AirCurve 10 VAuto Bipap settings help needed

Angielynn wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 02, 2019 7:46 am

had to fight to get this unit because he told me it could start at an IPAP as low as 5 with an EPAP of 4, and that the IPAP could ramp up without the EPAP having to change.

You can have IPAP of 5 with EPAP of 4 but PS would have to be 1 to get it accomplished...and PS is fixed with ResMed bilevels...if IPAP needs to change then EPAP will also need to change. No way around it.
You would need the ability to auto adjust the PS and this model machine won't/can't auto adjust PS.
The AirCurve 10 ASV will let the PS auto Adjust but it's highly unlikely that you can get okayed for that high end machine just for PS variability. It's hard enough to get when people have issues with centrals....very expensive machine. It's doable and it can be tweaked to what you think you want but very expensive and extremely unlikely that your medical care team and insurance would go for it.
You would need to do it entirely on your own.

Angielynn wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 02, 2019 7:46 am

So it seems that it is what it is and I'm guessing that there is no other machine that does what the Resmed guy told me. So how do I adjust to this?

Well actually there is a bilevel machine (non ASV) that offers auto adjusting PS but it is the Respironics auto bipap...either the PR System One model 760 or the DreamStation model DSX700xxx.
Meaning you could have minimum EPAP of 4....PS of minimum of 1 to max whatever...and that would give you IPAP of 5 and ability to go to whatever based on what the machine senses the need to be in terms of PS.
I own a PR S1 model 760....I know it will do it.
Now would that auto adjusting PS suit your particular wants and needs better??? Million dollar question there.
I don't understand what your problem is with IPAP and EPAP is right now. Is it that difficult for you to get used to?

Otherwise what to do to adjust....use the machine a lot while awake and under no pressure to fall asleep. Like while watching TV or reading a book. You are using settings that most people find it hard to imagine why you are having such problems...most people need and/or prefer more air moving than what you are having now.
If you really want IPAP of 5....the only way to get it with this bilevel machine you have is set PS to 1 and it's going to be 1 PS fixed all night long. You could have done the same thing with the AirSense 10 AutoSet using EPR at 1.

Now if your problem is a timing issue where the machine doesn't seem to want to coincide with your own breathing pattern...you might be able to tweak some of those other settings so that it is more comfortable...the ti min and max and the trigger sensitivity. They are there for a reason and you might play with those settings to see what is more comfortable.

the only thing I would add is to leave the ti alone for now, it will show up on sleepyhead if this needs changing. I would read up on what TI is and why it is changed from default. I have my fathers on min .8 for a specific reason. I agree that the trigger may be adjusted to suit. You don't want it to self trigger and be ahead of you or feel that it's behind and you have to breathe hard to get it to trigger

Well...FWIW...I have messed with ti min and max and trigger...and it's not rocket science and SleepyHead won't tell you squat unless you are looking for something very special on the flow rate graph and it's not likely something that a cpap novice can spot..
But it's usually pretty easy for even a cpap novice to tell if something feels good or not.

a cpap novice can increase the min too far, an issue that a IVAPS forum user found when following helpful advice. the max doesn't matter for most, you will stop when you have enough air. If you don't have a good reason to move from the default settings, then leave them alone. If you needed an increased min ti you would be well aware of it by the doctors

Someone that needs to use IVAPS machines...they have special lung issues in the first place.
Most people here talking about these machines on these forums aren't using IVAPS machines and they don't have special lung issues.
We can't really compare IVAPS user settings to regular machine user settings for the bulk of the people here.

If someone has special needs...they need to be under the care of a doctor for those special needs and on a machine designed for what their special needs might be.

Some people here apparently thinks they knows a lot about IVAPS (and probably do) and special lung issues since they use IVAPS and I assume has special lung issues beyond what the majority of cpap users might have. Apples and oranges IMHO.
We all tend to know more about what we use....the rules for people with special lung issues are NOT the same rules for those of us who don't have any special lung issues. You simply can't apply criteria used for one problem to others who don't necessarily have the same problem.

Unless someone is actually using IVAPS...maybe IVAPS user criteria is not such a great idea for regular non lung problem people.

If someone has known lung disease....they need to be using a doctor who knows the teeny tiny details of that person's medical history.
It's impossible for anyone here on the forum to know those teeny tiny details that could be a critical factor in someone's lung issues.

are you suggesting that a normal on bpap can't set the ti min too high? I would disagree. A normal definitely doesn't need to change from this standard default min TI
This ivap user was actually using his machine on a ST at the time and on advice from this forum, had the min ti so high, he didn't have time to breathe out. He had a physical restrictive lung issue. I was helping him switch to ivap and get back to suitable default settings for his issues.

ajack wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 02, 2019 9:17 am

are you suggesting that a normal on bpap can't set the ti min too high? I would disagree.
This ivap user was actually using his machine on a ST at the time and on advice from this forum, that the min ti so high he didn't have time to breathe out. He had a physical restrictive lung issue. I was helping him switch to ivap and get back to suitable settings.

