Is this dangerous?

DCTom · Post by **DCTom** » Sun Nov 13, 2005 1:57 pm

I want to experiment by plugging up 1 (just 1) of my vent holes on my mask. Is this dangerous in any way? I'm especially interested in hearing from any sleep specialists, RT's, etc. The reason is that I read an article that suggests some people need more CO2 on CPAP - that CPAP can diminish the amount of CO2 a person gets during sleep.

yardbird · Post by **yardbird** » Sun Nov 13, 2005 2:33 pm

Best answer I could toss out here is "Why on earth would you want to breathe CO2?"

I would never suggest you do anything that causes you to rebreathe.

Titrator · Post by **Titrator** » Sun Nov 13, 2005 2:33 pm

Greeting Tom,

I strongly urge you not to plug your exhaust holes up. You do not have the proper equipment to do a blood gas or even capnography. Also, it is not a good idea to play your own doctor.

You could make yourself very sick or even dead if you start plugging up exhaust holes.

Regards,

Ted

DCTom · Post by **DCTom** » Sun Nov 13, 2005 4:39 pm

Yea I'd rather not feel good than be dead. Don't worry, I won't try it.

biggziff · Post by **biggziff** » Mon Nov 14, 2005 8:50 am

C02 is used to help trigger the breathing reflex. If you watch a deep diver (not SCUBA) they will hyperventilate prior to diving. This reduces the amount of C02 in their system reducing the urge to breathe out. I can see where there could be a correlation between cpap pressure and the amount of C02, however, you don't usually rebreath any of your own C02..it is produced as a by product by your body exchanging C02 for 02.

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Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Nov 14, 2005 11:40 am

Don't mess with your mask. The amount of CO2 that you breathe is unchanged by a CPAP machine.

[quote="DCTom"]I want to experiment by plugging up 1 (just 1) of my vent holes on my mask. Is this dangerous in any way? I'm especially interested in hearing from any sleep specialists, RT's, etc. The reason is that I read an article that suggests some people need more CO2 on CPAP - that CPAP can diminish the amount of CO2 a person gets during sleep.

ProfessorSleep · Post by **ProfessorSleep** » Mon Nov 14, 2005 2:21 pm

I don't know what you were reading, but it might pertain to people with various cardiac and pulmonary conditions. For healthy people, the build up of CO2 is the primary trigger for breathing. For some people with cardiac and pulmonary conditions, the level of CO2 is always high, therefore the main trigger for breathing becomes the dropping O2 level. CPAP could (note could in only very specific circumstances and not very often at all) interfere with that delicate balance.

Short answer, don't mess with the mask.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Nov 14, 2005 3:03 pm

Probably not much more dangerous than jogging down the middle of a freeway at night wearing a black jogging suit for excercise.

Both activities might be driven by good intentions and have potential for improving health, but the risk factor seems a tad high.....

LoneRider · Post by **LoneRider** » Tue Nov 15, 2005 8:59 am

ProfessorSleep wrote:I don't know what you were reading, but it might pertain to people with various cardiac and pulmonary conditions. For healthy people, the build up of CO2 is the primary trigger for breathing. For some people with cardiac and pulmonary conditions, the level of CO2 is always high, therefore the main trigger for breathing becomes the dropping O2 level. CPAP could (note could in only very specific circumstances and not very often at all) interfere with that delicate balance.

My doctor was telling me of a story of such a person. Smoked all there life, and the patient was in the last stages of many diseases. Anyway, this was when he was an intern and he and another intern learned a lesson or two.

They noticed the patients spO2 go down and breathing difficulties, so they administered more O2, hmm, spO2 goes down more, more breathing difficulties. They went through 3 or 4 rounds before they where told that since O2 had become the trigger for breathing, the more O2, the less the body was motived to breath. After they backed off most of the supplemental O2, the patient started to breath on his/her own again, but spO2 levels where still pretty bad.

My Dr. explained that once the body transitions from using CO2 to O2 for breathing stimuli, it is pretty well down hill, no going back.

Tom

Rodrugg · Post by **Rodrugg** » Tue Nov 15, 2005 9:39 am

All's I can say is do NOT plug up the holes! Believe me! You will regret it! When my uncle Stanley used to make my grandma mad, she would go in his room at night and cut his hair in his sleep or pour syrup on his breathing holes. Sometimes he would cough and wake up but one time he thrashed around and got his leg stuck and nearly twisted his foot right off. He went to the hospital with a broken ankle and had to wear a cast for 3 months. He hated my grandma for that and sandblasted the hood of her Chrysler. Anyways, it can be dangerous not to breathe.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Nov 15, 2005 10:36 am

Yes it's dangerous. "Respiratory acidosis", also known as "hypercapnia", can result. Do an Internet based search for either term above to get a feel for what a dangerous home based experiment this can be.

ProfessorSleep · Post by **ProfessorSleep** » Tue Nov 15, 2005 12:52 pm

LoneRider wrote: My doctor was telling me of a story of such a person. Smoked all there life, and the patient was in the last stages of many diseases. Anyway, this was when he was an intern and he and another intern learned a lesson or two.

Yup. That's a sure way to shorten someone's life span - too much O2 to someone with COPD or, even worse, hook 'em up with a couple of interns!

Is this dangerous?

Is this dangerous?

Dead is not good

Re: Is this dangerous?

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