dllfo, All of the portable pulse oximeters that I am familiar with do not have audible alarms. I think this is because they are designed for home monitoring overnight and then the results are usually printed out. Also in my experience, the probe is the weakest link as far as movement artifact is con...

cwsanfor, I was not on chat the other night but if you will allow, I will weigh in on Bi-Level pressure. For strickly OSA, standard Bi-Level therapy is not as effective. Here is why: Bi Level alternates between two set pressures, lets say 15 as the IPAP and 10 as the EPAP. So while you are inhaling,...

Thanks for the info rested gal. I had not recieved an update on this in a while.

Some sleep labs arrange the DME setup but the first choice is always the patient's. No matter what preference the physician has the patient has the choice. Of course, sometimes this choice is dictated by the insurance company.

Good Luck...Joe

I have said this before but auto-CPAP is no replacement for a good titration study. But if used to improve compliance then that is always a good thing. The bottom line is that there are studies that show any type of pressure therapy greatly reduces mortality rates is sleep apnea patients, no matter ...

Rosemary, Most masks only come with one size in the package. Recently some devices like the Swift have all of the sizes packaged with the mask. From an tech and a manager (inventory) this is a good trend. Hopefully other types will follow this trend. You are right when you say that the first fit may...

Rosemary,

I'm glad to hear that you had a good experience. Some good labs do allow patients to do what you did.

Good Luck...Joe

Please understand that Auto CPAP is a fantastic device and many of the people on this board use it for lots of good purposes but is does not replace a titration study done in a quality sleep lab.

Good Luck...Joe

This can be a confusing issue. There are two different values that we are concerned about when we study SaO2 levels (level of oxygen saturation in the blood). When there is an apnea or hypopnea, there is usually an associated oxygen desaturation. That means that the oxygen was at one point and dropp...

Julie, I see a few problems with the study. Every lab had different protocols so I'm basing my opinion on what our lab would do. First of all it is really questionable to do a split study with an RDI of 6.5. Secondly 101 minutes of total sleep time is not sufficient in determining an accurate diagno...

There have been lots of variances over the years for what determines an hypopnea but the current standard is a 30 to 90 percent reduction in airflow with an associated 4 percent desaturation. The minimum duration of the event must be 10 seconds. A RERA with have the same reduction in airflow and an ...

Been doing titration(CPAP study) studies for almost 20 years.....never had an optimal pressure of only 4. An AHI of 30 is significant. Hypopneas have the same physilogical significance as obstructive events. I would think that a re-titration study at a qualified lab would be beneficial. Good Luck......

If you are concerned that they may be central apneas, you could try to have a partner or friend listen while you sleep. There should be a snort or snore with obstructive events (OSA and OSH) on the return breath but central events will have no return breath sound because the airway is not compromise...

Some sleep labs also have recordable pulse oximeters that you could use with a physician order. Our lab has one as a courtesy to our patients. Call your local lab they may have one.


Good Luck...Joe

From someone who is in the business, I agree totally with all of you. At times, I am very frustrated by this business when sleep labs are started purely for monetary reasons with no idea of what it takes to perform a sleep study or run a sleep lab. Unfortunately, this happens a lot more than you rea...