Change BPM setting for Dreamstation BiPAP autoSV

What happens when the BPM setting on a DreamStation BiPAP autoSV is changed from AUTO to OFF?

After many years, we’ve finally made DH’s doctor understand why it is painfully difficult to fall asleep or going back to sleep. DH describes it as the cpap hitting him with a ‘fire hose’ of air when he puts it on to go to sleep.
It fights with him because it wants DH to breathe faster. And DH doesn’t want breathe faster. So it cranks up the pressure. And DH is miserable until they synchronize. Sometimes he becomes so exhausted that he finally falls asleep. But some days they play nice together.

We’ve been wrongly using the word “ramp“ and the doctor increases the ramp time, but that is moot when the machine decides that he isn’t breathing and cranks up the Pressure Support, EVEN though he is still awake and breathing. DH hits the ramp button multiple times per night. It is too small to easily hit so that wakes him up more.

When we rephrased it as a ‘time out’, the light bulb went on. But the machine is too smart, it doesn’t want to miss any potentially life threatening apneas so ‘time out’ period is not an option.

So yesterday the Dr reduced the max EPAP and PS so that ‘fire hose’ isn’t so strong. After that the dr said something about ‘DH not having any periodic breathing’ and then changed the BPM from AUTO to OFF so that it would quit trying control DH’s breathing rate. Also changed a setting so that DH can start it by breathing.

So last night, DH was not hit by the ‘fire hose’ and didn’t have to wake up in the night to hit the ramp button. BUT he snored several hours.

His original settings were Emax 15, Emin 4, PSmax 20, PSmin 2, PressureMax 30, BPM AUTO.

Now his settings are Emax 10, Emin 4, PSmax 5, PSmin 2, PressureMax 30, BPM OFF.

The machine says his 90% EPAP last night was 8. So I’m clueless.

Thanks in advance

I'm curious about the answer also. In January I received a new Dreamstation, and I hate it. The thing either does not supply sufficient air or it blows the mask off my face. I can hold my breath, resulting in zero increase in pressure. Yet the other morning I was awake and it pressurized the mask so much it was blowing out the sides. I find myself waking up at night due to apnea events. Additionally, the water reservoir is so small that it runs completely dry in six or seven hours (set on 3). In the dry NE winter, this is every night.

Bayrat wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 06, 2020 5:33 pm

In January I received a new Dreamstation, and I hate it.

What were you changing from? And is your Dreamstation also an autoSV?

The doctor updated the settings and changed the BPM back to AUTO
So we've gone from
EPAP (4,15) PS (2,20) Max 30 BPM AUTO to
EPAP (4,10) PS (2,5) Max 30 BPM OFF to

Tonight's settings
EPAP (4,15) PS (2,15) Max 30 BPM AUTO

I predict the 'dance' returns and wonder if a 5 cmH2O decrease in PS Max will make a noticeable difference.