Moving up to aircurve Vauto

[tiredNorlando]

Hi gang, my neighbor just gave me his aircurve vauto 10.

Wanting to try it just to see if I sleep better, question on EPAP setting, I’m currently on max 13.5 , min 12 on a dreamstation apap.. using nasal pillows.

Should I set the epap to 13.5 on the vauto? Or higher or lower?

I put the ipap to 9.5 with ps set at 4.. set it to vauto

Watched a few videos which made me more confused lol

Thanks

[Pugsy]

IPAP is your higher inhale pressure.

EPAP is the lower exhale pressure

PS or pressure support is the difference between inhale and exhale.

You can't set IPAP to 9.5 with PS of 4 without having EPAP lower than IPAP.

Try these settings as a starting point.
mode...VAuto
Minimum EPAP 9
PS of 4
Maximum IPAP 15

With these setting you will start the night with exhale at 9 cm and inhale at 13 (that 9 exhale plus the 4PS) and IPAP can go up to 15 and will drag EPAP up to 11 if it goes to 15.

Leave all the other comfort settings at factory defaults.....

[tiredNorlando]

Thank you! Bipap is new to me, so I apologize for getting the ipap and epap backwards

[Pugsy]

Thank you! Bipap is new to me, so I apologize for getting the ipap and epap backwards

No problem. You will get the hang of it in no time.

I do try to use proper terminology to avoid confusion.

You might want to practice while awake just to see what it feels like.

Did you remember to erase the previous owner's data before you use it?

[tiredNorlando]

Here are the results from last night, baaad leaks! not sure why, I didnt have these leaks with the dreamstation. Breathing pattern looks better, less jagged tooth like.

Felt like I slept through the night ( I usually do feel like that) feel a little less draggy and tired today, but I can feel my eyes are bothering me from the air leaks all dang night.

AHI is higher than usual, usually under 1.5 avg.

Anything standing out that I should adjust? It doesnt look like the pressure ever maxxed out either.

thanks

[Pugsy]

Lose the calendar...it isn't needed and it's taking up precious data reporting space.
I can't tell just how bad the leaks were. We know they were bad but did the leak go to 28 L/min or 38 L/min or 48 L/min?
If just 28 L/min then the AHI is probably accurate but if the 38/48 L/min range then it might falsely reduce the AHI.

You gotta work on the leaks and please use the format we generally like to start with so your report looks like mine here below.

[tiredNorlando]

I just noticed a lot of central apneas, I have never had those before! Maybe I should quit using this bipap?

[tiredNorlando]

I dont know what else to do with nasal pillows leaking, they didnt leak when on the dreamstation, had mouth tape on like usual and it was stuck on like glue this morning.

I will follow the proper format for posting oscar info. my bad

what about the central apneas? I Have never had them before, ever

thanks

[tiredNorlando]

cleaned up oscar report

Screenshot 2025-06-18 143410.png (133.01 KiB) Viewed 118 times

[Pugsy]

I suspect that those centrals aren't real asleep centrals but instead are post arousal centrals where you probably woke up (you may or may not remember the awakening) which are common. Especially when faced with this amount of leakage. It wouldn't be impossible for the leaks to cause the arousals and the centrals are a by product of the arousal....not the cause.

See this thread
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=187767&p=1451526#p1451526

and like the guy in that thread....even if your centrals are ALL real asleep centrals (which I would bet my last dollar they are NOT)
there's not enough of them to worry about.

You don't know for sure that the PS with the bilevel machine is causing the centrals anyway.

Masks leak from mask movement. Open mouth leaking is NOT the only reason for big leaks.

[Pugsy]

If you want to have us evaluate the flow rate (breathing) to see if you were asleep or not you need to either zoom in on the flagged central and post the screen shot or you can use SleepHQ software and post the link to the image (be sure it isn't private) and then we can do the work and zoom in on each flagged event to see if you were asleep or not.

I would bet my last dollar that for the bulk of those flagged events you weren't asleep.
If you weren't sound asleep they don't matter or count for anything except crappy sleep. They are a by product of the arousals and not the cause.

[tiredNorlando]

it looks like my breaths got shallower and shallower and then the CA?

[tiredNorlando]

and same thing before this OA

[Pugsy]

You have zoomed in a little too closely for optimal evaluation but the little blip or increase in the breath right before the flat line means you weren't asleep. You took a bigger breath and when asleep we don't take big breaths.

That little pointy breath at 02:25:10......that's not an asleep breath.
and more obvious at 02:29:50.....that one for sure isn't a real asleep breath.

The changes are subtle but they are there.
I once had one that I thought might have been a real asleep central but there is an almost imperceptible blip right before the flat line and I thought it might be the real deal but a sleep tech who knows about all this stuff said "nope, that's an arousal central".

[tiredNorlando]

Thats good to know they were awake breathing and not centrals.

Would you change anything for tonight? The pressure felt a little stronger than the dreamstation apap, I guess that is just part of a bipap..

it looks like at times it got up to the max of 15, the dreamstation max was 13.5, but maybe I needed extra pressure or the pressure went up from the leaks.. so frustrating!

thanks for your help