NUMBER GIVEN WHEN YOU HAVE YOUR SLEEP TEST

HI COULD SOMEBODY TELL ME WHAT THE NUMBER YOU RECIEVE WHEN YOU HAVE SLEEP APENA? MY NUMBER IS 14, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? THANKS MARY

Well, its probably the pressure that your new xPAP machine will be set to to make sure that your airway stays open while you're asleep. It WOULDN'T be your apnea-hypopnea index, a measure of how many time your airway is closing fully or partially, sinc eif it was 14, you wouldn't be treated.

Now, it could be your shoe size, or maybe even your dress size. It could be your age, or your bowling average. It could be your golf handicap, or your IQ. It could be the number of pull-ups that you can do.

I give up!!! What DOES the 14 they give you after your sleep study mean????

PLEASE TELL US!!!!!!!!!!!

Chuck

GoofyUT wrote:Well, its probably the pressure that your new xPAP machine will be set to to make sure that your airway stays open while you're asleep. It WOULDN'T be your apnea-hypopnea index, a measure of how many time your airway is closing fully or partially, sinc eif it was 14, you wouldn't be treated.

Now, it could be your shoe size, or maybe even your dress size. It could be your age, or your bowling average. It could be your golf handicap, or your IQ. It could be the number of pull-ups that you can do.

I give up!!! What DOES the 14 they give you after your sleep study mean????

PLEASE TELL US!!!!!!!!!!!

Chuck

Unfortunately, this is not at all accurate. An AHI of 14 would most assuredly be treated barring any other unusual circunstances.

Most likely the number you are alluding to is one of two things.

It could be your AHI, which stands for Apnea/Hypopnea Index. It is, as mentioned above, a measurement of how many times your airway closes off in a one hour period. You can do a Google search for that term and learn more if you want.

It could also be the pressure setting of a CPAP machine, which is a device used to treat Sleep Apnea. If you had to have a mask put on your face during part of a Sleep Study, that was a mask hooked to a CPAP machine. They are set at certain pressure levels, typically between a pressure of 4 and a pressure of 20.

Please feel free to ask other questions if you are unsure about anything, and look around in the FAQ section to learn more!

kilrush_ wrote:HI COULD SOMEBODY TELL ME WHAT THE NUMBER YOU RECIEVE WHEN YOU HAVE SLEEP APENA? MY NUMBER IS 14, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? THANKS MARY

Have no idea, they didn't give me any number other than a bill and a PSG study report.

I'd give the number back and ask for the PSG report.

GoofyUT wrote:It WOULDN'T be your apnea-hypopnea index, a measure of how many time your airway is closing fully or partially, sinc eif it was 14, you wouldn't be treated.

Gee, that's what I would think it is... the AHI. An AHI of 14 would warrant treatment. Would mean the person had apneas and/or hypopneas averaging 14 per hour. Not just a total of 14 events for the entire night.

Mary, if they did put a mask on you during the study, then what Chuck and the guest said could very well be what the number was about...pressure of 14. If they didn't wake you to put a mask on you, then it's probably your AHI number.

If it was the AHI, here's some interesting info:

In this topic: http://www.apneasupport.org/viewtopic.php?p=10365

sleepydave wrote:
I like this format for sleep study interpretation, which takes into account 3 factors:

"Mild: An apnea-hypopnea index from 5 to 14. An oxygen saturation of at least 86%. Unwanted sleepines or involuntary sleep episodes occur during activities that require little attention. Examples inclue sleepiness that is likely to occur while watching television, reading, or traveling as a passenger. Symptoms produce only minor impairment of social or occupational function.

Moderate: An index from 15 to 30. An oxygen saturation of 80% to 85%. Unwanted sleepiness or involuntary sleep episodes occur during activities that require some attention. Examples include uncontrollable sleepiness that is likely to occur while attending activities such as concerts, meetings or presentations. Symptoms produce moderate impairment of social or occupational function.

Severe: An index greater than 30. An oxygen saturation of 79% or less. Unwanted sleepiness or involuntary sleep episodes occure during activies that require more active attention. Examples include uncontrollable sleepiness while eating, during conversation, walking, or driving. Symptoms produce marked impairment in social or occupational function.

AHI and EDS references from:
Flemons WW. Sleep-related breathing disorder in adults: recommendations for syndrome definition and measurement techniques in clinical research.
Sleep 1999;22(5):667-89.

I do want to apologize for my irreverance before. I meant NO contempt. It was just that kind of day at work.

Now, I may have been entirely wrong about an AHI of 14 from an attended PSG NOT being treated. My understanding (from my sleep doc/sleep lab) was that I HAD to have at least 20 events per hour in order to "qualify." I snuck by at 23 and that's when they did the titration part of my split-night study that started this adventure.

I agree that clinically, an AHI of 14, while indicating mild apnea, is significant enough that it should be treated. But, I'm still pretty sure that in the wacky world of Medicare/insurance, you have to have an AHI >20, though your sleep doc can get it through at >15 if he/she states that you have certain cardinal symptoms, such as daytime drowsiness.

Am I wrong about this?

