Clear airway/ Central Apnea at beginning of sleep cycle

[johnmtaylor]

17 days in, By my sleepyhead results, I noticed a pattern of CA events (15-20) withing the first 30 minutes of sleep.

I am on an ASV machine. (never been on CPAP) Could this be me "fighting" the machine?

John

[Todzo]

17 days in, By my sleepyhead results, I noticed a pattern of CA events (15-20) withing the first 30 minutes of sleep.

I am on an ASV machine. (never been on CPAP) Could this be me "fighting" the machine?

John

Assuming that the Clear Airway events were indeed hypocapnic central apneas I would say - perhaps.

I simply often have a time when it is hard to get my breathing to quiet when I first put the machine on. That, however, is the trick to prevent them.

Have a great week!

Todzo

[squid13]

You might want to put ASV in your subject line so the people using ASV can see it and maybe comment on it. ASV is a whole different machine.

[johnmtaylor]

Does anyone who uses ASV have this same problem?

[Tom W]

I don't, but I'm asleep in 1-2 minutes.

[JohnBFisher]

Posting this multiple times doesn't change the answer. It's considered normal. Here's the article that discusses it.

Ventilation is unstable during drowsiness before sleep onset
http://jap.physiology.org/cgi/reprint/99/5/2036

[racprops]

That is interesting I was told during my second sleep study I stopped breathing for a second of two during the hand off of control and that was what was causing the machine to react with a pressure blow which keep waking me up.

I got over it by using the ramp up feature which lets me fall asleep under less pressure.

Now can you post a link that explains how or why I get CPAP induced central apneas??

Rich

[Pugsy]

Now can you post a link that explains how or why I get CPAP induced central apneas??

Have you seen this video?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CU-XTcf ... e=youtu.be

[racprops]

Thanks.

I covers much of it and I am guessing they do not really know WHY it happens, just that it does.

Just my luck...I had to be a 15% er.

Now for another off the wall question: Our systems maintain a positive constant air pressure and air flow, even my ASV machine does this.

SO how do we exhale?? How does the CO2 get out??

Or are we re breathing our own air??

Rich

[JohnBFisher]

Here's a analysis of why someone with heart failure develops problems with central sleep apnea:

In summary, in this study, patients with heart failure who had central sleep apnea had enhanced sensitivity to carbon dioxide. In addition, the degree of sensitivity was correlated with the severity of central sleep apnea, a finding that supports the possibility that increased sensitivity has a destabilizing effect on breathing during sleep.

You can read more at:

http://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJM199909233411304

And if you want to learn more about the "Pathophysiology of Sleep Apnea", the following article can help:

http://physrev.physiology.org/content/90/1/47.full

Not knowing what your specific heart issues are, I don't know quite where to focus you within that article. But you get the picture. Researchers are clearly learning a lot about why it occurs. However, the discussion requires a LOT of groundwork. As a result, many doctors are not able to spend the time to explain the "why" just that it does happen.

Hope that helps.

[racprops]

It does.

I had a quadrature bypass.

No heart attack, just 225/110 pressure...slight chest pain and left arm pit pain.

When I hit 225/110 and went to the hospitable I ended up with a Quadruple Heart Bypass Surgery on Monday Jan 21 2013 in the afternoon.

I would keep a sharp eye and be ready to rush to the hospitable at a seconds notice of any chest pain and left arm pain, which is the only warnings other than my own blood pressure readings I got. And my pain was mild, not the drop to the floor kind.

During my recovery and stay in the Hospitable I was informed I also have sleep apnea , and to make matters worse after two tests I have learned I have complex apnea and will need a ASV PAP Machine.

IT TOOK over 6 weeks after my surgery to stop my chest busting coughing and to recover enough to start looking into my sleep apnea.

Also from what happened to me:

A WARNING about heart disease.

Knowing my father did not make to past 57 years old due to heart failure I was worried and keeping a eye on my health.

I have just learned that by the time many tests show any problems, you might already be dead. Kind of like the oil pressure light or gauge in modern cars that light up AFTER the engine has already failed.

I have had some high blood pressure for years. Normally 140 over 78.


Heart disease usually shows up long before the big heart attack, there are normally lots of warning signs.

I had none. I had three days of light chest pain, and if I did not keep a watch on my blood pressure and not felt 225 over 110 should be checked out, I might have not be here to tell this tail.


BUT: None of the tests I have had helped:

On Paper I looked fine, I had no high cholesterol, (I just saw my hospitable report and even when I was going in for surgery I have fair cholesterol levels) only higher blood pressure which was not considered really high as I ran 140/78 most of the time...

I did a simple stress test a little over a year before and passed with flying colors..

EKG
Whether you spell it EKG or ECG, it's an electrocardiogram. Found nothing.

Chest X-Ray: nothing

6 heart enzymes tests failed to show any damage: no problems.

Echocardiogram (Ultra sound)
There are several variations on the echocardiogram, or "echo," as doctors call it.
Again no real warnings..


Stress Test:

• Treadmill stress test: As long as you can walk and have a normal ECG, this is normally the first stress test performed. You walk on a treadmill while being monitored to see how far you walk and if you develop chest pain or changes in your ECG that suggest that your heart is not getting enough blood.
• Dobutamine or Adenosine Stress Test: This test is used in people who are unable to exercise. A drug is given to make the heart respond as if the person were exercising. This way the doctor can still determine how the heart responds to stress, but no exercise is required.
• Nuclear stress test: This test helps to determine which parts of the heart are healthy and function normally and which are not. A small amount of radioactive substance is injected into the patient. Then the doctor uses a special camera to identify the rays emitted from the substance within the body; this produces clear pictures of the heart tissue on a monitor. These pictures are done both at rest and after exercise. Using this technique, areas of the heart that have a decreased blood supply can be detected.

This time the full boat: Nuclear Stress test:

All failed to show real problems. They did say there seemed to be something so wanted to go to:


Cardiac catheterization -- also called a coronary angiogram -- means running a catheter into your heart. It's done to help doctors see what's going on in there, and whether they need to operate.

THIS last test was a winner it showed I was only minutes from meeting god in person.

It was to only test that:

A) really showing my near death conduction and

B) Saved my life.

I have a Quadruple Heart Bypass Surgery because 3 arteries were down to thin lines. Stints and blowing up to open them were not a option anymore.

So I would suggest if you have ANY problems you get coronary angiogram.



Rich