should minimum pressure be at the 90th percentile?

[williamco]

if I have a range on auto, should the minimum pressure always be at the 90%? or the 90% be on the lower end of that range
otherwise it means that I need to raise the pressure? is that true?

[DreamStalker]

As long as you are certain that leaks are under control and that you are not sensitive to central apnea ... then yes, min pressure on auto should be 90% (or 95% on ResMed autos).

[cpapernewbie]

for comfort and leaks control, I prefer to start at 3 points below 90%

My 90% is 9 and I set mu auto range from 6-9

Setting 9 as minmum will be uncomfortable and create more leak problem, more side effects on your eye, ear and mouth due to higher pressure, and aerophagia

This my personal choice

[DreamStalker]

The ResMed algorithm has a much more aggressive/faster response ... I would not go below the 90% of a Respironics ... especially if you use any exhalation relief features.

With ResMed I would also avoid going below 95% pressure for min if you are using exhalation relief.

[CorgiGirl]

My OSA was well controlled for a long time with my minimum set 2-3 cm below my 90%. 90% just means you spent 90% of your night at or below this pressure. If I only needed 10 minutes at the higher pressure, there was no point in spending the entire night there. This was with my sleep doc's approval and, as I said, worked really well for me until other things changed and needed a BiPAP.

CG

[DoriC]

We have the same machine. Titration was 13, 90% pressure is usually 12 so the settings on auto are 10.5-13, rarely hitting the max, no Flex. Hope that helps.

[rosacer]

My 90% is 10. My Dr told me to set my Auto to 8 - 12. Since that I have been having the best results ever with this setting and no aerophagia.

When I raised the minimum from 7 to 8 I had some aerophagia for 2 or 3 days. I think it's not necessary to stay the whole night at the 90% if I don't need it. When I have no leaks my AHI is 0.3 now.

Personally I don't think it is necessary to stay at the 90% the whole night at least you have a CPAP.

[Wulfman]

if I have a range on auto, should the minimum pressure always be at the 90%? or the 90% be on the lower end of that range
otherwise it means that I need to raise the pressure? is that true?

It depends on the range of pressure you're using and (if you're using software) what type of events are causing your pressure to increase. If your minimum pressure is too low, the numbers......."average" and "90%".......will more than likely move upward as you increase your minimum pressure. Ideally, you want your minimum pressure to be where it takes care of (eliminates) almost all of your apneas and hypopneas. Consequently, there are no easy answers to your questions.


Den

[mars]

Hi All

I agree with Den.

The 90% percentile varies depending on the range of pressure you are using, and can also vary due to particular circumstances during a particular night.

The best pressure, regardless of the 90%, is the one where you have the best sleep and the lowest AHi. I have used the 90% as a guide when trying out cpap, as opposed to auto, and find that cpap works best for me at 1 or 2 cmH2O lower than the 90% reading.

However, I currently use a very narrow range of 11 to 13, unless I am experimenting. The 11 to 13 range produces a 90% reading of either 12 or 13, with an average pressure of 11.5 to 11.9. For me, the average pressure is more important than the 90% pressure, together with checking the night's graph of pressure, events and leaks, with my software.

cheers

Mars