Set a Respironics ASV 960 machine as a smiple Bi-Level

[racprops]

I saw an allergist this week, and the bad news is I am a mess: by their tests I have the lungs of an 88 year old.

I have asthma, not the kind where I can't breathe or wheezing kind but none the less an ongoing asthma…I inhale fine but have trouble exhaling, so I have a buildup of Carbon Dioxide.

Currently I am running an APAP Respironics Dreamstation machine and have not gotten up rested; NOW I think it is because there is no bi-level settings. (it has a very small bi-flex setting which does not give any real pressure relief)

My first CPAP Doctor said I have Complex Sleep Apnea, and now I am wondering if I still do… And with my special kind of asthma a bi-level machine might be much better for me.

BUT I think they missed this odd breathing problem..and I really need a bi-level machine.

I have a Respironics ASV 960 machine BUT it is way too over reactive for me as well. Every slight change in my breathing cause it to start pumping the hell out of me…which in its self-messes up my sleep, which is why I got a new sleep study and they switched me over to a APAP machine…

IS there a way to shut down the ASV settings and have the 960 operate as simpler Bi-Level machine??

Thanks.

Rich

[Pugsy]

Yes...the 960 can be dumbed down to work like a regular bilevel with either a fixed bilevel function or auto adjusting bilevel function and not have the potential for the wild pressure swings that the 960 does to teat the centrals.

You just need to limit PS to a small range ...like minimum PS of 4 and max of 5 which would be a nice commonly used bilevel exhale relief drop and much more than what you can get with the apap machine
and you need to limit max IPAP.
Minimum EPAP is the starting point baseline that you build upon.

[JDS74]

Before changing your settings to make your ASV machine behave like a BiPap machine, let's talk about where you are and where you need to be. Many folks have difficulty adapting to the way an ASV machine behaves. This is quite common and means that there will be a period in which you will need to learn how to become comfortable with the machine.

Before you abandon using the ASV for the purpose it is intended (it treats complex sleep apnea and no regular BiPap will do so.) Perhaps we can help you in this transition so that you get the benefits of the ASV and don't have the problem of the pressure changes waking you up at night.

First, can you fill out the following table with your current ASV settings?

Here are my settings:

Min EPAP:________________12.0
Max EPAP:________________17.0
Min Pressure Support:_______7.5
Max Pressure Support:______13.0
Max Pressure:_____________25.0
Flex Setting:_________________1
Backup Rate:______________Auto
Humidification Mode:______System One
Humidifier Setting:____________3
Ramp_______________________Off

Here is a blank set of parameters that you can use to fill in yours:

Min EPAP:________________
Max EPAP:________________
Min Pressure Support:______
Max Pressure Support:______
Max Pressure:_____________
Flex Setting:______________
Backup Rate:______________
Humidification Mode:_______
Humidifier Setting:_________
Ramp_____________________

Note: If you are using the standard heated hose, then ignore the Humidification settings.

Many times the sleep doctor sets the machine to what the sleep lab suggests is the final setting without regard to the need of the patient to "creep up" on the settings to ease the transition to compliance. With the ability to see your settings, perhaps it will be possible to propose a new set that will limit the great pressure swings that occur when you have a central event so that the machine is more comfortable. When the machine no longer wakes you with pressure swings, further changes can be made to make the machine more effective.

Then, after finding that set of settings, it may be possible to gradually increase the appropriate parameters to effectively treat your centrals and, because you have become adapted to smaller swings, the new settings will not wake you up. Gradual increases until the final settings are achieved can get you to using the machine as intended.

Using an ASV machine is a journey, not an On-Off switch that magically fixes you sleep apnea issues.

There lots of help here on this message board.

[Sir NoddinOff]

Here's a past discussion of the topic:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=99772&p=928408&hili ... ap#p928408

[racprops]

Thanks,

I spent three years with the ASVPAP Machine, and I never got completely used to it power pressure swings...

Rich

[racprops]

Well got a new problem: My older Respironics ASV 960 machine is not recording my sleep time correctly.

I have not used it for this year, (was switched to a APAP in Jan. 2016) but for new medical reasons dug it out and started using it yesterday morning (7/20/16).

First night was from 3:30AM to around 6:00AM yet is only shows about 35 minutes.

Next is last night I went to sleep around 9:00PM and woke up at around 12:00AM and it only showed around 35minutes.

I rebooted it, and switched SC cards. Then slept another three hours and again it does not show the elapses time.

It does show the correct time and date, but not the total sleep time…

What can I do to fix this??

[palerider]

Well got a new problem: My older Respironics ASV 960 machine is not recording my sleep time correctly.... What can I do to fix this??

perhaps try not posting the same thing multiple times?