Accuracy of OSCAR Data and RESMED Data

[dataq1]

Feel free to contact the OSCAR development team with your questions.....I am not, nor have I ever been, part of that team.

Actually don't have a question for them, I just wanted to clarify that OSCAR does a tad more than simply reporting and "connecting the dots". There are some parameters that they do calculate with their own algorithms.
Now, back to the topic...

[Dog Slobber]

Actually don't have a question for them, I just wanted to clarify that OSCAR does a tad more than simply reporting and "connecting the dots". There are some parameters that they do calculate with their own algorithms.

I could be mistaken, but actually some of the data that OSCAR reports on the Daily page is actually derived values. For example, inspiration and expiration times are not reported by Autoset, rather are calculated by OSCAR and is not on the SD card.

This is exactly the type of posting you do that alienates people.

You say I have alienated a lot of people...... but I'm failing to see how or what I might have done to cause that alienation.
I really have tried to be polite, avoided name-calling and the like, so I don't know how I've alienated a lot of people.

Are some of the values reported by OSCAR calculated or derived? Of course they are. Is it significant enough to correct others, should they make a generalized statement that OSCAR reports the data the machine provides. No, its not.

OSCAR takes the values, as provided by the device, reports it, but also will provide other calculations to present the data in more meaningful or useful ways.

What is significant, is that OSCAR does not perform modification or interpretation of the data that is not necessarily supported by the algorithms. Examples of which include:

• Attempting to determine when one is awake or asleep
• Attempting to determine sleep stage by breathing patterns
• Attempting to determine severity of events by reduction of flow or length
• Attempting to determine sleep quality by length or disturbances
• etc

Cripes, the moment OSCAR reports the tube temperature in Fahrenheit it's presenting a derived (calculated) value. As the machine stores and provides temperature values in Celsius. Is it essiential to tell others that their Fahrenheit temperatures are derived and not reported?

Why must you to correct others, should they make the general statement OSCAR only reports?

What is important is that the OSCAR using population be aware that significant events reported by OSCAR, are not derived by OSCAR.

Things like:

• Event type, time, length
• Pressures
• Flow amounts
• Leaks
• etc

The fact that OSCAR value adds, by providing other useful values, average, total and graphs, should not be something that you need to correct others on. Especially others that actually do provide real world, useful, relevant advice.

It has been important to the developers of OSCAR that it only reports and not interpret data. They have deliberately removed some values (ie reported length on ResMed hypopneas) because that actually was an estimated minimum. This has been important, so that some sources such as insurance, DOT and others can consider OSCAR's compliance. You running around telling others that OSCAR does more than reports but derives, calculates and uses its own algorithms, damages the credibility of OSCAR and the individuals you're correcting.

But, I don't think you really are interested in *why* you have been alienated or considered tedious by others.

[dataq1]

Actually don't have a question for them, I just wanted to clarify that OSCAR does a tad more than simply reporting and "connecting the dots". There are some parameters that they do calculate with their own algorithms.

I could be mistaken, but actually some of the data that OSCAR reports on the Daily page is actually derived values. For example, inspiration and expiration times are not reported by Autoset, rather are calculated by OSCAR and is not on the SD card.

This is exactly the type of posting you do that alienates people.

You say I have alienated a lot of people...... but I'm failing to see how or what I might have done to cause that alienation.
I really have tried to be polite, avoided name-calling and the like, so I don't know how I've alienated a lot of people.

Are some of the values reported by OSCAR calculated or derived? Of course they are. Is it significant enough to correct others, should they make a generalized statement that OSCAR reports the data the machine provides. No, its not.

OSCAR takes the values, as provided by the device, reports it, but also will provide other calculations to present the data in more meaningful or useful ways.

What is significant, is that OSCAR does not perform modification or interpretation of the data that is not necessarily supported by the algorithms. Examples of which include:

• Attempting to determine when one is awake or asleep
• Attempting to determine sleep stage by breathing patterns
• Attempting to determine severity of events by reduction of flow or length
• Attempting to determine sleep quality by length or disturbances
• etc

Cripes, the moment OSCAR reports the tube temperature in Fahrenheit it's presenting a derived (calculated) value. As the machine stores and provides temperature values in Celsius. Is it essiential to tell others that their Fahrenheit temperatures are derived and not reported?

