Anyone using the Respironics Bipap Auto SV?

Both of my sleep studies detailed extensive Central/Mixed/Complex apneas.
The test at The National Jewish Hospital was pretty good. I slept over 5 hours and had an average of around 30 of these per hour.

I am currently on the Respironics Auto Bipap and it has done a pretty good job about 90% of the time. I couldn't sleep at all last night, but we think we solved the mystery of the disappearing respiratory system.

A pharmacist in Denver was given my prescription for QVAR 80mcg, 4 doses a day. They gave me a box and I went on my way. A few weeks later things went south on me...couldn't breathe, back on Prednisone for a week. Almost a month later, this same strange attack began again. This time I called my local pharmacist, whom I know and trust. He said he would check on it. Somehow, the Denver pharmacist misread the prescription and saw 80mcg, therefore gave me 80 doses. 20 days worth. The mystery is solved. I will get the correct dosage after tomorrow's appt with my Pulmonologist. That was a mistake I had not seen before.

I did not feel like I had any air going in me last night. This is not the first time I have felt like that. I have to pull my mask away to be sure air is coming through. Titrated at 4/25 - - my Bipap should be able to get air in me. Two things can prevent it. Vocal Cords protecting my lungs, so I took
Mylanta. And I used my heliox. After about 15 minutes I could breathe well enough we knew I would spend the night at home. The Heliox and Mylanta and Nitrolingual have saved the taxpayers many, many ambulence charges.

I laid back down, and still could not feel any air going into my lungs. My nostrils were stopped up on one side, but Astelin and Nasonex worked there.

I am going to ask for the Respironics Bipap Auto SV with a HH.

If you have a lot of mixed/complex/central sleep apneas, does the machine
help you? My Auto Bipap has done pretty good most of the time, but I do have nights like last night where I can't tell if the machine is turned on. I am hoping to hear positive feedback. I prefer the Respironics for only one reason, I already have the software. Resmed's machine may be as good, I
don't know.

Anyone with experience using it? I guess I am hoping it does the job. Does it? Do you wish you had your old machine back?

Good to hear from you, dllfo.

Christinequilts has an SV machine - do a search and you're sure to find lot of info in her latest posts... She hasn't been around for quite a while by by way.

Edited after reading RG's post...
O.

dllfo wrote:Titrated at 4/25 - - my Bipap should be able to get air in me.

Have you talked to your doctor about that min EPAP setting of 4 ? Given your extensive health issues I'm not saying you should raise the min EPAP until you get the doctor's ok about doing that, but I wonder if such a low setting (which means the IPAP is starting out low at only 6 cm) could be part of why you feel starved for air using your BiPAP Auto.

If you're using the BiPAP Auto in auto-titrating bi-level mode, the EPAP of 4 means the machine is starting at EPAP 4 / IPAP 6 each time you use it.

IPAP will always start at only 2 cms above EPAP in the BiPAP Auto in AbFLE or ABPAP modes (for the older non-M model) or in "autotitrating bilevel" mode in the M series model.

Inhaling at a pressure of 6 and exhaling at a pressure of 4 is extremely low. I'd ask the doctor about that.

Recently a friend who lives about an hour from me was prescribed the Respironics BiPAP Auto SV...the machine you're asking about. He has severe CHF (congestive heart failure.) Ejection fraction 10%. Severe OSA plus many centrals. Cheyne-Stokes respiration.

The first few nights with the machine were terrible for him, as the prescribed timed backup rate was set for 18 !! A call to his sleep doctor got the backup rate changed down to 15, and then 14...still a problem for him. One more call to his doctor and a drop of the backup rate down to 12 -- he's sleeping great with the machine now.

His sleep study was two separate nights at an accredited sleep lab. One night diagnostic PSG study, and then a full night of titration with the BiPAP Auto SV machine.

As I understood it, they chose to use the Respironics SV machine rather than the resmed ASV primarily because of his severe Obstructive apneas along with the equally severe in number Central apneas. Sounded like the doctor felt the Respironics machine would handle the obstructive component better than the resmed machine while also dealing effectively with the centrals associated with his Cheyne-Stokes CHF respiration.

He's getting smooth treatment now, but that's all I know of how it's going for him so far. Serious stuff. I think they plan to look at his machine data in a couple more weeks. He's definitely feeling better than he was before.