7 Day Average AHI 7.7?

mmsiciliana · Post by **mmsiciliana** » Sat May 03, 2008 9:08 pm

Hi Everybody,

I've been on cpap for about a year and a half now. When I first started therapy I was a whole new person...a person who could go for days without NEEDING a nap and a person who didn't crash as soon as I got home from work. But lately, I seem to be turning back into that person. I was so exhausted at work on Friday that I felt like going out to my car to take a nap. As it was, as soon as I got home from work I crashed for at least an hour and a half. My machine says my 30 day average AHI is 6.0 and my 7 day average is 7.7. Do you think I'm going to have to increase my pressure? It's at 10 now.

Thanks!

Maria

alnhwrd · Post by **alnhwrd** » Sat May 03, 2008 9:23 pm

What was your AHI when you started CPAP and were feeling better? Just shooting from the hip I would guess you are leaking air from somewhere. Does your machine record leak data, and can you review it? Try taping your mouth at night for a few days and see if that helps you feel better. It s a cheap, low tech fix and might bring down your AHI.

Alan

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Sat May 03, 2008 10:19 pm

An AHI of 7.7 is high enough for insurance companies to pay for a person to start cpap therapy.

The way you feel and your AHI both indicate the you're not getting the therapy you need from your machine.

If it were me, I would try a new seal for my mask, see that I have no leaks, and if it didn't get better after 1-2 nights I would change my pressure.

If you've lost weight, the change may be downwards, but otherwise, up.

O,

CentralScrutinizer · Post by **CentralScrutinizer** » Sun May 04, 2008 6:15 am

Maria,

How did you get your AHI information? your equipment section lists the M-Series Plus, I wasn't aware that model could provide that information. Do you have a different device than the one in your profile? or am I mistaken about what kind of information a M-Series Plus can deliver?

bryonbnm · Post by **bryonbnm** » Sun May 04, 2008 8:41 am

I use the Remstart M Series. AHI information was disabled by the DME. I went in through provider setup to change the setting. I found the instructions on how to change the options on this site. Hope this helps!

mmsiciliana · Post by **mmsiciliana** » Sun May 04, 2008 1:55 pm

Thanks for all your help, everybody!

Apparently my DME people set my machine up so that these numbers can be accessed so that I could fill out the form regarding compliance myself without having to bring the machine in with the data card, having them read it, and then fill out the compliance form for my insurance. Under system leak, it says the 7 day average is 30.5 minutes and the 30 day average is 31.6 minutes. Today it says the 7 day average AHI is 7.5 and the 30 day average is 6.1. Quite frankly, I don't even know what these numbers mean. Does the 6.1 mean an average of 6.1 episodes per session or 6.1 episodes per hour? And if it's per hour, does that mean the leak average is 30.5 minutes per hour or 30.5 minutes per session?

At my sleep study, my apnea plus hypopnea index (AHI) was 40 events per hour.

As far as I know, I don't *think* I'm a mouth breather. I've never been able to stand sleeping with my mouth open. I thought the system leak happened when the seal from the nasal pillows wasn't quite right and a tiny bit of air was blowing out somewhere.

Maria

cflame1 · Post by **cflame1** » Sun May 04, 2008 2:14 pm

Are you sure that your profile is right? If not, then which machine are you using. It should be on the sticker on your machine.

A Plus machine will not give you this kind of information.

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Sun May 04, 2008 6:34 pm

[quote="mmsiciliana"]

Thanks for all your help, everybody!

Apparently my DME people set my machine up so that these numbers can be accessed so that I could fill out the form regarding compliance myself without having to bring the machine in with the data card, having them read it, and then fill out the compliance form for my insurance. Under system leak, it says the 7 day average is 30.5 minutes and the 30 day average is 31.6 minutes. Today it says the 7 day average AHI is 7.5 and the 30 day average is 6.1. Quite frankly, I don't even know what these numbers mean. Does the 6.1 mean an average of 6.1 episodes per session or 6.1 episodes per hour? And if it's per hour, does that mean the leak average is 30.5 minutes per hour or 30.5 minutes per session?

At my sleep study, my apnea plus hypopnea index (AHI) was 40 events per hour.

As far as I know, I don't *think* I'm a mouth breather. I've never been able to stand sleeping with my mouth open. I thought the system leak happened when the seal from the nasal pillows wasn't quite right and a tiny bit of air was blowing out somewhere.

Maria

mmsiciliana · Post by **mmsiciliana** » Mon May 05, 2008 12:23 am

Sorry, you're right. It's not a plus, it's a pro.

So it's liters per minute? 30.5 seems like an awful lot...