Help with interpretation Pulse Oximeter results

[Liddelbrook]

Hi,

I am slowly getting all the stuff needed to start cpap therapy, thank to this enthusiast forum (and a special gal).

No cpap machine yet, but it will arrive soon I guess.

I bought a pulse oximeter, I hope you can help me a bit with the results.

Last night I went to sleep late, and recorded:

In different resolutions:



All data, from start of sleep until waking.

Pulse is quite steady, but oxygen saturation is jumpy.



Data over a 10 minute period.



One minute of data.

In this minute it shows that the saturation level goes down for about 30 seconds.

I tried to simulate this kind of saturation by holding my breath, but I can't get this low, this long.

It looks like this is an apnea event, but the strange thing is my heartbeat doesn't seem to change, it stays well below 60.

Just want to know if I am really looking at apnea events or is it something else???

thanks,

[elg5cats]

Hi,

I am slowly getting all the stuff needed to start cpap therapy,
I bought a pulse oximeter, I hope you can help me a bit with the results.
Pulse is quite steady, but oxygen saturation is jumpy.
Just want to know if I am really looking at apnea events or is it something else???
thanks,

You might want to click on the printer icon and look at the Oximetry report via your pulse ox software, it will provide a nice summary of what the raw data mean such as you posted. It appears you are having O2 desats which occurs with OSA, desats below 88 are the ones that are considered concerning by most....will be interesting to see what happens after you get on CPAP. I am interested in seeing your Oximetry Report, I hope you will post it. Do you have any other illness which effect lung function such as asthma, COPD? Glad you are getting set up for treatment.

elg5cats

[Liddelbrook]

No I don't have a (lung) disease afaik.

Here is the report:

[elg5cats]

Hi,

I am slowly getting all the stuff needed to start cpap therapy,
I bought a pulse oximeter, I hope you can help me a bit with the results.
Pulse is quite steady, but oxygen saturation is jumpy.
Just want to know if I am really looking at apnea events or is it something else???
thanks,

You might want to click on the printer icon and look at the Oximetry report via your pulse ox software, it will provide a nice summary of what the raw data mean such as you posted. It appears you are having O2 desats which occurs with OSA, desats below 88 are the ones that are considered concerning by most....will be interesting to see what happens after you get on CPAP. I am interested in seeing your Oximetry Report, I hope you will post it. Do you have any other illness which effect lung function such as asthma, COPD? Glad you are getting set up for treatment.
elg5cats

No I don't have a (lung) disease afaik.
Here is the report:

I asked about lung diseases out of curiosity not to suggest you may have other illnesses. You do have a lot of desats....do you have any idea when you will have your equipment.......remember you have been a long time without your xPAP and are headed in the direction of getting one. Do you have your sleep study report to compare desats noted with desats you see with your pulse ox? If not, you can ask for a copy and it must be provided to you. MIght want to try sleeping on your side if your OSA was worse on your back during your sleep study, it is for many people. Try not to worry too much about pulse ox results, spend your energy on preparing for your treatment..as you plan to get your xPAP. I do encourage you to plan to get software so you can monitor and be active in your treatment once you have the equipment.

elg5cats

[Liddelbrook]

I never did a sleep study.

I already have the reader and the software. Only need the machine

[dsm]

Hi LiddleBrook

Took a look at the data & have to say I would be worried if that data were mine.

You hit a bad period of significant desats & you need to figure out why. The worrying part is the reoccurence through the night.

I guess step 1 might be to validate the quality of the data you are getting - not sure how you might achieve that.
Step 2 is to try to match the desats (all times when the SpO2 went below 88%, against your machine data for the same time period. Look for what the machine says was happening (were there OSA events ?).

Good luck with this

DSM

[Liddelbrook]

I don't have a machine, so no data to match.

The machine will arrive in the next few days... Hope I will survive until then

[dsm]

I don't have a machine, so no data to match.

The machine will arrive in the next few days... Hope I will survive until then

Ahhh,

Well this is going to be a great opportunity to see if those desats go away once you get hosed up.

Good luck with your new adventure

DSM

[elg5cats]

I don't have a machine, so no data to match.

The machine will arrive in the next few days... Hope I will survive until then

Just remember you have likely been surviving up to this point......maybe not idea, but you have.......which machine do you have coming? I hope you will post the software results and pulse ox reports after you get started. I'm being curious again......Did you not have the option to have a sleep study....insurance, availability or personal preference? If you have the option do have a sleep study, you might want to consider having one!

elg5cats

[-SWS]

I don't have a machine, so no data to match.

The machine will arrive in the next few days... Hope I will survive until then

In the meantime, why not grab some daytime SpO2 recordings as a baseline for comparison?

If your wide-awake readings look good, then a Sleep Disordered Breathing (SDB) problem such as apnea is your likely culprit. If, on the off chance, your wide-awake SpO2 readings also happen to show significant desaturations, then you'll probably want to see a pulmonologist.

Odds are you're looking at untreated apnea in those charts. So it's good you have a CPAP machine on the way...

[Guest]

I too am surprised that your heart rate remained steady and did not react to the low O2 period. When I used my SpO2 without cpap it looked almost like a mirror image. Hope you get your cpap soon.

[Liddelbrook]

From yesterday:

I woke at around two.

[dsm]

Show more & regular desats.

Heart rate fluctuation throughout the night seems ok (to my untrained eye). My own tends to be a lot steadier & a bit lower than what your chart shows, (but of course I am on cpap theapy & would hope that helps stabilize it).

This is good data for you to accumulate.

Also do as SWS suggested & do a daytime grab (at least 2 hours worth if you can fit it in). That may help us see if the desats are only nocturnal which as SWS pointed out, points the finger squarely at SDB (most probably OSA).

DSM

SDB = Sleep Disordered Breathing
OSA = Obstructive Sleep Apnea (vs CSA= Central Sleep Apnea).

[Liddelbrook]

which machine do you have coming? I hope you will post the software results and pulse ox reports after you get started. I'm being curious again......Did you not have the option to have a sleep study....insurance, availability or personal preference? If you have the option do have a sleep study, you might want to consider having one!
elg5cats

I am getting the S8 Autoset II with humidfier and masks.

Nearest sleep study is a few thousand KM away, and probably hefty overpriced. I found a resmed S8 Autoset, and it was around 2700 USD.

I will see how things are going when I have the machine (from the US), I will be going to Europe for a longer time soon maybe I can do something there.....

[elg5cats]

which machine do you have coming? I hope you will post the software results and pulse ox reports after you get started. I'm being curious again......Did you not have the option to have a sleep study....insurance, availability or personal preference? If you have the option do have a sleep study, you might want to consider having one!
elg5cats

I am getting the S8 Autoset II with humidifier and masks. Nearest sleep study is a few thousand KM away, and probably hefty overpriced. I found a resmed S8 Autoset, and it was around 2700 USD. I will see how things are going when I have the machine (from the US), I will be going to Europe for a longer time soon maybe I can do something there.....

Well, I think you are getting a good machine.....of course I'm biased since I made the same selection and I'm happy with the ResMed AutoSet II. One thing I would suggest you consider doing since you are having desats and are planning to self treat...is to consider seeing a doctor to make sure there isn't any other co existing medical concern which may affect your 02 saturation. I tend to be more cautious about things like this. I'm sure there are other people who would say treat the OSA concerns first then possible have a rule out of other medical concerns if desats persist. I hope your machine arrives soon!!!!

elg5cats