Why must you to correct others, should they make the general statement OSCAR only reports?

What is important is that the OSCAR using population be aware that significant events reported by OSCAR, are not derived by OSCAR.

Things like:

• Event type, time, length
• Pressures
• Flow amounts
• Leaks
• etc

The fact that OSCAR value adds, by providing other useful values, average, total and graphs, should not be something that you need to correct others on. Especially others that actually do provide useful real world, useful, relevant advice.

It has been important to the developers of OSCAR that it only reports and not interpret data. They have deliberately removed some values (ie reported length on ResMed hypopneas) because that actually was an estimated minimum. This has been important, so that some sources such as insurance, DOT and others can consider OSCAR's compliance. You running around telling others that OSCAR does more than reports but derives, calculates and uses its own algorithms, damages the credibility of OSCAR and the individuals you're correcting.

But, I don't think you really are interested in *why* you have been alienated or considered tedious by others.

@Dog:
"I don't think you really are interested in *why* you have been alienated or considered tedious by others

So off topic as to not warrant a reply

[zonker]

@Dog:
"I don't think you really are interested in *why* you have been alienated or considered tedious by others

So off topic as to not warrant a reply

and yet, you were compelled to reply. and waste more space by quoting dog slobber's full post

eta: THIS is why threads get locked.

[jlsmithseven]

Yeah, sorry I didn’t mean to start anything with this. My main concern was basically the myair app says I had a 100 night when it felt like a 70 night to me. However I’ve been on therapy for nearly a year now, maybe that initial feeling better is just hard to achieve a lot of the time. I’m sure it’s like everything that you get used to after a while. I had so much bad sleep for like 15 years so when I first started I felt so young and good again I just want to feel that everyday. I need to address my waking up 3-5 times a night before I do anything else though.

[lazarus]

The brain tends to notice differences more than constants.

At first, the effective PAP treatment itself is enough to induce what almost feels like a mild euphoria. But eventually it can take a concerted effort to take advantage of the opportunities for improved health that PAP provides.

For example, a sustained daily increase in physical activity can do wonders over time for some of us--both with how we feel during the day (eventually) and with our sleep maintenance during the night (also, eventually).

Others find that dropping all caffeine and alcohol for a few weeks can immediately provide a reset that allows both substances to be slowly phased back in later without disturbing sleep.

But I believe that the rules of "sleep hygeine" (the term to google) often become more critical after the initial "highs" of optimized therapy start to wear off.

And don't worry, YOU didn't "start" anything negative here with your post. Mr. Slobber just decided that someone else's nose needed a bit of a whack with a rolled up newspaper. No biggie. (At least not in comparison with the flame wars of days of old.) Good original question, IMO.

The heart of your question, accuracy of home machines and home software, can inadvertently be a trick question. In one sense, home data are the most accurate there are because the information provided is for all night every night over time in a patient's home environment. On the other hand, no one event can be as well observed, measured, classified, and documented as one during an in-lab NPSG, because that's the gold standard with brain-wave leads and effort belts placed and checked by a pro. Nevertheless, home data are ideally suited for what they are designed to provide: something to show treatment trends.

It's kind of like asking whether Dylan is/was any good at writing the melodies for his songs. Compared to Bach, maybe not so much. But Tangled Up in Blue sure does it for me.

[Pugsy]

Yeah, sorry I didn’t mean to start anything with this. My main concern was basically the myair app says I had a 100 night when it felt like a 70 night to me. However I’ve been on therapy for nearly a year now, maybe that initial feeling better is just hard to achieve a lot of the time. I’m sure it’s like everything that you get used to after a while. I had so much bad sleep for like 15 years so when I first started I felt so young and good again I just want to feel that everyday. I need to address my waking up 3-5 times a night before I do anything else though.

