How to tell if cpap is working right?

[KBee]

I have a Remstar System one Automatic cpap with a-flex. Is there a way to tell if it is working properly? For the past 2 nights, it has barely gone above the minimum setting of 5. Before that it was running usually at 8 more 90% of the time. I just don't think it's working right, but I hate to call in and have them tell me I'm imagining things. Thanks, it's driving me bonkers, I've only had this machine a couple of weeks.

[Julie]

When it's on, does it blow strongly? Numbers may not be registering well, but if it's doing the job (and you feel ok) then I'd ask the dealer about the discrepancy. It is possible that you have positional apnea that's responding very well to how you sleep and no events are taking place. But I wouldn't just guess at that.

[Pugsy]

90% numbers are fairly easy to "skew".

Can you post a typical night with the higher 90% number and a typical night now that it doesn't want to move off of 5 very much. Do you have the software? If using Encore...the image of the detailed daily graph page...if using SleepyHead the left side AHI bar graph and on the right the Events graph..the flow rate graph...the pressure graph and the leak graph.
You can turn off the AHI graph in Preferences/graphs by removing the check mark..it isn't needed anyway.

It's possible that the 90% number was driven up by some sort of flow reduction and you aren't having as much of that now.
Like Julie said...maybe related to sleeping position.

When I was using APAP I would sometimes see 90% numbers in the 17 to 18 range but then I had nights where it barely moved off of minimum of 10 and 90% number was 11. So it can happen that there is a big discrepancy with 90% number for any number of reasons.

[Wulfman...]

I have a Remstar System one Automatic cpap with a-flex. Is there a way to tell if it is working properly? For the past 2 nights, it has barely gone above the minimum setting of 5. Before that it was running usually at 8 more 90% of the time. I just don't think it's working right, but I hate to call in and have them tell me I'm imagining things. Thanks, it's driving me bonkers, I've only had this machine a couple of weeks.

Huh?
Your profile it shows you're using straight pressure:

Additional Comments: Pressure setting is 10

How do you KNOW that "it has barely gone above the minimum pressure setting"? If you're not using software to monitor your therapy, you'd better start.


Den

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