On my Respironics sleep reports, there is a category called "Patient-Triggered Breathing." What exactly does this mean?

Patient-triggered breaths are breaths you're taking. Sounds like you're using a machine with a timed backup rate? As long as you're breathing in a timely fashion, you are "triggering" the inhale/exhale pressure changes yourself.

My numbers are low in this area like 20.4. Since it is listed as a percentage, does that mean I'm triggering my own breathing 20% of the time and the machine is doing the other 80%?

What is a "normal" rate range for PTB?

FogHeadFree wrote:My numbers are low in this area like 20.4. Since it is listed as a percentage, does that mean I'm triggering my own breathing 20% of the time and the machine is doing the other 80%?

What is a "normal" rate range for PTB?

I'm not a doctor, so don't consider me an expert! I am trying to learn as mucyh as I can about the BiPAP-type machines as I may need one eventually. I seem to think, from looking at charts others have posted, that this is a percentage. If this is true, you should contact your doctor promptly and tell him/her that it is that low. This would tell me that you either have a misadjusted machine (not matching your breathing pattern), or a more serious breathing problem than he/she realizes. Ideally, PTB should be 100 percent, and I am typically seeing rates over 90 percent on people that have been working with their therapy.

FogheadFree,

It sounds as though you have a machine like mine, a BiPap Auto SV. I agree with Timbalionguy that your percentage of PTB is unusually low. Mine is usually over 98%. How are you sleeping? Does the machine wake you up when it kicks in like that? Is your backup setting on Auto or a fixed number? Who set it up for you? Just curious.

Bev

Can you fill in your equipment profile? It is on your user control panel. Fill it out with words as opposed to pictures so all can freely read it without clicking a link. This helps everyone who wishes to help you know what equipment you have.

I will fill out my profile. Thanks for telling me where to find it. Now I'm really scared. I have a doc appt. next week. I'll take the numbers with me.

Don't be scared. There is a good possibility that your machine is not set correctly.

How are you sleeping?

FogHeadFree wrote:My numbers are low in this area like 20.4. Since it is listed as a percentage, does that mean I'm triggering my own breathing 20% of the time and the machine is doing the other 80%?

What is a "normal" rate range for PTB?

FogHeadFree

I think it is difficult for us to make reasoned comments without seeing the chart as we are relying on 'hearsay' as to what you are seeing & reporting.

I am guessing it is difficult for you to take a screen grab of your chart & post it up for us to see. If so are you able to email it as a graphic or a pdf file ?

Good luck

DSM

Good suggestion from timbalion...

timbalionguy wrote:Can you fill in your equipment profile? It is on your user control panel. Fill it out with words as opposed to pictures so all can freely read it without clicking a link. This helps everyone who wishes to help you know what equipment you have.

FogHeadFree wrote:I will fill out my profile. Thanks for telling me where to find it.

The only way a person can fill out their Equipment Profile in the Control Panel is if the person is a registered member of this forum and is logged in. Guest posters don't have a Control Panel.

I don't think FogHeadFree was registered at the time he started this topic. If you want to fill out your profile, Fog, you'll need to do that one easy step first.. register.

Registration is free and they don't spam you with anything, so it doesn't hurt to get registered.

I have a graphic from my Encore Reader report. Where/how do I upload it?