Does Exhalation Pressure Relief affect apneas

I was titrated for a pressure of 13 cm. my machine allows me to have LOWER pressure when I exhale, so my question is, that if 13 is the magic number to keep my airways open, and when I exhale, is it possible that things collapse and the restriction will increase apneas?

My machine has 3 levels of EPR. I have always had it on the most aggressive mode (lowest exhale pressue). Last night I changed it to the mid level my Apneals went to .1 the lowest before this was 1.5 - 2. Hypnias stayed the same. Yes, this is just ONE days results, and I plan to continue to experiment. But was wondering if anyone else has tried this

Bruce

S8 cpap

gwampa wrote:I was titrated for a pressure of 13 cm. my machine allows me to have LOWER pressure when I exhale, so my question is, that if 13 is the magic number to keep my airways open, and when I exhale, is it possible that things collapse and the restriction will increase apneas?

My machine has 3 levels of EPR. I have always had it on the most aggressive mode (lowest exhale pressue). Last night I changed it to the mid level my Apneals went to .1 the lowest before this was 1.5 - 2. Hypnias stayed the same. Yes, this is just ONE days results, and I plan to continue to experiment. But was wondering if anyone else has tried this

Bruce

S8 cpap

I'm not a doctor or anything in the health care field, but I do think EPR -- which is what your ResMed S8 CPAP has, as an exhalation pressure relief feature -- can allow the airway to close if the lower pressure you use with EPR happens to be "low enough" to let your airway collapse into an apnea at the end of breathing out.

Here are some of my thoughts (purely just my opinion) about that:

Feb 2009 - "Adjusting my Clinical Pressure Settings"
topic started by jda1000
viewtopic.php?p=342731#p342731

Aug 2008 - "What's the difference"
topic started by Arizona-Willie
viewtopic.php?p=289251#p289251

Oct 2006 - "BiPAP vrs C-Flex/EPR
topic started by jskinner
viewtopic.php?p=121625#p121625

I'll bet you get good treatment and exhalation relief dialed in together soon, gwampa. As you say, it takes more than one night's results (after a settings change) to give direction. Sounds like you'll be going about your tweaking methodically. You'll get there!

Yes. My own experience suggests that it does affect apneas.

If I use exhalation relief, I have to raise my pressure by 1 or 2 cm to compensate.

Then one might ask what good is exhalation relief if you have to raise pressure to compensate for it?

answer: it does make for a more normal (or natural) breathing experience than without.