How Do You Find the Leaks?

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
jaycee2
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How Do You Find the Leaks?

Post by jaycee2 » Thu Oct 23, 2014 9:46 am

Good morning!

I tried my new Resmed Airsense 10 Autoset for Her for the first time last night. My numbers after 6 hours are worse than at the sleep study. Then again the sleep study started off with 2 hours of side sleeping with no events (but no REM sleep either) and I think that those hours were averaged in. Last night was all back sleeping.

There was horrible leaking of the Fisher & Paykel Simplus. I am convinced that I was sent home with the wrong size. When they get in larger sizes I will get one.

But how do I tell where the leaking is if I'm asleep? If rude noises wake me up that's one thing but otherwise, how do I correct this? I don't think a larger mask will entirely stop the problem.

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Pugsy
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Re: How Do You Find the Leaks?

Post by Pugsy » Thu Oct 23, 2014 10:35 am

Just how bad were the leaks you slept through?

About the AHI...what is it composed of? How much is the index for each event category?

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jaycee2
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Re: How Do You Find the Leaks?

Post by jaycee2 » Thu Oct 23, 2014 1:04 pm

Pugsy wrote:Just how bad were the leaks you slept through?

About the AHI...what is it composed of? How much is the index for each event category?
I don't have any software set up yet. This is from the machine: Usage hrs: 5.54. Events/hr: 26.4. Leak: 83L/min. AHI: 26.4. Total AI: 26.1. Central: 7.2 (at the sleep study this was 3) for 6 hrs incl. 2 on side.

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Pugsy
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Re: How Do You Find the Leaks?

Post by Pugsy » Thu Oct 23, 2014 1:33 pm

Get your software up and running as soon as you can.

Your leaks are bad...and it takes a lot for me call them bad. So bad that I wonder if there is a leak in the circuit somewhere.
We need to look at the graphs to see if you had any time where leaks were well controlled and go from there.
Plus you AHI is out there..way out there and if leaks were well over 40 L/min (which is what that 83 L/min 95% number ..if that is what is being reported and maybe not just a max) the machine usually just can't sense anything and doesn't flag anything but maybe this new machine does it differently.

We really need to see some real details to get a better feel what is going on.

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jaycee2
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Re: How Do You Find the Leaks?

Post by jaycee2 » Thu Oct 23, 2014 2:27 pm

Thank you Pugsy. We are so busy here that I barely have time to think. No software will be loaded today. What I can tell you is that the first hour of the night the leaks must have been minimal because there was a green happy face. But I don't think that there was REM sleep that first hour. I am meeting with the RT in an hour to try to get another mask.

jaycee2
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Re: How Do You Find the Leaks?

Post by jaycee2 » Sat Oct 25, 2014 12:31 pm

Okay, I went back to Lincare and was seen by a different person. She is an LPN and will be my go-to person there. The RT was less than helpful and confused herself and me.

The reason that the leaks showed so high on the machine is that it is showing the escaping air after I remove the mask. My numbers were actually quite low. So the numbers shown in the little window aren't what shows at the office after the machine beams them a report. The report looks different. For what it's worth.

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Pugsy
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Re: How Do You Find the Leaks?

Post by Pugsy » Sat Oct 25, 2014 12:40 pm

Ahhh....the machine is being allowed to run with the mask off your face. That will do it every time and easy to spot on the reports themselves but impossible to know why just by looking at the numbers on the machine. That's why we prefer to look at the reports themselves.

Letting the machine run without your being attached to the mask will skew the leak results. Not a big deal as long as you know what it is doing. There's a way to have the machine turn itself off when the mask is removed if you want to do it.
It's a setting choice in the setup menu so that the machine turns itself on or off when it senses breathing or no breathing.
SmartStart in the S9 models...probably the same name in the AirSense models or something similar.

Not critical though...it's easy to see on the software reports themselves if the machine is blowing and you aren't attached.
You just can't rely on the leak number on the LCD screen itself or the usual 95% numbers on the reports.

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webbie73
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Re: How Do You Find the Leaks?

Post by webbie73 » Sat Oct 25, 2014 2:14 pm

Maybe just turn the machine off, then remove the mask. Will not mess with your data that way and it is a pretty low tech solution.

jaycee2
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Re: How Do You Find the Leaks?

Post by jaycee2 » Sun Oct 26, 2014 9:29 am

Thanks everyone. I did turn the machine off and then removed the mask. The astronomically high leak number didn't significantly change.

And what is the 95% number on the report? I see it under leaks and under pressure. Is it a meaningless number but the doctor will pay attention to it anyway?

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Pugsy
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Re: How Do You Find the Leaks?

Post by Pugsy » Sun Oct 26, 2014 9:55 am

95% number...leak or pressure is just where the number where we at OR BELOW that number.. I can be significant or it can be meaningless. People often forget the "or below" part of the definition.

If you aren't letting the machine run with the mask off...then we can't explain away an elevated leak number.
Maybe we need to take a look at a typical leak night??
If the 95% leak number is below 24 L/min then we can pretty much assume that large leaks aren't a problem but if that 95% number is way high and we can't blame it the machine running with mask off the face then we have to wonder why is it leaking so much.

Maybe we need to look at one of your detailed nightly reports and look at the actual leak graph.
Screen shot thread viewtopic.php?f=1&t=81072&p=737779#p737779

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Machine: AirCurve™ 10 VAuto BiLevel Machine with HumidAir™ Heated Humidifier
Additional Comments: Mask Bleep Eclipse https://bleepsleep.com/the-eclipse/
I may have to RISE but I refuse to SHINE.

If you want to try the Eclipse mask and want a special promo code to get a little off the price...send me a private message.