Got my sleep study report back

I visited Stanford and did a sleep study while there using my machine. I just got the report back and am puzzled. My pressure was 7-9cm before but they upped it to 11-13cm. Still, they show my AHI to be 6.5. That seems a little high, no? Looking at the AHI by pressure, I don't see a strong correlation between pressure and AHI either. All events were hypopneas with pressure / RDIs of:
Is it just me or is the data rubbish? Some thoughts: higher unmeasured pressure needed, data is wrong and pressure unknown, CPAP incompletely effective for me. Might explain some lingering nocturnal reflux and bruxism. What are your thoughts?

balor123 wrote:I visited Stanford and did a sleep study while there using my machine. I just got the report back and am puzzled. My pressure was 7-9cm before but they upped it to 11-13cm. Still, they show my AHI to be 6.5. That seems a little high, no? Looking at the AHI by pressure, I don't see a strong correlation between pressure and AHI either. All events were hypopneas with pressure / RDIs of:

Code: Select all

7cm/3.3
8cm/7.3
9cm/11.5
10cm/6.0
11cm/2.5
12cm/8.0
13cm/25.8

Is it just me or is the data rubbish? Some thoughts: higher unmeasured pressure needed, data is wrong and pressure unknown, CPAP incompletely effective for me. Might explain some lingering nocturnal reflux and bruxism. What are your thoughts?

You need more info. For example, what is the breakdown of events? Sometimes higher pressure causes central events. Also, were you in the same position the whole time? During my titration, I was only on my back twice, and for too short a time for them to fully eliminate my events in that position. So, they made an educated guess and recommended a range that would cover my side sleeping at the low end and my supine sleeping at the high end. There is so much more to a sleep study than the chart above. You really need a lot more info before any of this will make sense.

What is the full name and model # of your machine and what type of mask do you have? There are many factors involved to look at but we need some info before being able to help. As far as GERD goes, try raising the head of your bed on 4-6" blocks (no higher) as it can really help (as can quitting caffeine in any form, and not drinking alcohol for a few hours before bed).

I'm using a Resmed A9 auto with a Mirage Quattro FFM. As for GERD, if I don't eat ~4 hours before going to sleep it doesn't tend to be a problem. I do have the head raised already and eat or drink the foods suggested to avoid.

I don't want to misinterpret your little graph - do you know for sure what your pressure settings are? They may simply be too low to keep your airway open.

They used to be set to 6cm - 10cm I think. After the study they change it to 11cm to 16cm or something like that. The higher pressures don't seem to bother me that much except that I start getting a lot of leakage.

Have you tried the Pad-a-Cheek liners (made by a forum member) that help with leaks? Have you tried other masks?

No haven't tried those. I use Remzzz liners and they work pretty well, up to a point. You think the pad a cheek liners would be better? I tried about a dozen masks when I got the machine 3 years ago and Resmed was by far the best. I tried a few new masks since and I still like my mask the best but the FP equivalent is pretty close now. I alternate a lot between back and side sleeping, the latter which tends to be a disaster for leaks. I have an open bite and wear a nite guard as well so my lower jaw tends to be relatively free at night, making a good seal difficult. I can't breath through my nose much of the time, though I loved the nasal pillows when I used them.

Have you tried a nasal rinse regime to help clear your nose and switch to nasal pillows full time? Worked well for me.

balor123 wrote:I'm using a Resmed A9 auto with a Mirage Quattro FFM. As for GERD, if I don't eat ~4 hours before going to sleep it doesn't tend to be a problem. I do have the head raised already and eat or drink the foods suggested to avoid.

Is that the Escape Auto or Autoset? Big difference.

Tried nasal rinse, flonase 4x/day, astelin 4x/day, and allegra for 6mo with little benefit. I took two courses of antibiotics as well. Catscan shows no significant skeletal abnormalities. I responded very well to Afrin but of course can't use that long term. Anything else to try? Skin testing shows I'm highly allergic to dust mites, ragweed, and timothy grass so year around. They had to stop the test early because the reaction was very bad. Going to start allergy shots tomorrow. Anything else to try?

I'm using a Resmed S9 Autoset. Any newer machines to try? I think I'm eligible. Having an extra on hand would be nice.

Have you tried Alkalol (with alum to dry sinuses) and/or a flonase type spray (cortico steroid). I use them and the occasional Zyrtec. PM me if you want my exact regime to try.