Do Most Sleep Labs Have APAP?

I am going in next week for a sleep study. Its been 5 years since my last one so I guess I am due. I told my GP that I want to upgrade from CPAP to APAP and she was very agreeable to that. She even said that if the DME provider she normally uses and that is tied to the sleep lab doesn't want to give me APAP she has another provider that will. My question is, I would like to give APAP a try during my sleep study next week. Is it reasonable to ask for and expect them to have it?

I'd be very surprised if they would # 1. And #2 there really isn't any need to try an APAP at the sleep lab becuase if you don't do well w/the pressure changes in auto mode you can just use it in straight CPAP mode. It sounds like you've been fortunate to find a great sleep doctor! Congratulations!!!

Nope. Sleep labs have machines (CPAP and Bi-Level) that have remote controls on them so they can adjust pressures gradually from an adjacent observation room and observe/record the effects of the pressure changes (data) to their computers.

Den

They may not have APAP, but do they need to determine both hi & low settings?

Wulfman wrote:Nope. Sleep labs have machines (CPAP and Bi-Level) that have remote controls on them so they can adjust pressures gradually from an adjacent observation room and observe/record the effects of the pressure changes (data) to their computers.

Den

yup. No cflex either.

elader wrote:

Wulfman wrote:Nope. Sleep labs have machines (CPAP and Bi-Level) that have remote controls on them so they can adjust pressures gradually from an adjacent observation room and observe/record the effects of the pressure changes (data) to their computers.

Den

yup. No cflex either.

And THAT pisses me off. I lay there for an hour thinking "this is NOT gonna happen". In case you guys haven't figured it out, I'm pretty much above normal on putting up with stuff and sticking to stuff. But I lay there thinking, "I'll just lay here until 6:00 AM and then I'll tell them 'Thanks but no thanks' and then see what my doctor has in mind as far as surgery...".

Well, I fell asleep after an hour. And the results where pretty staggering, so I figured I'd get used to it. Then I read on here about C-Flex, EPR, etc. And then I got my machine in, put "A-Flex/C-Flex" on two and was AMAZED. My first thought was "Thanks a lot, assholes!!!". (Sorry...I'm better now...). I could have been asleep in 2 minutes and wouldn't have gone thru the ordeal of thinking I wasn't going to be able to CPAP and would shoot craps with throat surgery (of which I knew there was only a chance would help).

I'm probably missing something and there's more to them not offering exhale relief than saving 20 bucks on their machine, but I get great results with mine so I don't see it. And I gotta wonder how many OSA'ers we lose because the sleep clinic doesn't give them this exhale relief... And you know the DME's are pushing the cheaper machines without this relief and once again we're losing OSA'ers because of it.

[/rant]