Reading a Pulse Oximeter Data

Hi,

I'm a newbie recently diagnosed with OSA, 43 yr old woman, moderate (21 episodes). Still want to understand the extent of the problem before deciding on treatment opption and resigning myself to the CPAP machine.

Snoring, possibly migraines, and high ocular pressure are my only issues at present.

I want to consider positional issues (am buying a special pillow), dental appliances, losing my extra 10#, etc.

I plan to ask my dr. to send me a copy of the sleep studies, including the titration.

I bought a recording pulse oximeter, and could use some help interpreting the data. I"m not quite sure what I'm looking for. I would assume normal is 99/98 for me, so then anything below 95 during the night would be what I'd be looking for? I defintely see the dips in certain cycles through the night. Should I be counting times it goes below 95 and coming up with a per hour average, I presume?

Thanks in advance,
Thanks, any info and insight would be helpful.

JTexas,

Welcome! Sleep lab tests are fairly conclusive. If your sleep doctor says you need it, you probably do. So it's less a question of 'Do I really need it?', and more a question of 'What machine should I get?' To that end, until you actually get your machine, you may want to look at your oximetry data for a few nights.

My oximeter came with the limit of 88% as a lower alarm limit. On this forum, I've heard that anything below 90% is cause for concern. Make sure your oximeter is a recording oximeter, and that you keep it on your finger all night. The readings should be fairly simple to understand, as they are a graph and various lines. You'll see a graph line for your heart beat and your 02 level. If Sp02 goes below 90% at any time during the night, you're not getting enough oxygen. That's a bad thing. The longer you aren't getting oxygen, the more likely you are damaging your body. Years of chronic oxygen deprivation causes serious damage to all body tissues. If just to prove to yourself that you need it, certainly use an oximeter a few nights. I'm guessing your doctor's findings will be confirmed.

I like the Resmed S9 Autoset. It is fully-data-capable and allows you to self-titrate easily at home, so you only have to go back to the doc or the DME when you are unable to figure it out for yourself. Some versions of the S9 are not fully-data-capable, so you will not be able to review your own data at home easily. The S9 Autoset allows you to see when during the night you are getting large leaks. Learning how to reduce large leaks is the first line of defense in good sleep hygiene with a CPAP machine.

I hope you'll decide to join us. Good luck.

Realize that even if you aren't getting any bad O2 drops, you can still suffer from the effects of sleep apnea. When you have an apnea, your brain will eventually react and struggle or even wake you up to breathe again. Very few people simply suffocate to death in their sleep.

Some people have this reaction and start breathing again before the O2 level in their finger drops enough to show up on the pulseox. You can still suffer from the effects of disturbed sleep, "panic hormones," stress, blood pressure, heart strain, etc.