.

secret agent girl wrote:Woefully ignorant question alert!:

What additional details does the software provide? Why might I want that additional information?

Hi, secret agent girl. There are no ignorant questions around here! Very few of us knew ANYTHING about this stuff when we started on this CPAP journey! The machine-decision process was agonizing for me! There were features to learn about and I had trouble finding all the information in one place, and on top of that my brain felt like mashed potatoes. But I got it all figured out little by little, and I'm happy with my choice.

secret agent girl wrote:Thanks.

I guess I'm having trouble coming up with scenarios about how that extra info could be used to make a difference from what the "basic" info alone provides.

Anyone have an anecdote or two to help me understand?

I'll try to explain.... Each software program is a bit different, but here's an example of some graphs from ResScan 3.7:



With the ResMed machines, you can get information directly from the machine's LCD screen that shows the hourly averages (AHI, HI and AI), as well as the leak rate. But the software will show you the actual occurences, including exactly what time an apnea or hypopnea occurred and how long the apnea lasted. (On the "Events" line, the blue marks are hypopneas and the red blip is an apnea.) It'll show you the leak rate line (flat on this example, as there are no measurable leaks), so you can see if leaks may coordinate with events. This example is from an Elite II, which is just straight pressure, but if you're using an Auto machine, it would show the variations in pressure throughout the night. (The squiggly lines on this pressure graph are because EPR (expiratory pressure relief) of 2 was used, which decreased the pressure on each exhale that much.)

I find it helpful to see when event clusters occur and what time of night/morning events happen most often. The vertical blue-green lines are the times that the therapy session began and ended. In this example, events were clustered in the second half of the night, but that isn't always the case. I also like to keep notes regarding mask type, machine settings used (sometimes I change things), how I feel the next day, etc., and the software facilitates that. (Helps to remember the experimental changes later!)

I believe that EncoreViewer shows snores, which would be nice. Perhaps someone else can post a picture of that screen for comparison, or you can search the forum to find examples.

I am a very "visual" person, so I have found the software to be of tremendous help.

~ DreamOn