Central Apnia or Physiological

[grizzletooth]

I've been using APAP for six months now, and it's going quite well. I was diagnosed with severe apnea at 36 AHI. Now my nightly AHI generally is less than 1.0, sometimes 0.0. Obstructive apneas are infrequent, usually 0.0 each night. Most apneas "register" as Central Apneas or Hypopnias. However, when I discuss with my sleep doctor, he keeps telling me that they aren't CA, but "physiological", and that everybody experiences. He shows no concern about them. I got that, the mere low number of the AHI make it not concerning.

BUT...how can the Doc be so confident that they aren't CAs??? No sleep study other than the initial home sleep study six months ago was done. The quantity of CA are low so not concerning to me. But regardless whether they are CAs or "physiological", a 10 second or greater pause in breathing is still a 10 second long pause in breathing. Please help me understand the Doctor's confident position that what is registering consistently on the SD card of the ResMed11 as CAs are "physiological".

Thank you.

[Dog Slobber]

Physiological was not an accurate word describing your occasional CA.

Describing your obsession with them as physiological, well..........

[ozij]

Did you ever ask the doctor what he meant by "physiological"?

The machines will record breathing cessations no matter whether you're asleep or awake. You could be changing position in bed, taking a big breath, and then waiting till enough CO2 has accumulated in you blood to trigger the next breath. A totally natural response to having taken a deeper breath, nothing to do with any kind of problem or pathology to be concerned about - it will be recorded by the machine as a "pause with no obstruction" = CA.

[grizzletooth]

Did you ever ask the doctor what he meant by "physiological"?

The machines will record breathing cessations no matter whether you're asleep or awake. You could be changing position in bed, taking a big breath, and then waiting till enough CO2 has accumulated in you blood to trigger the next breath. A totally natural response to having taken a deeper breath, nothing to do with any kind of problem or pathology to be concerned about - it will be recorded by the machine as a "pause with no obstruction" = CA.

Thank you for the respectful and well thought out response. Yes...I bring it up during each visit...three so far. His response is always that its nothing and it happens to everybody. I guess I am just puzzled that he consistently keeps blowing off my question without any real explanation. It bugs me that he is soooo confident that what is being consistently recorded as CAs are not CAs, and he writes off as non-concerning physiological...without even a real explanation of what he means as physiological. I am a pretty analytical person and appreciate detail. I would think he would follow up with some further testing to rule out real CAs.

And for the record...NO history of opioid or other drug use...ever.

[ChicagoGranny]

But regardless whether they are CAs or "physiological", a 10 second or greater pause in breathing is still a 10 second long pause in breathing.

OCD much?

[Nocibur]

BUT...how can the Doc be so confident that they aren't CAs???

You'll have to ask him. I'm good, but not that good.

I mean, he's correct, but IDK if he knows WHY he's correct.