Please explain my prescription

[Gregor]

On my document I have :

CPAP : \
CPAP min : 5
CPAP max : 10
C-FLEX : \
A-Flex : 2
Ramp duration : 30
Ramp start : 5

So what thats means? In simple words please

[Julie]

Hi, I'll go backwards here - the ramp is a feature on Respironics machines that many like to use when they're first starting out on Cpap. It starts you off at a very low pressure and gradually moves it up to your prescribed numbers over anywhere from 5 minutes to 45 minutes (yours is apparently 30 minutes, to your prescribed pressure settings of 5 to 10) so the "new" effect of having air pumped into your nose is not off-putting. The problem with ramping is that while it may accustom you to the effect at the start, the pressure settings are usually set so low (4, 5, 6) for the beginning few minutes til it gets near your prescribed settings, most of us find it hard to breathe at those low numbers (4-6) and unless our prescribed numbers are very high, actually end up not use the ramp at all beyond the first night or so. On your prescription, your MD obviously feels you don't need a very high pressure at all, which is why he's set 5 to 10 as your low/high ones, and that often happens to newbies, but I think if you're like the rest of us you'll want to raise your low "5" to maybe 7 in the near future, as it may be more comfortable. And if certain events (apneas or hypopneas) overnight require pressures higher than 10, your machine will raise them above 10 if necessary. You apparently haven't been "prescribed' c-flex, but again if your machine has the feature and you feel you need relief on pressure on exhalation (some of us do) then you can always turn it on - it's not a "therapy" feature so much as a comfort one. However, you do have a-flex set at 2, a middle one, which according to most who have the feature find it makes breathing in and out easier all around, but again, you may want to try yours without it, or only with c-flex, etc. We're talking about minor features however, not major ones, so don't be too concerned about either of those two.

[Hawthorne]

Looks like you have been prescribed a Respironics Remstar M Series Auto with A-Flex. It's a very good machine.

This means you are getting an auto machine, that can also be used as a straight cpap in the future, if you find you want that.

Your minimum pressure is to be set at 5 cm (as Julie says, like most of us, you will probably find that too low fairly soon) and your maximum pressure is to be set at 10 cm (which may also be too low fairly soon). This will allow the machine to go between 5 cm and 10 cm, as you need it, all night long.

It looks like the doctor is suggesting that you can use A-Flex or C-Flex (your choice) starting with setting of 2. Both of these exhalation relief features have 3 settings (1,2 and 3). A-Flex and C-Flex give a little different feeling so you may want to try both. If you use the machine in straight cpap, at sometime you will only have access to the C-Flex. The doctor has chosen to have it set at a middle range. You may want that changed in the future as well.

Ramp is a comfort feature, like the A-Flex and C-Flex and the doctor has suggested it is to start at your minimum pressure of 5 cm and not rise for 30 minutes so that you can get to sleep (hopefully) before the pressure rises above 5 cm. As you sleep, the pressure will rise and lower all night between 5 cm and 10cm, after the first 30 minutes while your machine is in ramp. You probably won't use ramp after you get used to using the machine.

[BeanMeScot]

Ramp will be available on the machine, but as others have said, I wouldn't use it. The machine won't just "do" it. You have to press the button. If you don't, no ramp. In fact, I personally felt like I was suffocating at 5 and changed it to 5.5 the first night I had the same machine. That first night, 6 was too much. I have since changed mine to 6 because I felt like I needed more air when my allergies were slightly bothering me.

Best of luck!

[rested gal]

The range of pressure prescribed for you is 5 - 10 (cm H2O) -- the amount of air pressure it would take to raise a column of water that many centimeters.

I'm a little puzzled that the person who set up the machine would even bother to set a Ramp pressure and ramp time, since the Ramp starting pressure is 5 and your minimum treatment pressure is also 5. Seems rather pointless to set "Ramp" at all in that case.

Ramp is usually set when a person's treatment pressure is higher than the ramp starting pressure will be set at. Ramp lets the person start out at a lower pressure than at the treatment pressure. The Ramp Duration (in minutes) lets the pressure build up gradually to the treatment pressure.

With your autopap set for 5 - 10 treatment pressure range, your machine will start out using a pressure of 5, anyway. With or without you pressing the Ramp button.

Ramp happens only if a person presses the ramp button after the machine has been turned on. If you don't press the ramp button when you start the machine at night, ramp won't happen...the machine will simply start at the treatment pressure. With your autopap set for 5 - 10, your machine will start out each night at a pressure of 5.

C-Flex is not turned on.

A-Flex is turned on at a level of "2" -- 1 gives a small A-Flex effect, 2 gives some A-Flex, 3 gives the most A-Flex effect.