Finally I have a reader and a report

lilsheba · Post by **lilsheba** » Sat Oct 20, 2007 11:16 pm

Again thanks gumby for being such a help. Ok so what do these figures mean....
average obstructive apnea index .07
average hypopnea index 0.9
average ahi 1.6
average vibratory snore index 1.6
average mask leak 109.1
average 90 percent leak 56.2
average leak 46.3
average large leak 0 mins

These are average results since September 1 to now, I can put daily figures in if it makes a difference?

total usage 49 days now.

lilsheba/Jeanine

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): AHI, Hypopnea

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Oct 20, 2007 11:48 pm

lilsheba, I don't know what all those numbers mean either but I can tell you that I use the Swift 11 mask and my readings/numbers, etc. look almost identical to yours, stange! I'm sure snoredog or wolfman will read this one and help you with it, this stuff is so complicating to understand, it's way harder to me learing cpap & numbers than it was learning the computer SleepyNoMore/Shirley

lilsheba · Post by **lilsheba** » Sat Oct 20, 2007 11:57 pm

I'll just sit back and wait. I know these numbers mean something I'm just not good at deciphering them yet. But I look forward to learning and seeing the trend on a daily basis.

Computers I know a lot better, even if I haven't been able to fix my personal computer problems lately however I'm going to try a tip that gumby gave me and see if that works.

shippy · Post by **shippy** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 3:19 am

Jeanine

Congrats on getting the software, once you learn what all those numbers mean you will see what an asset having that software is and how you can monitor your treatment. I am not one of the real experienced folks here i have been on the hose now for 10 1/2 months now. But i can tell you the AHI is a combination of Hypopneas and Apneas added together and divided by the the number of hours slept. So you mentioned your data is from Sept. 1 to now don't know what software you have but i am assuming its the new Encore Viewer is this the long term report you got your numbers from ? anyways an AHI of under 5 is considered effective treatment so yours is very good at 1.6 my pressure on straight cpap is also 16cm's like yours and my AHI since July 4th is 3.6 so you are doing really well. Not a leak expert others have more knowledge than me and i use a Quattro FF mask but each particular mask has its own leak rate (intentional leak rate) a Quattro is about 48 litres per min. this is how carbon dioxide is expelled from the mask as we don't want to breathe that stuff. So in the case of my mask i run about 50 to 54 lpm which is over the standard 48 lpm built in leak rate. Don't know what your mask intentional leak rate is but just guessing it may be a little lower than the 46.3 that you show this just means you may have a few small leaks. The main concern would be large leaks and you have none. Would not be to concerned with the snore index although more snores = more AHI getting long winded so will cut it short. Bottom line is i would love to have your numbers they look great. Ia that an auto machine your on ? guess not because you say its straight cpap pressure.

Keep On Keeping On

Dale

bdp522 · Post by **bdp522** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 6:21 am

For the apnea and hypopnea index; this is how many events you ad each hour. Together they gave you an AHI of 1.6, anything under 5 is fine, 1.6 is great!
Vibratory snore 1.6; might not be real snores, could be the hose rubbing on the bed or bumping it while sleeping. 1.6 is excellent!
Leaks; your leaks are way too big. Once leaks reach the 70's it can impact the data collection of the machine. You may have had events that were not recorded. For the swift mask leak rates should be; pressure 8 leak 29, pressure 9 leak 31, pressure 10 leak 33, pressure 11 leak 35, pressure 12 leak 37, pressure 13 leak 38.6, pressure 14 leak 40.2. Could you be mouth breathing or leaking? You need to get the leaks under control. I would try taping the mouth shut for a night or 2 just to be sure that isn't the problem. If the leaks are good while taped, great! If not, you need to try tweaking the mask. First be sure that the hoses and connections are not leaking anywhere.
All in all you seem to be doing well, you just need to work on the leaks.

Brenda

Goofproof · Post by **Goofproof** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 9:46 am

I think Brenda has hit the nail on the head, Leaks are way out of range and they skew the data. Try taping or a FF mask with avg leak rate under 35 really 33 LPM. Jim

lilsheba · Post by **lilsheba** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 9:48 am

That's what I was afraid of...that the leaks weren't good. I've been using a comfort classic mask lately instead of the swift. I know it has some leaks...I wonder if some of that is caused by the fact that I take it off and let it auto turn off? BTW I do mouth taping but I still feel little leaks all over that I have to compensate for.

