Should mouth leaks show up in leakage data?

zzzaoem · Post by **zzzaoem** » Tue Aug 22, 2006 9:11 am

I am using Resmed autospirit in APAP mode. My leakage data is low (.06 L/s) but my AHI remains high (36. then again, I barely sleep with the mask on and the Resmed records HIs even when I am awake if I breathe irregularly, also 5 apneas though). Could mouth breathing be the problem or should it show up in my leak stats if I were mouth breathing? I really don't want to tape my mouth until I have exhausted alternatives.

JCraig · Post by **JCraig** » Tue Aug 22, 2006 10:50 am

I'm curious what mouth leaking would look like in data as well.

Snoozin' Bluezzz · Post by **Snoozin' Bluezzz** » Tue Aug 22, 2006 11:18 am

Would not a small going to be experiment answer this question? I may try it.

What if you hosed up, made sure you had your normal seal, fired up your xPAP and breathed normally for a bit and then let your mouth gape. It seems to me that, if the software interprets it as a leak, it would show up as a spike.

David

JCraig · Post by **JCraig** » Tue Aug 22, 2006 11:27 am

I would try that but I absolutely HATE the feeling of opening my mouth with the xPAP running.

DreamStalker · Post by **DreamStalker** » Tue Aug 22, 2006 11:44 am

JCraig wrote:I would try that but I absolutely HATE the feeling of opening my mouth with the xPAP running.

Try talking or better yet singing ... it can be quite funny.

- roberto

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Tue Aug 22, 2006 12:14 pm

Leaks will show up in the statistics....mask leak, or mouth leak while wearing any mask except a full face mask. Your leak rate is low, zzzaoem, so it doesn't look like you're having either kind.

If a person does have a high leak rate, there's no way to tell from the data if it's a mask leak, mouth leak, or leak in a hose, or a connection, etc. It's just "a leak". Then you have to play detective and figure out where the leak is coming from.

But that doesn't seem to be the case for you.

Are you getting an AHI of 36? Or is it an AHI of 3.6?

zzzaoem · Post by **zzzaoem** » Tue Aug 22, 2006 12:34 pm

AHI= 36, but only 5 A and I think the Hs are to some extent bogus in that even when I do not sleep the Resmed records small deviations in my breathing as an H. I think my main problem is that I have not been able to sleep long enough for the APAP to get to the level where it treats my apnea. The problem is that I have a hard time falling asleep with all that pressure and I very easily wake up again (even with an Ambien last night). I guess it is a matter of getting used to. Most of you have been able to, so should I.