Apenas or Central

[vapat75]

What do the Apneas bar mean when a number 10 and 11 is showing on the bars. On the bar with #11 it is showing a long 30 min hypopnea bar. My RT said these could be central apneas? These have just started showing up one night. My pressure was fine and the leak was under the threshold.

[JohnBFisher]

I assume you are talking about the Rescan output. Rescan puts the duration of the apnea event in the bubble at the top of the line going up. So, 10 vs. 11 only shows the length of time. The S8 series does not measure "clear airway" events, only the failure to breathe regularly (an apnea).

It's possible your RT thought that at the end of the long period of shallow breathing you just failed to breathe at all (due to a central apnea). That is possible. If it occurs once or twice, don't worry about it. If this is a frequent occurrence and your sleep is less than ideal, then you should discuss this with your sleep doctor. But don't just say "I think it's a central apnea", instead ask what might cause it and what can be done to improve your sleep. It's always better to state the problem you need solved (poor sleep) than to state the diagnosis you assume is the case.

Hope that helps.

[vapat75]

Thanks John for the advice. Much appreciated.