Thank you to the members of this forum

hopeful · Post by **hopeful** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 3:22 pm

But all I could figure out how to download was the compliance data from the card.

(This after years of computer training and experience, I'm ashamed to say!)

If you do have the Auto, how do I get the "real" data you mention?

thanks so much...

Hopeful

wading thru the muck! · Post by **wading thru the muck!** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 3:29 pm

I'm not by my software to look at it, but are you checking the full data box?

hopeful · Post by **hopeful** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 3:39 pm

May I say again how wonderful it is to have this forum with all of you knowledgeable people.

I LOVED rested gal's product review of the Remstar Auto (above)!

snoozin' · Post by **snoozin'** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 4:07 pm

Hopeful,
Did you get the information downloaded ok from the Smart Card? If so, then when you click on the download, it will come up with a small window that says Report Options. You have to click Full Detail, in order to get the reports that give your apneas and hypopneas and the rest of the data.
If you had a problem downloading, pm me and I'll try to explain that.
Debbie

hopeful · Post by **hopeful** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 5:45 pm

Interesting results for my first night on apap with cflex.

I slept a total of 8.2 hours (hooray!)

Although my "straight" cpap level is 14, the maximum I used with the apap was 11.2 (I spent 90% of my time there). My average was 10.4.

I had 0 non-responsive apnea;

My average leak (?) was 38.92.

My AHI was 3.1 (is that good? I need to do some research).

My flow limitation was 0.4. My obstructive apnea was 2.5 (?); my hypopnea was 0.6 (?), and snore was 0.7

I wonder if this all means that I had some apneas due to a leaky mask?

Wonderful to have all this info -- thanks for your help my friends!

hopeful · Post by **hopeful** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 6:03 pm

http://www.healthandage.com/PHome/gid2=407

Apnea that is not coupled with total cessation of airflow - a 50% reduction in flow, accompanied by significant oxygen de-saturation (typically, -4%) - is termed hypopnea. The degree of disturbed breathing in OSA is described by the apnea-plus-hypopnea index (AHI), which is calculated by adding the number of apneic and hypopneic episodes and dividing by the duration of sleep in hours. Thus a patient who has 35 apneas and 7 hypopneas over 6 hours has an AHI of (35 + 7)/6 = 7. Patients with symptoms suggesting sleep apnea and an AHI of 5 or more meet the minimum criteria for the OSA syndrome.

hopeful · Post by **hopeful** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 6:35 pm

http://www.mededcenter.com/module_viewe ... 25#improve

I found out that an AHI of 5 or less is considered normal. So at 3.1 I'm ok (assuming the device is measuring correctly and I am indeed at 3.1). Still I think there is room for improvement via getting a better mask fit.

The research link above says that the average mouth leak (leak index) for cpap users is 31%. So I'm over the average at 38%. The course / research suggests that use of a humidifier can reduce the average air leak from 31% to 18%. So, I'm going to crank my humidifier heat up to see if it lowers my leak from current 38%.

I'm also going to collect a couple of week's data and fax it to my pulmonary sleep doc to see what he thinks...

Cheerio!

Mikesus · Post by **Mikesus** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 6:55 pm

The leak is not percentage, it is LPM. I have heard that if you are under 1 LPS (liter per second) then you are ok. At 38 LPM, you would be at 0.63 LPS. So your Leak level is ok...

hopeful · Post by **hopeful** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 6:59 pm

This uses the exact same language as the the study referenced in my last posting, which says "average leak" is 38% but really could be improved to 18% with effective humidification.

Am I still misreading it?

Thanks --

Hopeful

meister · Post by **meister** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 7:03 pm

Too much damn sun down there in Florida. Dark, dreary, cold, and
depressing up here in Michigan.

Ionizer · Post by **Ionizer** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 7:19 pm

Yes you are misreading,. The article posted refers to time. 33% and 18% of the time the person mouth leaked. The leaks refered to by the software refer to volume of air. Litres per second.

Ionizer

Mikesus · Post by **Mikesus** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 7:20 pm

Your reference is refering to mouth leak, and that is why they are stating that a humidifier can help...

The under 1 lps is a generalization. Couple of factors here. What is your pressure? (avg will work for calculations) Also, what kind of mask? Masks have vents that deliberately leak air. (called vent flow rate)

For example:

My ultra mirage ff mask has a leak rate of 30 l/min at a pressure of 6.5

However, at a pressure of 18, the leak rate is over 50 l/min

The leak percentage of 31% doesn't have a lot of meaning without doing the math.

hopeful · Post by **hopeful** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 7:46 pm

True meister, true.

I'm originally from up north myself (like most Floridians), so I appreciate the sun EVERY DAY!

I'm still not sure on the "math" -- I have to think about it a bit more. To quote Tara in Gone with the Wind, right now I can only "think it about it tomorrow."

My browse on the internet shows that "normal" mask-associated leakage is defined as up to 40 LPM for most masks, or 40 liters per minute. I guess you are saying I find my average mask leak and somehow divide that with my average lpm on the encore report?

Sorry if I'm being thick here.

Thanks

Hopeful

Mikesus · Post by **Mikesus** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 7:54 pm

hopeful wrote:Interesting results for my first night on apap with cflex.

My average leak (?) was 38.92.

This is in Liters per Minute.

So your average is under 40 liters per minute. (look at the side of the graph it is labeled.)

I think it is Resmed machines that use liters per second.

hopeful · Post by **hopeful** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 8:02 pm

The report is in leak liters per minute, but in reality the "norm" is defined as liters per second.

So if I take my less than 40 and divide it by 60, my leakage is very small.

Ah-- thanks for clearing that Mikesus and company

Thank you to the members of this forum

Thanks Wading -- I DO have the Remstar Auto

Not sure! I'll check it and let you know -- THANKS WADING!!

Encore data

With your help, I did figure it out finally -- :)

Interesting overview of Sleep Apnea / more on AHI

Another interesting study...(or course on Sleep Apnea)?

Actually Encore report references my "average leak"

Here! Hand it over here. I will read it.

Still in the dark (even in Florida)...

Re: With your help, I did figure it out finally -- :)

Got it!