Now I understand your question better.
MyAir scoring is based on several different data points
See this
https://www.resmed.com/en-us/sleep-apne ... air-score/

and just because you got a "perfect" score doesn't mean that you necessarily feel those good numbers.
It's like when someone comes here and say they are getting a perfect AHI of 0.0 yet they still feel like crap and wonder why.
The "why" is because there's a lot more to feeling the good numbers than just getting them.

There are many complicated factors involved with getting good restorative sleep and we don't sleep the same each night anyway. All it takes is one little factor to come up short and we feel like crap.
Frequent wake ups during the night is a major component and unless you turn the machine off so it registers a mask off situation the machine won't have any idea how solidly you sleep or don't sleep.
Medication side effects is another major component that can mess with your sleep and the machine has no ability to transmit that sort of effect to MyAir to get factored into the "score" you ultimately get.

So you can have a nice "score" of 100 and even get AHI of 0.0 and still feel like crap if you don't sleep well.
Getting good numbers doesn't guarantee good sleep. I wish it were that easy. Getting good numbers is the easy part....now feeling them is a whole different story.

[jlsmithseven]

Thank you Lazarus and Pugsy for those last two replies, it makes my original question a lot easier to understand.

-I believe what is happening is my daytime routines are causing my sleep habits to not do as well. I need to eat better and exercise more to keep my anxiety levels normal. Also, my nose congestion at nighttime needs to be addressed by an ENT doctor soon. I've been using Navage nasal saline cleaner machine and it's been really helping me breathe at night. I didn't realize how congested I was until I started using this.

[lazarus]

keep my anxiety levels normal.

My understanding is that anyone here stumbling onto a surefire secret to that trick these days is contractually obligated to share it here with the rest of the class.

[jlsmithseven]

I would really like an alternative to this apap stuff ive been using. My apnea is pretty mild at 11.0 and I think if I can reduce my neck size I can get much better sleep. When I used those nasal strips alone, they helped me so much. What if I just used nasal strips and a chin strap would that be enough!

[lazarus]

enough

Good PAP therapy is the gold standard for good breathing during sleep.

When PAP is set up optimally so that the entire airway is as stable as possible all night every night and you never sleep without it, then your nervous system learns it can relax at night. After that comes the lifestyle changes and sleep hygiene.

You'll get there.

[palerider]

My apnea is pretty mild at 11.0

an AHI of 11 is plenty enough to wreck your life, even if your apnea is "mild",

[jlsmithseven]

I understand. Well I slept with my bleeps last night after cleaning my nasal passages with navage. Slept amazing. I woke up once from mouth leak , pretty rapidly I think I just turned on my back. Once I fell back asleep I didn’t wake up and got almost 8 hours of sleep. So only waking up once is a big majority of why I feeel so great today. I usually wake up 3-4 times on average and it’s wrecking my sleep. Has anyone had luck with those positional therapy things? I know they say use tennis ball or something but I feel like that would wake me up if I turned in it?

[lazarus]

Optimized APAP pressures can keep your airway stable no matter what position you end up in for parts of the night.

Tennis-ball tricks and the like are designed to disturb sleep, which pretty much defeats the point, and they aren't really all that effective in enforcing sleep positions anyway.

[palerider]

I understand. Well I slept with my bleeps last night after cleaning my nasal passages with navage. Slept amazing. I woke up once from mouth leak , pretty rapidly I think I just turned on my back. Once I fell back asleep I didn’t wake up and got almost 8 hours of sleep. So only waking up once is a big majority of why I feeel so great today. I usually wake up 3-4 times on average and it’s wrecking my sleep. Has anyone had luck with those positional therapy things? I know they say use tennis ball or something but I feel like that would wake me up if I turned in it?

It's normal to wake up, or be just barely asleep, 3-4 times in between sleep cycles, the key is to just turn over (or whatever) and go back to sleep, when having 'good sleep', you likely won't remember these times,

There are lots of "stop snoring' things out there, like making you uncomfortable when you're on your back, ther was even a robot I saw that was invented in Japan that would poke you in the face if you were snoring... of course, that would work, but it would adversely affect sleep quality in a big way.