I am saying you are automatically transferring special needs requirements that people who are using those high end special machines to people who have no special needs requirements and are using a totally different machine for totally different reasons and talking like it is the gospel.
And it simply isn't.

The person in this thread isn't using the ST machine or IVAPS or anything near that type of machine for special needs.
What you did or didn't do with that person using IVAPS has zero bearing in this thread. Means nothing at all. You are trying to brag about apples and oranges comparison and you made them taste the same.....they don't.

I am saying that most people who don't have any weird lung issues going on can safely mess with any of those settings and be able to figure out what feels good and what doesn't feel good TO THEM. If ti max isn't comfortable then I guess it's a problem....doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. And one person's not comfortable might just happen to be the next person's comfortable. People are individual and have different needs. The body can usually be a real good judge of what is okay to use and what's not okay....when we are talking about people who don't have special lung issues.
You keep bringing in stuff not related to most people like it pertains to everyone on the whole planet...and it simply isn't correct.

I could bring in a whole different discussion about COPD patients and bilevel....but it is meaningless in this thread to this OP who hasn't mentioned any specific lung problems.

News flash....I tried all those settings...all of them minimum to maximum. It was super easy to figure out what my body liked and didn't like. Now if I had known lung issues...then I probably wouldn't be on that machine and I would be more in touch with a doctor specializing in whatever lung issues I had.

You disagree...fine. I don't give a rat's behind if you agree with me or not. You are entitled to your opinion and I have just as much right to voice my opinion about your opinion...and you can pretty much bet on my doing it.
You muddy up what could be clear waters by bringing in crap that has no bearing on what is going on in a thread.
This isn't an IVAPS discussion thread. It isn't a known lung disease issue thread.

Look it's clear you are not fully aware of what TI is and how it works to say "If ti max isn't comfortable then I guess it's a problem....doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out."
As I said for a normal, in general max ti doesn't matter on S mode and can be set higher than default without issue. He will cycle the machine when he has enough air. there is no need to cut the breathe off. It is the min Ti that is the issue.

I see a lot of misinformation posted where if they follow basic titration procedures and the appropriate default settings, everything will be fine for most people and only change stuff that needs changing. It is seldom that if followed properly, there is a need to move outside of recommended defaults and then it would probably be a serious issue that would need a medical consult and a lab titration

Hi Pugsy, I posted a follow-up question - it's showing on page 1 for me. I'd be grateful if we could continue our conversation. I couldn't understand anything that ajack said anyway. It's not a problem, I'm just waiting on your advice.

yes, it did get a bit willing. Simply I was saying, don't play with the ti min and max. The machine doesn't do what you thought it would. I would start with the pressure settings you had on your old bpap and get some charts up for pugsy to help you with

Angielynn wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 02, 2019 10:05 am

Hi Pugsy, I posted a follow-up question - it's showing on page 1 for me. I'd be grateful if we could continue our conversation. I couldn't understand anything that ajack said anyway. It's not a problem, I'm just waiting on your advice.

Can you please point me to it again. Either I missed it or didn't have anything to say so I didn't say anything.

Sorry for the "discussion" with ajack. I didn't mean to hijack your thread like this but he's talking about stuff that doesn't pertain to you and can't seem to understand it. Sometimes he just irritates the hell out of me and I can't keep my mouth shut.

I think he will tell you to start min epap 5 max epap 15 and PS 4, as per the 5/9 that the doctor gave

ajack wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 02, 2019 10:17 am

yes, it did get a bit willing. Simply I was saying, don't play with the ti min and max. The machine doesn't do what you thought it would. I would start with the pressure settings you had on your old bpap and get some charts up for pugsy to help you with

She didn't have an old bpap....she had an AirSense 10 machine...they aren't bpap.

And all I said was "IF it seemed like a timing issue...play with the settings to see if a change made it more suitable for her timing pattern".
I have done ti min and max changes on an AirCurve ST machine in S mode....it didn't kill me or I wouldn't be here to argue with you but I did change the timing just a little and it did make for a whole lot easier breathing. I used it that way for about 7 months until it needed to go to a new home where someone really needed the ST back up rate function thing.

Just because those default settings work well for most people doesn't mean it is dangerous for some others to try....if it were dangerous...then maybe there wouldn't be any way to adjust them.

ajack wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 02, 2019 10:21 am

I think he will tell you to start min epap 5 max epap 15 and PS 4, as per the 5/9 that the doctor gave

You talking about me?

Let me set you straight on one thing....I am a she....not a he. I am kinda sensitive to that fact. When the forum software got changed last year we lost gender in the profile but people still called me a he when Female was quite obvious.
It's like a slap in the face...you guys assuming women don't know this stuff.
And I guarantee you that I have more personal experience knowledge in the medical field than you give me credit for. It was how I made my living for well over 35 years.

And the AirCurve 10 VAuto doesn't have max EPAP
Choices are
Minimum EPAP
PS...which is of course fixed
and Maximum IPAP.

ajerk needs to check his house for a gas leak. Sorry I just had to say something.