Mysterious vanishing compliance average

[justplainbill]

Background: I've been on CPAP at a prescribed pressure of 5 on my trusty (or so I thought) F&P 234. Recently switched from Swift II nasal pillows (which I still use on occasion) to a F&P 431 ffm due to problems with nasal congestion making the Swift uncomfortable to use. The 431 does seem to leak more than the Sift did. I've been on CPAP about 14 months and use it every night all night (although I have skipped use on occasion, fewer than 15 nights overall).

The Issue: I noticed last week that my average hours of use had declined from 7.4 hours a night to 7.0. The average then declined to 6.9 even though I had just logged at least 9 hours of sleep. I have since been watching my average and I noted this morning that my average had dropped to 6.8 even though I had logged 8 hours of sleep per the hours used clock (and for sure I got to 7.5 real hours). Does anyone know why hours of use per night is declining this way even though hours of use are not?

Puzzledly yours,
Bill

[Slinky]

Darned if I have any idea other than maybe that night's use doesn't get rolled over into the averages of hours of use until after noon?? So the night is added by the hours aren't? Sure sounds strange. It might be fun to contact the machine's manufacturer to ask this question.

[justplainbill]

Thanks for your suggestion. I have contacted F&P and will keep you posted if there is anything worthwhile to report on that end.

I did also check the manual where I learned that the F&P 234 apparently distinguishes between hours of use with or without the mask connected (the basis for computing total hours of use) and hours of use with the mask on (which is used to compute average hours of use per night). In addition, the average hours of use per night is based on a 30 day average (per F&P).

Since I leave the machine on for bathroom breaks, this might explain some of the issue (although again I haven't been keeping track of whether I have had any recent changes in the frequency of bathroom breaks). I will see if this corrects any with turning the machine off for breaks.

I am starting to worry about the possibility that perhaps excessive leakage or some other factor associated with my recent switch to the F&P 431 ffm might be causing the machine to assume the mask is off and whether this might represent periods where my CPAP treatment is being compromised. Knowing how the machine deermines whether the mask is off or on and how it computes hours of usage might help to determine whether this is something to worry about or not.

Any insights on these issues would be welcome.

Thanks,
Bill

[justplainbill]

Got my reply from F&P the other day. They indicated

He is right that 234 calculates hr/night based on "compliance" hours based on "mask on" hours. The device could be detecting a leak in the circuit and not logging the hours as compliant. The recommendation would be to have him contact his provider to check the system as well as his circuit (faulty valve in the mask, not fitted right, etc). His provider can contact us then if they think the device or the mask has an issue.

So its off to the DME I go (Hi ho, hi ho...). Appointment Thursday.

Thought I would share this for the benefit of those who run into a similar scenario and stumble across this looking for answers.

FWIW - I did take the opportunity to suggest to F&P that this situation indicates that full (or fuller) data capability might be really useful in pinpointing the source of problems.

Best wishes,
Bill

[justplainbill]

For anyone wanting to know the conclusion of this conundrum, herer's the finish:

I met with my DME today. Machine is fine, hose is fine, mask is fine. However, the likely problem is leakage in the middle of the night. The RT thinks my beard is likely a contributing factor. We are trying a nasal mask (ComfortGel) to see if this will get those numbers back up to where they should be.

Best wishes,
Bill

[justplainbill]

(Just an update for the truly curious)

After 2 weeks on the ComfortGel, logging a minimum of 7.5 hours a night, leakage presumably down (far less water loss from the humidifier tank in the am compared to the full face mask), the average hours per night STILL at exactly 6.8 hours. Unit is getting sent in to F & P as we speak for check-up.

I'll let you know what develops.

Best wishes,
Bill