Sleephead question about "little boxes"

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birdwatcher
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Sleephead question about "little boxes"

Post by birdwatcher » Wed Jul 23, 2014 12:54 pm

What are the little boxes that show up on the Flow Rate chart in the Sleepyhead software program? They are brown or green - at least on my chart - and are sometimes elongated over time. I haven't seen them explained anywhere.

library lady
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Re: Sleephead question about "little boxes"

Post by library lady » Wed Jul 23, 2014 1:07 pm

If you're referring to the boxes that appear at the top of the "events", I think that just indicates a lengthy event. To see exactly how long the event was, you can zoom in on it (click the area you want to zoom). An easier way to see this, if that's what it is, is to look at the Events tab on the left part of the screen... it shows exactly the start time of each event if you click on the little triangle beside each type of event...and in parentheses beside each, will be the number of seconds it lasted... one of mine the other day lasted 469 seconds, so with math being my nemesis, I had to do some math.
If this is not what you refer to, then I don't know what it is. My little boxes are atop the lines for each event, like a flag.

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Jeff241
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Re: Sleephead question about "little boxes"

Post by Jeff241 » Wed Jul 23, 2014 1:12 pm

I see what you are probably talking about. The green bars in the graph below? Pugsy will probably be able to answer that.
Image
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I would guess that is what she is seeing on the flow rate.
Although the elongate over time part might be something else which I'm not familiar with.
library lady wrote:An easier way to see this, if that's what it is, is to look at the Events tab on the left part of the screen... it shows exactly the start time of each event if you click on the little triangle beside each type of event...and in parentheses beside each, will be the number of seconds it lasted.
An additional thing you can do is click on the event and it will highlight it on the event flags and zoom in on the flow rate for that event.

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Re: Sleephead question about "little boxes"

Post by palerider » Wed Jul 23, 2014 1:50 pm

that green one is periodic breathing, you'll see that it corresponds to a tickmark in the events strip.

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Re: Sleephead question about "little boxes"

Post by Pugsy » Wed Jul 23, 2014 1:57 pm

It would help if we could see what you are seeing.
It would also help if we knew what machine you are using.

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Re: Sleephead question about "little boxes"

Post by birdwatcher » Thu Jul 24, 2014 2:55 pm

Thanks everybody for your replies. The "little boxes" I am seeing are NOT the event flags at the top of each event line. Nor are they the blue bars that indicate periodic breathing. They are located just above the flow rate ups and downs. I wish I could copy the chart here but I don't know how to do it. I asked this forum how to do this a few months ago but the replies didn't make sense. (I'm somewhat computer challenged.) I also tried to list my machine specifics in my profile but they don't show up on my posts. I have a PR REMstat Auto A-flex.

PS Thanks to the person who suggested I click on the Events tab to see when an event occured and for how long. I didn't know that!

birdwatcher
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Re: Sleephead question about "little boxes"

Post by birdwatcher » Thu Jul 24, 2014 2:59 pm

I just went back to look at Jeff's chart. The boxes I am referring to are little red boxes on his chart. I think you can all see them. I'm not sure what the different color means!

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Re: Sleephead question about "little boxes"

Post by palerider » Thu Jul 24, 2014 3:02 pm

birdwatcher wrote:I just went back to look at Jeff's chart. The boxes I am referring to are little red boxes on his chart. I think you can all see them. I'm not sure what the different color means!
the low ones, that aren't on a line?

pressure pulses.

that's where the unit is trying to figure out whether you're having an obstructuve or central apnea.

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Re: Sleephead question about "little boxes"

Post by robysue » Thu Jul 24, 2014 3:15 pm

birdwatcher wrote:Thanks everybody for your replies. The "little boxes" I am seeing are NOT the event flags at the top of each event line. Nor are they the blue bars that indicate periodic breathing. They are located just above the flow rate ups and downs. I wish I could copy the chart here but I don't know how to do it. I asked this forum how to do this a few months ago but the replies didn't make sense. (I'm somewhat computer challenged.) I also tried to list my machine specifics in my profile but they don't show up on my posts. I have a PR REMstat Auto A-flex.

PS Thanks to the person who suggested I click on the Events tab to see when an event occured and for how long. I didn't know that!
Birdwatcher,

If you are using a PR System One machine, most (probably all) of those boxes are Pressure Pulses that the machine sent out either to test the patency of your airway OR to figure out whether there was a live, breathing human being at the other end of the hose.

Showing us a screenshot of what you are looking at would really help us determine this for sure.

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birdwatcher
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Re: Sleephead question about "little boxes"

Post by birdwatcher » Thu Jul 24, 2014 4:07 pm

Thanks! I think they are "Pressure Pulses"! That makes sense because they occur in between other events, but what does it mean when I have them? That I'm "almost" having a OA or HA or other event? Is it something to be concerned about if I have a lot?

I'd still like to post a "screen shot" to double check.. How do I do that?

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Re: Sleephead question about "little boxes"

Post by Pugsy » Thu Jul 24, 2014 4:37 pm

Pressure pulses are just the machine's way of getting an idea what might be going on when there is a reduction in air flow that may or may not end up being some sort of apnea event that warrants a flag of some sort.
So you may see them with or without a hyponea, OA or CA event flag going along with it. Not all flow reductions end up with an official flag. Maybe they don't last long enough or maybe the flow reduction doesn't quite meet criteria.

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