Pressure setting of 8 vs auto setting

[peacemaker]

Hey All,

Just ordered my first cpap machine, the Resmed S9 auto, I am prescribed a setting of 8, do I run it at 8 or can I just leave it on auto?

Thanks,

Greg

[tattooyu]

With auto, you're going to need to specify a range, e.g., 7-12 cm H2O. You don't want to leave it wide open because you want the minimum pressure to still be effective, and you probably don't need the high end to be at 20 cm. It requires perseverance to find the sweet spot that works for you. The Sleepyhead software (and the folks on here) should help you see what's happening from night to night and compare that to how you feel.

[LinkC]

If it were me, I'd start with an 8-10 range until you get leaks under control and see how you take to the therapy. By then you will have a data record and can make intelligent changes, rather than shooting in the dark.

[paradoiley]

My personal opinion is to go with a minimum of 5 and no ramp until you are comfortable with the machine.

The top end probably won't really matter that much.

Once you are sleeping well with it you can look at the data and raise the minimum to optimize your therapy. You can do this at a pace that is comfortable for you.

Eight is not that high so you may be comfortable right away. If not, do it my way and do it gradually.

[The Latinist]

You will probably get your machine already set to your doctor's prescription, which may in fact be a range. I was titrated to 12 during my sleep study and my doctor prescribed a range of 8-14. In either case, I would try the doctor's settings if they seem reasonable. Get used to it, get your leaks under control, give yourself some time to adjust. Then if you want to try an adjustment you'll be better prepared.

[archangle]

Don't set the minimum pressure too low, or you may be uncomfortable when you first go to sleep until the machine figures out the right pressure. The machine starts at the minimum pressure every time you turn it off and back on, even for midnight bathroom breaks.

I was always able to just leave my max pressure at 20, but if your machine "runs away," you may need to reduce it. If you leave the max pressure at a high setting, be sure to monitor it to see if the machine seems to be running away to a high pressure. Similarly, look at your data to see if the pressure ever maxes out with whatever setting you are using. If it maxes out, that may indicate you need to reevaluate your max pressure setting.

[robysue]

As someone who had to deal with really severe aerophagia, I'm going to strongly suggest that you NOT leave the top pressure at 20.

In fact, I'd suggest this:

1) If you are an experienced and happy PAPer at 8cm, I'd just run the new AutoSet at 8cm for a while. If you're happy with your sleep and the data is good, there's no need to fix something that is NOT broken.

2) If you are simply curious about Auto mode, the I'd start out with a very narrow auto range. What range would depend on whether there was a "problem" I was trying to solve:

• Pure curiosity, but no problems with current therapy: I'd suggest using 7-9cm or 6-10cm.
• Some problems with aereophagia, but AHI is usually under 2.5: I'd suggest using 6-8cm or 5-8 cm.
• No problems with aerophagia, but sometimes the AHI is higher than you want: I'd suggest using 8-10cm or 7-11cm.