Gradual decline w/therapy effectiveness with A-Flex?

glfredrick · Post by **glfredrick** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 9:11 am

I'm sad... My AHI went up .2 and so did my leakage rate. That, and I burped all night long from areophagia.

I'll give it another night or two.

Snoredog · Post by **Snoredog** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 12:11 am

[quote="glfredrick"]I'm sad... My AHI went up .2 and so did my leakage rate. That, and I burped all night long from areophagia.

I'll give it another night or two.

glfredrick · Post by **glfredrick** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 4:10 am

Snoredog wrote: ".2" is no real change, go by how you feel

I typically run a 0.9 - 1.1 AHI. Going up to a 1.3-1.5 (last night) means that I'm headed in the wrong direction.

I'm also awake more in the night time but I'm still seeing if I adjust.

JeffH · Post by **JeffH** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 8:31 am

glfredrick wrote:
Snoredog wrote: ".2" is no real change, go by how you feel
I typically run a 0.9 - 1.1 AHI. Going up to a 1.3-1.5 (last night) means that I'm headed in the wrong direction.

I'm also awake more in the night time but I'm still seeing if I adjust.

DreamStalker · Post by **DreamStalker** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 9:38 am

I have been doing pretty good with the AFLEX (~ 2 months now). I too had to raise the pressure relative to not using exhalation relief. For most of last year I did APAP w/ no exhalation relief and also did quite well (avg. AHI < 0.4) ... and I'm sure I would likely do pretty good with straight CPAP too.

From about Turkey Day last year thru January of this year, I did try CFLEX and it did NOT do well for me ... was a bit tired though not as severe as pre-CPAP.

I think everyone is different and each person responds just as differently to treatment type. I still think being able to have as many machine options as possible is the best way to go ... each person should have the ability to determine what works best for them. Data-capable machines as a must goes without saying.

I also got the SPO7500 oximeter almost a month ago and the few times I have used it, it does confirm O2 saturations greater than 97% correlating to AHI of less than 0.5 ... plus I feel very rested, so I know the AFLEX is working quite well.

alsarnac · Post by **alsarnac** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 9:40 am

Snoredog wrote:Interesting, I have been feeling way more fatigued lately when I get up, during the day like prior to CPAP therapy and/or no therapy at all.

So last night I thought I would switch out my A-Flex and back to my 420e, time wasn't quite accurate on the 420e display so I fired up my Sony laptop and plugged in Silverlining to check machine settings (can do it from LCD but just way faster from Silverlining), I confirmed settings on machine still set when last used, upgraded the date/time from PC, the compliance report in Silverlining shows I lasted used the 420e on December 29, 2007, so for the past 3 months I've used the A-Flex.

man I tell ya, I feel a million bucks better today after using the 420e last night, its settings are set similar to A-Flex, actually A-Flex is set .5 cm higher at 7.0 to 20 where the 420e is set 6.5 to 14 and command on FL is off.

I've been on cpap therapy for 8 years so I'm no newbie at this, just wondering if anyone else has felt a degrade to therapy after switching to A-Flex? yeah it is more comfortable to breathe against but that ain't everything in this therapy as we know.

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): 420E, newbie, CPAP

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): 420E, newbie, CPAP

Snoredog, just asking . . . Why did you have to switch out with PB420 when all you had to do perhaps is to switch off the AFlex features and carry on with your current machine (Respironics M Series) applying the same pressures? {I'm not sure if I'm asking the right question , , , but just wondering}

GreenIce · Post by **GreenIce** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 7:03 pm

I am doing fine with A-Flex since june last year . AHI average from 0.5 to 3.0. It used to be below AHI 2 for many months until I took HBP pills. The numbers goes a little erratic, one night it can be below AHI 1 and the other night it went above AHI 2. I can feel the difference whenever it went above AHI 2.

In my case, I am not able to use CPAP fixed pressure since I can't stand straight pressure above 10. I need some kind of Flex, so I guess A-Flex will be my permanent APAP. I can't use other brands unless I set it to low pressure. Last night I ordered a spare A-Flex due to a probable price increase, the AFlexes should last for a long time to come.

GreenIce · Post by **GreenIce** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 7:18 pm

alsarnac wrote:
Snoredog wrote: man I tell ya, I feel a million bucks better today after using the 420e last night, its settings are set similar to A-Flex, actually A-Flex is set .5 cm higher at 7.0 to 20 where the 420e is set 6.5 to 14 and command on FL is off.

Snoredog, just asking . . . Why did you have to switch out with PB420 when all you had to do perhaps is to switch off the AFlex features and carry on with your current machine (Respironics M Series) applying the same pressures? {I'm not sure if I'm asking the right question , , , but just wondering}

Last saturday, I have a chat with tech guy. In his opinion, different makes of APAP have different algorithm to counter an event. APAP from Resmed and PB have a more aggressive algorithm, rising pressure at faster rate when it encounter an event. Where as Respironic M Series and Breas iSleep (not popular in US) is more gentler or slower. According to him, this may explain why some patient may response better to a particular APAP brand/model.

akcpapguy · Post by **akcpapguy** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 1:21 am

I'm going to have to agree with you Snoredog. About a week ago I put my wife on a 2 week trial on my M series auto/a-flex, which means I went back to my Resmed S8 auto. I did notice that I was waking up more refreshed and no aerophagia.

I think the A-flex may have me in a never ending loop (just my theory here), I get to sleep, get an arousal from the aflex cycle, drift back into sleep which triggers an apnea/hypopnea which in turn triggers another arousal, drift back to sleep, rinse and repeat. I think this may be happening to some people (myself included) when aflex is on. I haven't had the chance to test this theory with actual EEG tracings, but would be very intrested in doing so.

Hmmm I may have to try and talk my Manager into getting a Watch-PAT100 to demo for a couple of weeks, especially now with the new Medicare regs.

RosemaryB · Post by **RosemaryB** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 5:21 am

I don't use cflex or auto, for that matter. It kept waking me up and I had worse sleep. I had a lot of spontaneous arousals during my sleep studies that weren't helped by cpap. Your post makes me wonder if for people who are subject to spontaneous arousals anyway these extra bells and whistles complicate things.

I do use the auto to track flow limitations, set at 8.5-9.0. But it doesn't seem to wake me up. Who knows, though? Maybe it gives me those low level arousals.

Glad to hear that you are sleeping better with your Puritan Bennett, Snoredog.

glfredrick · Post by **glfredrick** » Fri Apr 11, 2008 12:43 pm

Update...

I returned to A-flex -- upped the lower pressure to 11.5. Fixed a mask leak with teflon tape. AHI now down to .7 and leakage back to 38. I'm also back to sleeping.

Plain C-pap at 16 just doesn't work for me. Too much areophagia and it tends to blow the mask right off my face.

Gradual decline w/therapy effectiveness with A-Flex?

Re: Gradual decline w/therapy effectiveness with A-Flex?

Re: Gradual decline w/therapy effectiveness with A-Flex?

Re: Gradual decline w/therapy effectiveness with A-Flex?

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Additional Comments: Equipment isn't correct, S9 ASV w/H5i