Help with numbers

[yobtaf]

hi everyone!
Im trying to use a nasal pillow and was just wondering what all these numbers mean. Are they good, bad, or what. I was using a full face mask and was hoping to use a nasal pillow but I want whats best for my treatment.
ok here they are
Leak .5 l/s
AHI 8.0
AI .3
HI 7.7

any help would be great, still a noob at this.
Dean

[KatieW]

hi everyone!
Im trying to use a nasal pillow and was just wondering what all these numbers mean. Are they good, bad, or what. I was using a full face mask and was hoping to use a nasal pillow but I want whats best for my treatment.
ok here they are
Leak .5 l/s
AHI 8.0
AI .3
HI 7.7

any help would be great, still a noob at this.
Dean

When you changed from full face mask to nasal pillows, did you change the Settings for Mask Types? For the Quattro, it's MIR FULL, and for the pillows, SWIFT.

Generally, a leak .5 is too high. Resmed says in the Clinical Guide "a leak rate of more than .4l/s is associated with patient discomfort, disturbed sleep, and reduced efficacy of treatment. If the leak exceeded .4 l/s for more than 30% of the previous the following message will appear on the LCD: High leak in last session." Did you happen to get that message?

I have read here, that if your leak rate exceeds .4 l/s, then the data on AI and HI may not be accurate, but I haven't read that in the Clinical Guide, though I guess it may be implied.

What was your leak rate with the Quattro?

When I use nasal pillows, I used a little Ayr nasal gel around the rim of the nostrils, to get a better seal. Maybe that would help.

[BleepingBeauty]

hi everyone!
Im trying to use a nasal pillow and was just wondering what all these numbers mean. Are they good, bad, or what. I was using a full face mask and was hoping to use a nasal pillow but I want whats best for my treatment.
ok here they are
Leak .5 l/s
AHI 8.0
AI .3
HI 7.7

any help would be great, still a noob at this.
Dean

Your machine reports leak that's OVER AND ABOVE what it should be (provided you've entered the mask you're using into the machine's menu, so it can calculate what your leak at your pressure with that mask should be). If you changed the mask setting on the machine to the new nasal pillows mask, you can rely on the reported leak rate. At .5 L/S (which equals 30 L/M), the leak is too high. As a result, the other numbers (A, H, AHI) can't really be relied upon because the machine is unable to provide effective therapy.

It's possible that you're either mouth-breathing or simply that your lips are parting on exhale, and your therapy air is escaping. If that's the case, you can try a few things (taping your lips shut, using something like Polident strips to seal your lips together, using a chinstrap) or go back to a Full-Face mask. I used to use the Swift LT with a chinstrap, but I was losing therapy through my mouth; I tried taping my lips for awhile, but I didn't like it much. So now I use the Hybrid mask (covers the mouth and has nasal pillows). I breathe only through my nose with it, but my mouth is covered; so if I do mouth-breathe, I'm still getting therapy.

The goal for effective therapy is an AHI of less than 5. ResMed machines typically score more hypopneas than other machines, and many ResMed users here tend to mentally cut the HI in half before adding to the AI score, to arrive at a more comparable AHI. If you do that with the data listed above, your more comparable AHI would be just over 4. But that can't be relied upon to be accurate, considering the high leak rate.

Work on that leak.

[yobtaf]

yes I did switch the mask setting on the machine. I never looked at the leak rate before, didnt know how, but the reason for switching was because of leaking around the nose and that would wake me up a lot. The air would blow into my eyes and wake me up. I had a bit of dry mouth this am, my wife is going to help see if I am mouth breathing at all. If I am maybe a hybrid mask would be better. I kinda like the nasal pillow over the "top gun" mask, but as stated before, I want results over anything.
oh and I didnt see the msg high leak in last session. I was up at 3:30 for work and didnt turn on lights, didnt want to wake the wife.

Thats a negative ghost rider, the pattern is full

[BleepingBeauty]

yes I did switch the mask setting on the machine. I never looked at the leak rate before, didnt know how, but the reason for switching was because of leaking around the nose and that would wake me up a lot. The air would blow into my eyes and wake me up. I had a bit of dry mouth this am, my wife is going to help see if I am mouth breathing at all. If I am maybe a hybrid mask would be better. I kinda like the nasal pillow over the "top gun" mask, but as stated before, I want results over anything.
oh and I didnt see the msg high leak in last session. I was up at 3:30 for work and didnt turn on lights, didnt want to wake the wife.

Thats a negative ghost rider, the pattern is full

Dry mouth is a classic sign of mouth-breathing or mouth-leaking, so it's good that your wife can keep an eye (or ear) open to see if that's what's happening.

