Diff Between Cflex abd Aflex

[BrandyMB]

One more dumb question before I leave for a meeting, but can someone tell this dummy what the difference is between A flex and C flex, and which one I should be using in my situation on my System One Auto APAP?

Thanks..

Mark

[Wulfman...]

One more dumb question before I leave for a meeting, but can someone tell this dummy what the difference is between A flex and C flex, and which one I should be using in my situation on my System One Auto APAP?

Thanks..

Mark

It's basically exhale relief and A-Flex is available in APAP mode and C-Flex is available in CPAP mode.

From the manual:

C-Flex Comfort Feature
The device consists of a special comfort feature called C-Flex. When C-Flex is enabled, it enhances patient comfort by providing pressure relief during the expiratory phase of breathing. In the diagram, the dashed line represents normal CPAP therapy in comparison to the bold line representing C-Flex. C-Flex levels of 1, 2, or 3 progressively reflect increased pressure relief.
C-Flex pressure relief is determined by the C-Flex setting and the amount of patient flow. C-Flex returns to the set pressure by the end of exhalation, when the airway is most vulnerable to closure.

Note: The patient also has access to this setting, if C-Flex is enabled.

A-Flex (C-Flex+) Comfort Feature
The device consists of a special comfort feature called A-Flex if Auto-CPAP therapy is enabled (or C-Flex+ if CPAP therapy is enabled). When A-Flex (C-Flex+) is enabled, it enhances patient comfort in three ways: 1) by smoothing the transition between the end of inhalation and the beginning of exhalation, 2) by providing significant pressure relief during the beginning of exhalation, and 3) by reaching an end exhalation pressure of no more than 2 cm H2O below the high point of inspiration.
In the diagram, the dashed line represents CPAP pressure in comparison to the bold line representing A-Flex (C-Flex+). A-Flex (C-Flex+) levels of 1, 2, or 3 progressively reflect increased pressure relief during the beginning of exhalation.
With A-Flex (C-Flex+), the level of pressure relief at the beginning of exhalation is determined by the A-Flex (C-Flex+) setting and the amount of patient flow in any one breath.

Note: The patient also has access to this setting, if A-Flex (C-Flex+) is enabled.
Note: A-Flex (C-Flex+) transitions from no A-Flex (C-Flex+) at 4.0 cm H2O to full A-Flex (C-Flex+) at 6 cm H2O. A-Flex (C-Flex+) is top limited at 20.0 cm H2O pressure.


Den

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[Pugsy]

Both C-Flex and A-Flex lower the pressure a little to help exhaling feel more natural. C-Flex only lowers it as you "start to exhale", but A-Flex jumps in a touch earlier and starts to lower it right "before you start to exhale". The whole purpose of both is to smoothly lower pressure when you exhale for more natural breathing, without snapping the pressure up and down on you in a teeth-rattling, unsettling way.

The links to the Respironics explanation are now broken since Respironics redid their website so the images are gone
viewtopic/t39935/AFlex-vs-CFlex.html

Wish I had known that was going to happen and I would have saved an image of that page because I sent people to it often when they asked about the various Flex options that Respironics offers...and I can't find them now.

Flex relief is flow based and not a 1 cm per setting reduction like the ResMed machines and the most it can reduce at the maximum setting of 3 is 2 cm. So how much of a reduction is going to depend on just how forcefully you breathe.
It's as much of a timing issues as a reduction issue and what I usually tell people is try all settings and choose the one that feels the best (and if off is best then turn it off) regardless of the actual setting number.

[OkyDoky]

This shows Aflex and if you look at the right side it will also take you to Cflex. http://www.healthcare.philips.com/main/ ... /aflex.wpd

[BrandyMB]

Thanks for the explanations, folks. I have the clinician manual but was trying to make sense of what it said.

Mark