New S9 VPAP Auto ResScan Data?

[jerryrainey]

Changed from an S9 Autoset to S9 VPAP Auto Bilevel and have been surprised and somewhat befuddled by new quantities available on ResScan (3.14). First, pressure is available in the "high-rate" form. I can see what the pressure is actually doing for each and every breath! The surprise to my old intuitive engineering mind is that the pressure drops when I have an event. I would think that the pressure would increase when I stop breathing, but, no, it goes down to EPAP??? Any body know why ResMed decided to do that?

Next, what is the significance of the "I:E Ratio"? I see a definition in the Data Management Guide Glossary as the ratio of inspiratory time to expiratory time. Is high or low I:E ratio good or bad and why?

Then there are the % Spont T or % Spont C. Again from the Glossary "Percentage of breaths that are spontaneously triggered or cycled." What does that have to do with anything?

I can vision a professional viewing this post and saying "Aha! That's why amateur patients shouldn't be allowed to look at data!" Oh well.

[lizgav]

Jerry, sorry I have no answers to your questions. I hope someone else will.

May I ask you why you switched from the S9 Autoset? I'm a newbie here; my husband just got an Rx for a self-titrating CPAP, and we had decided that the S9 Autoset was probably the way to go. But now I'm wondering if we should consider the VPAP Auto Bilevel.

PM me if you wish. (I couldn't see a way to PM you. (?) Thanks!

PS Other than the confusing new data, do you notice any difference in your results (how you feel, etc.) with the new S9?

[jerainey]

Thank you Lizgav for showing some interest in my questions. Apparently, no one else has.

[Pugsy]

Welcome to the forum.
I did see your original post but since I don't use your type of machine or software I was unable to offer anything constructive. So sorry.

There aren't as many users of your type of machine here as the other plain cpap or apap machines, so I will give this a bump and maybe someone who does use your type of machine will see it.

[SleepingUgly]

Changed from an S9 Autoset to S9 VPAP Auto Bilevel and have been surprised and somewhat befuddled by new quantities available on ResScan (3.14). First, pressure is available in the "high-rate" form. I can see what the pressure is actually doing for each and every breath! The surprise to my old intuitive engineering mind is that the pressure drops when I have an event. I would think that the pressure would increase when I stop breathing, but, no, it goes down to EPAP??? Any body know why ResMed decided to do that?

Next, what is the significance of the "I:E Ratio"? I see a definition in the Data Management Guide Glossary as the ratio of inspiratory time to expiratory time. Is high or low I:E ratio good or bad and why?

Then there are the % Spont T or % Spont C. Again from the Glossary "Percentage of breaths that are spontaneously triggered or cycled." What does that have to do with anything?

I can vision a professional viewing this post and saying "Aha! That's why amateur patients shouldn't be allowed to look at data!" Oh well.

I shouldn't be answering your questions because I'm just learning about the machine myself, and am not that well versed in it. But IPAP is the pressure on inhale/inspiration, and EPAP is the pressure on expiration/exhale. So it's going to go from IPAP to EPAP in every breath, depending on whether you're in the inhale or exhale phase of your breath. I don't know what the ideal ratio is for I:E.

Edited to delete my nonsense about spontaneous T and C, as I don't know what I'm talking about. I was just informed that "Spont T” refers to “Spontaneous Trigger” and is the breathing transition that signals the machine to begin IPAP. “Spont C” refers to “Spontaneous Cycle” and is the breathing transition that signals the machine to begin EPAP.

[jerainey]

Thanks for your input SleepingUgly. I know what the various items are. What I am looking for is some idea what they mean in relation to my sleep quality. Unfortunately, when I showed some ResScan data to my sleep doc a year ago, I got the impression it was the first time he had ever seen data from other than a sleep study. I'm thinking about a new doc, but he will probably want to start with a new overnighter which I don't think I need.

[Perrybucsdad]

Jerry, it may also be that the doc had never seen a ResScan report before, but has seen other reports.