There are two "hybrid" style masks (oral cushion and nasal pillows combo) on the market - the ResMed Liberty and the RespCare Hybrid. Most FFMs go over the bridge of the nose (and cause problems for that tender skin), so a hybrid-style mask is a good option.

If you do decide to go the "hybrid" route, my advice is to go for the Hybrid over the Liberty; it comes with three sizes of oral cushion and three sizes of nasal pillows (which can be height-adjusted). There are more sizing options with the Hybrid than the Liberty, so you're more likely to find a good fit.

As you probably know from reading here, mask fit is everything. No machine can deliver effective therapy if your mask doesn't fit well and/or allow you sleep without leaks that disturb you. Many of us go through numerous mask trials before we find "the" one that works well for us.

Best of luck, and keep us posted.

[yobtaf]

yes I did switch the mask setting on the machine. I never looked at the leak rate before, didnt know how, but the reason for switching was because of leaking around the nose and that would wake me up a lot. The air would blow into my eyes and wake me up. I had a bit of dry mouth this am, my wife is going to help see if I am mouth breathing at all. If I am maybe a hybrid mask would be better. I kinda like the nasal pillow over the "top gun" mask, but as stated before, I want results over anything.
oh and I didnt see the msg high leak in last session. I was up at 3:30 for work and didnt turn on lights, didnt want to wake the wife.

Thats a negative ghost rider, the pattern is full

Dry mouth is a classic sign of mouth-breathing or mouth-leaking, so it's good that your wife can keep an eye (or ear) open to see if that's what's happening.

There are two "hybrid" style masks (oral cushion and nasal pillows combo) on the market - the ResMed Liberty and the RespCare Hybrid. Most FFMs go over the bridge of the nose (and cause problems for that tender skin), so a hybrid-style mask is a good option.

If you do decide to go the "hybrid" route, my advice is to go for the Hybrid over the Liberty; it comes with three sizes of oral cushion and three sizes of nasal pillows (which can be height-adjusted). There are more sizing options with the Hybrid than the Liberty, so you're more likely to find a good fit.

As you probably know from reading here, mask fit is everything. No machine can deliver effective therapy if your mask doesn't fit well and/or allow you sleep without leaks that disturb you. Many of us go through numerous mask trials before we find "the" one that works well for us.

Best of luck, and keep us posted.

Thanks for the info, I didnt see your first post when I replied. My sleep center is great, they let me take home masks and try them and go from there. This is my third mask, but I am not giving up. I will try the LT for the rest of the week and see what happens.
Thanks everyone.

[yobtaf]

ok I switched back to the full face mask for 2 nights and here are those numbers
leak .12l/s
AHI 3.9
AI .5
HI 3.4
does this look better?
Thanks

[BleepingBeauty]

ok I switched back to the full face mask for 2 nights and here are those numbers
leak .12l/s
AHI 3.9
AI .5
HI 3.4
does this look better?
Thanks

Heck, yes! With that (much lower and very acceptable .12l/s) leak rate, your other numbers can be relied upon. If you employ the calculation I noted earlier (cutting the HI in half before adding to the AI), your more comparable AHI is just 2.2.

It seems your full-face mask does right by you so, as long as it's comfortable, I'd stick with it.

[yobtaf]

I can sleep with the full face, its just it would leak around the goatee. I didnt want to shave it off so I tried other masks, hoping the nasal pillow would work. MY wife said I would "puff" through my mouth sometimes with the nasal pillow. I guess if I have to shave to be healthy, then shave is what I will do, I have two little girls that I want to see grow up. My dad has "severe" apnea and refuses to wear the mask. Has already had a couple mini strokes. The next stroke could be a big one. All I can do is pray for him, cant hit him over the head with a stick, his head is too thick

[BleepingBeauty]

I can sleep with the full face, its just it would leak around the goatee. I didnt want to shave it off so I tried other masks, hoping the nasal pillow would work. MY wife said I would "puff" through my mouth sometimes with the nasal pillow. I guess if I have to shave to be healthy, then shave is what I will do, I have two little girls that I want to see grow up. My dad has "severe" apnea and refuses to wear the mask. Has already had a couple mini strokes. The next stroke could be a big one. All I can do is pray for him, cant hit him over the head with a stick, his head is too thick

Your attitude is great, yobtaf. We do what we gotta do, and we're rewarded with having a life again. FYI, there are guys here with facial hair who successfully use various FF masks; you might try searching the forum for "goatee" or "beard" and see what you find on the subject.

The "puffing" your wife observed is a common problem (and one which prevents us from getting effective therapy). You could try sealing your lips shut with something like Polident strips. (Lots of people use tape over their lips, but that would be difficult with a goatee.) Search the forum for "Polident" for more info on that.

Re: your dad, sounds like a stick would be useless; maybe a 2x4? (Unfortunately, I can relate to you here. I'm sure my dad has apnea, but he won't even get tested. )