Test Results

[jmarcol]

I was wondering if I could get some assistance trying to understand the results of my tests.

Sleep diagnostic test results
-Recorded hours - 453 minutes
-No.of desaturations: 9 min - 90% of the time
-Apneas: 6.4 per hour of study
-Hypopneas: 2.3 per hour
-AHI/RDI: 8.6 events per hour

Auto Titration
-AHI/RDI 8.6 events per hour
the pressure required 90% of the night was 11.7 cm of H2O

I was talking to my ENT and he told me that he has 15 events per hour but he is not on CPAP. I asked him whether I should be on CPAP considering I only have 8.6 events per hour and he told me that as a Doctor he had to say Yes.
Looking at my test results, Do you all think I should be using a CPAP or not? Thank you all for your comments.

[rested gal]

I hope the ENT is not sorry some day that he has chosen not to treat his AHI of 15 with cpap. Medical professionals are "human" too. A lot of non-doctors that should be treating their sleep apnea choose not to do it either....unfortunately. But that's their decision.

Do you know how much your oxygen levels were dropping during the study? Perhaps not much or not for long, but it's still healthier in the long run for the SPO2 level to stay up nicely.

jmarcol, doing an informal study on myself at home, using an autopap set at the very minimum so that it was not really "treating" me, but was gathering data (although no data on desats, sleep stages, etc. that you were getting through a full PSG) I saw about the same AHI you got from your study.

I can only tell you this. I did start using cpap (an autopap, to be exact) and saw a very definite difference to the good in how I feel each morning and throughout the days and evenings.

I don't know what prompted you to get a sleep study done, but whatever it was, especially if the AHI was above 5, it's worth treating no matter how "mild" the diagnosis, imho.

Here's a link to some very insightful comments by Dr. Colin Sullivan, a pioneer in sleep disordered breathing treatment. He advocates looking more at symptoms rather than at an AHI number. CPAP treatment can make a big difference for many people, even if the sleep apnea is considered "mild" AHI-wise. I'd at least try it, if I were you.

"an article in which Dr. Colin Sullivan (inventor of the CPAP) and Dr. Rappaport discuss "AHI"

[Sleepless on LI]

RG,

I was surprised to read Dr. Rapoport's reply:

Obstructive sleep apnea symptoms are also likely to be severe enough to warrant treatment in patients with an AHI of about 20 per hour; SDB can probably be ruled out at an AHI of about 10 per hour.

If that was the case, a lot of us, according to this, don't truly have an SBD. I think it's important to take other factors into consideration, like your oxygen levels especially and your BP, which is what this Dr. Sullivan states in the first part of the article, if I read it correctly. Very interesting to see how two doctors can drastically differ in opinion. Leaves me wondering now who is correct and who isn't. I think, as you say, the bottom line is how you feel when you start the therapy, if it helps you. Why does everything in this area have to be so gray!!!

[Jan in Colo.]

Geez Loueez. Dr. Rapaport stated that "severe" sleep apnea was anything with an AHI of 30 to 50? Mine was 85.3. YIKES. Well, that certainly provides a little motivation for getting used to my new friends, the CPAP machine and mask.

The original poster must have had symptoms that caused him to have a sleep study done. Mine was covered by insurance, but I was told by someone that those little suckers cost about $2000. Not likely to be prescribed for no good reason.

So I'd say if the doc put you on CPAP, you must need CPAP. Do you feel ANY better after having used the treatment? That would be another criteria....but you have to give it some time to know for sure.

Jan in Colo.

[denver2]

ahhm what is ENT guys?

[denver2]

What are Obstructive sleep apnea symptoms??