BTW, given the way that you described the procedure in your next post, I wonder whether the 14 is simply an ID number they give you so that you can get your results from some technician without having to divulgwe any identifying information yourself, thereby satisfyting their HIPPA requirements.

All of us geniuses here may have over-thought this one.

GoofyUT wrote:I agree that clinically, an AHI of 14, while indicating mild apnea, is significant enough that it should be treated. But, I'm still pretty sure that in the wacky world of Medicare/insurance, you have to have an AHI >20, though your sleep doc can get it through at >15 if he/she states that you have certain cardinal symptoms, such as daytime drowsiness.

Am I wrong about this?

Yes, this is also incorrect. Several years ago, Medicare required a patient to have an AHI of 30 or more during a minimum of 2 hours of recorded SLEEP time (this was a very critical distinction. You had to realllllllly pay attention and beat up the sleep labs to make sure a patient had 2 hours of actual SLEEP time - not bed time. Not drifting off, but actual SLEEP. Less than 2 hours sleep? Tough luck. Claim denied and you just gave away a free cpap/bi-pap and were legal obliged to NEVER attempt to collect any money for it.)

However, a few years back (2002 I think?) it was changed:
AHI is greater than or equal to 15 events per hour
or
AHI is from 5 to 14 events per hour with documented symptoms of:
Excessive daytime sleepiness, impaired cognition, mood disorders, or insomnia, Hypertension, ischemic heart disease, or history of stroke.

For the documentation, all a DME has to do is contact the doctor and have them fax over something in writing with the doctors signature. Usually not too terribly hard, but some doctors can be a real pain about doing it.

kilrush_ wrote:HI COULD SOMEBODY TELL ME WHAT THE NUMBER YOU RECIEVE WHEN YOU HAVE SLEEP APENA? MY NUMBER IS 14, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? THANKS MARY

Yes i did have a mask put on during my sleep study!! The 14 is on the machine while it is on!! THANK YOU EVERYONE I THINK IT IS THE AMOUNT OF TIMES MY OXYGEN DROPPED. MARY

kilrush_ wrote:

kilrush_ wrote:HI COULD SOMEBODY TELL ME WHAT THE NUMBER YOU RECIEVE WHEN YOU HAVE SLEEP APENA? MY NUMBER IS 14, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? THANKS MARY

Yes i did have a mask put on during my sleep study!! The 14 is on the machine while it is on!! THANK YOU EVERYONE I THINK IT IS THE AMOUNT OF TIMES MY OXYGEN DROPPED. MARY

Mary, IF you are using a cpap machine and mask at home now, and you see "14" on the machine while it's running, that is the pressure it is blowing into the mask.

It's measured as "14 cm H20" -- the amount of air pressure it would take to raise a column of water 14 centimeters.

If that's the case, your prescribed pressure is "14". That's the amount of pressure the sleep study found to be needed to keep your throat open so you can breathe easily while you sleep.

Snoredog wrote:

I'd give the number back and ask for the PSG report.

My sleep lab technician said they had to record at least 30 apneas within an hour for insurance to accept it and consider it OSA. Some people now have AHI levels of 14 I hear even being treated. Mine is normally 2 or lower... Of course a medical professional has to read the results and file a report. The technicians who compile the data are not allowed to tell you anything about the test other than general information.

kilrush_ wrote:HI COULD SOMEBODY TELL ME WHAT THE NUMBER YOU RECIEVE WHEN YOU HAVE SLEEP APENA? MY NUMBER IS 14, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? THANKS MARY

Hi,

I am a relatively new person to C-PAP use. only since March this year. My numbers are as follows:

Sleep testing showed that I stopped breathing about 101 times per hour.
My H2O saturation numbers dipped to 64%
My C-PAP airway pressure is 11 (I.m wondering if it should be higher)

I am finally getting some rest now, but still wake up very tired, and stay that way all day most days. But this is still an improvement from a 6 months ago.

Hope this helps.
Mahaba

Mahaba wrote:

kilrush_ wrote:HI COULD SOMEBODY TELL ME WHAT THE NUMBER YOU RECIEVE WHEN YOU HAVE SLEEP APENA? MY NUMBER IS 14, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? THANKS MARY

Hi,

I am a relatively new person to C-PAP use. only since March this year. My numbers are as follows:

Sleep testing showed that I stopped breathing about 101 times per hour.
My H2O saturation numbers dipped to 64%
My C-PAP airway pressure is 11 (I.m wondering if it should be higher)

I am finally getting some rest now, but still wake up very tired, and stay that way all day most days. But this is still an improvement from a 6 months ago.

Hope this helps.
Mahaba

First of all ... welcome to the family.

My Dx AHI was one point higher than yours and my O2 satauration down to 60% (very similar to your diagnosis) and I was titrated at 10.

What type of interface (mask) are you using? ... perhaps you are having leaks of some sort? ... What is your equipment setup?

I have noticed that sleeping with one bed pillow as opposed to two the way I used has helped my PAP treatment as well as the stomach gas. You should invest in the software for your machine (assuming it is capable of exporting data to your PC).

Good luck ... maybe someone will chime in here and be able to provide you more info. In the meantime, visit here often and ask questions but more importantly, learn from this site and take control of your treatment ... your OSA is severe and requires a strong initiative on your part.

- roberto