Settings for an Aircurve ST-A machine

CPAPSteve wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 10, 2019 9:54 pm

Thanks guys, I suspected that the EPAP would be my min pressure and IPAP be somewhere between my average or max pressure. Looking at SH data it seems that most nights my pressure is around 14 so I guess EPAP should be set to 11.4 and IPAP to say 15 ought to be more than enough then.

NO, that's not how epap/ipap work.

IPAP-EPAP=PS.

Your autoset has a *max* of 3 ps, ie, the difference between exhale and inhale pressure.

CPAPSteve wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 10, 2019 9:54 pm

If anyone knows someone looking for one I am still offering it up for sale. Reasonable offers as I have no idea what these things are worth slightly used.

Unlikely to get many bites on it. The one I got I paid $100 for it and it was a mercy thing on my part.
The wife was wanting it out of the house after her husband died and he was the user. She offered it here for $100 and no one was interested so I bought it knowing I could use S mode well enough and eventually I would find someone who needed it (central apnea) and I ended up donating it to the person. At the time I hadn't tried either the AirSense or AirCurve models and was just wanting to be nice and help the lady out and use one of the new models just to check them out.

But you never know....just don't expect it to move quickly unless you get really lucky.

palerider wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 10, 2019 10:20 pm

CPAPSteve wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 10, 2019 9:54 pm

Thanks guys, I suspected that the EPAP would be my min pressure and IPAP be somewhere between my average or max pressure. Looking at SH data it seems that most nights my pressure is around 14 so I guess EPAP should be set to 11.4 and IPAP to say 15 ought to be more than enough then.

NO, that's not how epap/ipap work.

IPAP-EPAP=PS.

Your autoset has a *max* of 3 ps, ie, the difference between exhale and inhale pressure.

PR, help educate me here on pressure support.

When I first started cpaping I had EPR of 3 which felt pretty natural with my own breathing. As I got more accustomed to using a CPAP that I was doing some reading on how EPR drops your exhale pressures for comfort but could result in more apneas due to the pressure drop on exhale. I stopped using EPR and just let my AS10 autoset do its thing and when I wake up that it is often hovering at around 13.5-13.8.

Aside from comfort what advantages would there be from having more than 3 PS? I do sometimes get aerophagia/indigestion/bloating but it only seems to occur when my IPAP pressures go greater than 16 cms. Would having more PS with high IPAP pressures reduce the effects of aerophagia?

Thanks!

CPAPSteve wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 16, 2019 9:28 pm

palerider wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 10, 2019 10:20 pm

CPAPSteve wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 10, 2019 9:54 pm

Thanks guys, I suspected that the EPAP would be my min pressure and IPAP be somewhere between my average or max pressure. Looking at SH data it seems that most nights my pressure is around 14 so I guess EPAP should be set to 11.4 and IPAP to say 15 ought to be more than enough then.

NO, that's not how epap/ipap work.

IPAP-EPAP=PS.

Your autoset has a *max* of 3 ps, ie, the difference between exhale and inhale pressure.

PR, help educate me here on pressure support.

When I first started cpaping I had EPR of 3 which felt pretty natural with my own breathing. As I got more accustomed to using a CPAP that I was doing some reading on how EPR drops your exhale pressures for comfort but could result in more apneas due to the pressure drop on exhale. I stopped using EPR and just let my AS10 autoset do its thing and when I wake up that it is often hovering at around 13.5-13.8.

Aside from comfort what advantages would there be from having more than 3 PS? I do sometimes get aerophagia/indigestion/bloating but it only seems to occur when my IPAP pressures go greater than 16 cms. Would having more PS with high IPAP pressures reduce the effects of aerophagia?

Thanks!

Here's a good place to start: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdeOiDJmbrk

Never having to worry about aerophagia, I'm not the best person to answer that question.

I will say though, that what you've been doing with EPR off is a PS of 0.

PS and EPR are pressure swings *on each breath*, what you were talking about are pressure ranges that an auto machine wanders over in response to breathing issues.... totally different things.

What are your thoughts? The machine can be set up for you in any mode it has. Is there any reason not to use your apap? Do you have anything that would warrant moving to another mode?

ajack wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 17, 2019 6:59 am

What are your thoughts? The machine can be set up for you in any mode it has. Is there any reason not to use your apap? Do you have anything that would warrant moving to another mode?

No particular reason. I found this unit locally with practically no hours on it and figured that I could play with it and experience what a bilevel machine/Non-invasive ventilator is like.

Love my APAP and would never sleep without it but admittedly using S mode is just a comfortable.

The joke I have with my spouse is that I'm giving up on breathing in my sleep so I need a machine to do it for me and that was why I bought an ST-A machine. I could play with it for a bit and sell it or I can keep it around for a spare or give it to a family member that may need it one day.

PAC, iVAPS, ST and T mode don't sync up with my breathing well at all so I don't really bother with those modes. CPAP mode and S mode are the only two modes that would make the most sense to use - even so, S mode has this boost in pressure on inhale so I would presume that it somewhat behaves like a mini ventilator to help me inhale. Being a healthy individual I have no such need for inhalation support and I don't suffer from complex or central apneas. The experience nonetheless was "different"

Fair enough, it is an experience to try the different modes. So nothing has changed in your health. I think it is sensible to stick with Apap. The S mode could be an option if you need high pressure over 15. A quick look at a thread from last years showed you were only on min 9 epr3 and doing OK. You could probably tweak that up a bit of you wanted to.

I know this post goes back a few years, but just checking to see if you happened to have held onto the Resmed ST-A, and if so if you’d be interested in selling it now? My son has a rare Hypoventilation syndrome and would benefit from one of these machines, but the wait from home health is about 10 months right now. The machine he does have is insufficient.

Checking just in case Thank you

Check your local Craigs List and Facebook Marketplace. I saw two of them listed here a couple months back.