Mask Change Affecting AHI stats???

With regard to your question about AHI changes with changes in masks, read my thread entitled "APNEA -V- HYPOPNEA". I have been keeping pretty careful records of my efficacy stats, and my AHI has just jumped five-fold (<1.0 to >6.0) within just a couple of days, simply because I switched from an Activa to a Swift.

However, I believe that I sleep better with the Swift (though I didn't use to), and I certainly find my treatment MUCH more comfortable with the Swift. Go figure.

Now, when you read the thread you may see that I'm not the typical case, and in any event, you'll find the thread to be fascinating, informative and thought-provoking (because of others' contribuitions, not mine).

Hope this helps.

Chuck

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): activa, swift, AHI, Hypopnea

GoofyUT wrote:I have been keeping pretty careful records of my efficacy stats, and my AHI has just jumped five-fold (<1.0 to >6.0) within just a couple of days, simply because I switched from an Activa to a Swift.

GoofyUT,

I have a possible explanation for what you experienced. I assume you went from Activa to Swift with the same pressure settings. If so, the pressure in the upper airway is a lot higher with the Swift than with the Activa although the pressure setting is identical. This is because in the case of Swift, the air is delivered directly in the nares as opposed to the Activa, in which the air is "distributed" over, within and around the nares.

When the pressure is higher in the upper airway, the incidence of hypopneas is higher because you are trying to exhale against the higher pressure. So, the AHI can be higher. It is always better to try to achieve as low an AHI value as possible.