10. Doing reasonably well, much better than before CPAP. What would be the reasonable numbers to set for me?
Also it is BIPAP machine, so how many pressures suppose to be specified?
I'm no doctor, but for the Rx, this would make the type of machine, mode of operation, and important settings clear to the person at Apria who will be setting it up initially:

Respironics BiPAP Auto with Bi-Flex
(I'd specify the entire name of the machine just like that, when dealing with a bricks and mortar DME like Apria.)
Auto-titrating Bi-level mode
Max IPAP 20
Min EPAP 8
PS (Max Press Sup) 8
Bi-flex 3
No ramp

Sergey, you can always change the settings, if you want to, after you get the machine. Personally, I'd keep the Min EPAP up fairly close to your current prescribed pressure of 10. An EPAP setting of 7, as Snoredog suggested, would be ok. I just think 8 or even 9 for the EPAP would be better.

Setting the max IPAP at 20 doesn't mean the machine will ever even approach anything close to 20 for you.

As Snoredog mentioned, the machine will start out using an IPAP only 2 cm's higher than whatever the EPAP was set at.

Those two pressures will then do what they need to do independently of each other, but will never get closer to each other than 2 cms....or farther apart from each other than 8 cms (if the Max Press Support, or "PS") is set for 8 .

A gap of "8" is as much independence as the machine can give for EPAP and IPAP to do their thing as needed and not be dragging each other up or down unnecessarily.

It's unlikely that the IPAP and EPAP would actually have occasion to move as far as 8 cm's apart from each other. But imho, setting the PS at 3 or 4 cm's (as if a person were using a traditional bipap's EPAP/IPAP of 3, 4, or 5 cms difference) is not taking full advantage of the unique way the BiPAP Auto works...as a combo bipap/auto-titrating machine.

For more about my take on what the Max Press Sup setting does (it's called "PS" in the older non-M series BiPAP Auto):
viewtopic.php?t=15666
Dec 08, 2006 subject: Question for BiPap users - UPDATED 12/14/2006

Good luck, Sergey! You've decided on a very good machine!
ResMed S9 VPAP Auto (ASV)
Humidifier: Integrated + Climate Control hose
Mask: Aeiomed Headrest (deconstructed, with homemade straps
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Sergey45
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Re: About to order new machine. Need advice on pressure sett

Post by Sergey45 » Wed Jul 25, 2007 5:26 am

Thank you very much.
Oh Dear!
Sometimes it is seems to me I am trying to pilot a jumbo jet without even knowing how to pilot a singe engine airplane. Hopefully I will learn it eventually.
Thanks again.

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Re: About to order new machine. Need advice on pressure sett

Post by Sergey45 » Wed Jul 25, 2007 6:03 am

rested gal wrote:

Sergey, you can always change the settings, if you want to, after you get the machine.
Does this mean I can do it myself later on fairly easily?

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roster
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Post by roster » Wed Jul 25, 2007 8:15 am

Congratulations Sergey,

IMHO you are getting a great machine. In making your choice, was the A-Flex a close second? If so, what were the deciding factors?

Thanks,

Rooster

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Sergey45
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Post by Sergey45 » Wed Jul 25, 2007 2:30 pm

rooster wrote:Congratulations Sergey,

IMHO you are getting a great machine. In making your choice, was the A-Flex a close second? If so, what were the deciding factors?

Thanks,

Rooster
Well, there was not deciding factor in particular. Just my intuition I think. It seems like this machine has more “electronic brain capacity” to match my natural breath pattern rather then to keep me inflating from inside like a party balloon.

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roster
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Post by roster » Wed Jul 25, 2007 3:43 pm

Sergey45 wrote:
rooster wrote:Congratulations Sergey,

IMHO you are getting a great machine. In making your choice, was the A-Flex a close second? If so, what were the deciding factors?

Thanks,

Rooster
Well, there was not deciding factor in particular. Just my intuition I think. It seems like this machine has more “electronic brain capacity” to match my natural breath pattern rather then to keep me inflating from inside like a party balloon.
I guess when you are having that kind of problem, it is best to go with your gut feeling when choosing a machine.

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Rooster
I have a vision that we will figure out an easy way to ensure that children develop wide, deep, healthy and attractive jaws and then obstructive sleep apnea becomes an obscure bit of history.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ycw4uaX ... re=related

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Post by snoregirl » Wed Jul 25, 2007 5:32 pm

Sometimes it is seems to me I am trying to pilot a jumbo jet without even knowing how to pilot a singe engine airplane. Hopefully I will learn it eventually.

Better you piloting than Apria or your doc who is trying to expand his practice

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rested gal
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Re: About to order new machine. Need advice on pressure sett

Post by rested gal » Wed Jul 25, 2007 6:06 pm

Sergey45 wrote:
rested gal wrote:

Sergey, you can always change the settings, if you want to, after you get the machine.
Does this mean I can do it myself later on fairly easily?
Yes, if you know how to access the clinical "setup" menu on the machine itself. And you will know how to access that...I assure you.
ResMed S9 VPAP Auto (ASV)
Humidifier: Integrated + Climate Control hose
Mask: Aeiomed Headrest (deconstructed, with homemade straps
3M painters tape over mouth
ALL LINKS by rested gal:
viewtopic.php?t=17435