Here are the numbers from last night:

av obstructive apnea index 1.0
av hypopnea index 1.0
av ahi 2.0
av max leak 120.0
av 90 percent leak 46.0
av leak 41.0
av large leak 9 mins

So I know ahi is good so where should the leaks actually be in order to have it be a good number?

Thanks guys

Jeanine

GumbyCT · Post by **GumbyCT** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 10:53 am

lilsheba wrote:I wonder if some of that is caused by the fact that I take it off and let it auto turn off?

I have avoided doing this because I think it does skew that data. How could it be accurate?

I know when the leak chart shows many variations up/down, I have a leak; likely from tossing/turning for me. It seems as my press. rises the more leaks I have. But if my line is straight (flat) it's built-in mask leaking.

I don't yet have any confidence that the online numbers for mask leaks are accurate, so I just go by the variations, but what do I know.

ps. If you print the charts everyday? You are gonna spend a bundle on ink.

lilsheba · Post by **lilsheba** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 11:04 am

I doubt I will print them every single day I'll probably switch to the pdf format. I just wanted to see what they looked like printed out at first

I'll try to remember to shut it off when I take the mask off now. I've been relying on the auto on / auto off feature.

kennethryan · Post by **kennethryan** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 12:51 pm

bdp522 wrote:Leaks; your leaks are way too big. Once leaks reach the 70's it can impact the data collection of the machine.

Question: my new Quattro mask has a chart of flow rate vs. pressure - is this the "expected" leak rate? At my pressure of 15 it shows a flow rate of about 45. According to my downloaded data, my leak rate was all over the place, from about 10 for a couple hours to around 50 at a couple points.

How do you determine an acceptable leak rate?

Thanks...

ApNoob · Post by **ApNoob** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 1:00 pm

Well, I'm still trying to learn how this stuff works but aren't those index numbers really good? Isn't an AHI of 1.6 on the low end of normal? If that is the case wouldn't the mask leak be almost irrelevant since the stats are good? Or are the AHI stats possibly wrong because the mask leak was too high for the machine to make good estimates of the AHI?

DreamStalker · Post by **DreamStalker** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 1:03 pm

ApNoob wrote:Well, I'm still trying to learn how this stuff works but aren't those index numbers ... snip ... Or are the AHI stats possibly wrong because the mask leak was too high for the machine to make good estimates of the AHI?

That is correct.

bdp522 · Post by **bdp522** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 1:06 pm

ApNoob; AHI stats could be wrong due to large leaks. During large leaks the machine may not record events.If all the leaks are stopped a lower pressure may be possible. Leaks can also disturb sleep, and we like to avoid that!
kennethryan; with a resmed machine, you set the machine to the mask. The leak the machine shows should not be more than say .04 . If my mask shows an acceptable leak rate of 25, I do everything possible to show a leak of 25.
lilsheba; Each mask comes with a little booklet that has a leak chart. You can also contact the manufacturer for the info.

Brenda

Goofproof · Post by **Goofproof** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 1:33 pm

kennethryan wrote:
bdp522 wrote:Leaks; your leaks are way too big. Once leaks reach the 70's it can impact the data collection of the machine.
Question: my new Quattro mask has a chart of flow rate vs. pressure - is this the "expected" leak rate? At my pressure of 15 it shows a flow rate of about 45. According to my downloaded data, my leak rate was all over the place, from about 10 for a couple hours to around 50 at a couple points.

How do you determine an acceptable leak rate?

Thanks...

You have a Resmed, they need to be set to the mask you are using. Remstar's give you the total leak the mask and yours. at a leak rate of 45 it wouldn't work for me to use that mask. To get good treatment I need to be under 35 LPM. Jim

Goofproof · Post by **Goofproof** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 1:40 pm

ApNoob wrote:Well, I'm still trying to learn how this stuff works but aren't those index numbers really good? Isn't an AHI of 1.6 on the low end of normal? If that is the case wouldn't the mask leak be almost irrelevant since the stats are good? Or are the AHI stats possibly wrong because the mask leak was too high for the machine to make good estimates of the AHI?

It is good, but could it be better? Another thing to consider, the length of each apnea event and the time a night you spend in apnea, this is where the O2 loss happens. EPA has charts for this, one of it's best features. Jim

The whole point is to keep breathing while asleep, not doing it causes trouble.

Mask	Humidifier