Pressure: Does it indcate severity? Snoredog take a look.

(I decided to start a new topic for this discussion, since to me it felt like a different topic and I did not want it to get lost in the mask pressure topic.)

Snordog,

May I ask why you said that.

From what I am reading, I am coming to the understanding whether someone has a pressure of 8 or 14 or what ever that the pressure does not signal how bad their sleep apnea is but rather how much pressure of air is needed to open the air ways.

Someone with sever apnea or someone whose oxygen gets low, may need less pressure then someone with moderate apnea.

Am I wrong in thinking this way or is there a lot more to it.

Can apnea requiring lower pressure be corrected by other means?

At what pressure would you say, xPAP should be recommended?

Snoredog wrote:any doctor that would send a patient out the door with a cpap pressure of 4cm to 5cm should have his/her license re-evaluated by the state board of exams.

severity is determined by several factors;

the "frequency" of obstructive events e.g, the more you have per hour the more severe your condition is.

then a contributing factor is your oxygen levels, the more your oxygen levels drop the more severe your case can be. You could have fewer events per hour but if they last longer they could cause your oxyen levels to drop dangerously low.

You can be considered Severe based upon the frequency of events, oxygen levels or even sleep architecture and current health state. If you had a heart condition for example, I'm sure that could influence how severe your case is.

Pressure: The pressure needed to stent your airway open and prevent OSA events has nothing to do with severity. You can have Severe OSA and only require 8cm pressure. The next person could have a Mild case of OSA and require 18cm pressure to stent the airway open.


as for the 4 or 5cm comment: Very few patients if any would require 4cm pressure. While we are all different most people would be "starving" for air to breathe at that low a pressure.

Starting PSG titrations: Nearly all sleep labs "start" your titration at 5cm pressure or higher. Meaning what ever was seen during your PSG would be seen at pressures higher than 5cm. So why would a doctor write a script for 4cm? I doubt very much a board certified sleep doc would do that.

Once you get into this you will learn most doctors have limited knowledge on cpap machines.

SnoreDog I do not understand the comment about the pressure of 4 to 5cm.

Is the pressure to low and other things should be tried?

Or

Do you think it is not an effective pressure for treatment?

any doctor that would send a patient out the door with a cpap pressure of 4cm to 5cm should have his/her license re-evaluated by the state board of exams.

That was me.

Anonymous wrote:SnoreDog I do not understand the comment about the pressure of 4 to 5cm.

Is the pressure to low and other things should be tried?

Or

Do you think it is not an effective pressure for treatment?

any doctor that would send a patient out the door with a cpap pressure of 4cm to 5cm should have his/her license re-evaluated by the state board of exams.

Anonymous wrote:SnoreDog I do not understand the comment about the pressure of 4 to 5cm.

Is the pressure to low and other things should be tried?

Or

Do you think it is not an effective pressure for treatment?

any doctor that would send a patient out the door with a cpap pressure of 4cm to 5cm should have his/her license re-evaluated by the state board of exams.

Thanks for explaining it again. Missed it the first time.