recived my auto in the mail

i received my auto in the mail ,resprionics auto m series with humidifier .i have a few questions im hoping to receive help with . my at home titration was done with this same machine from the hospital. my 90% rate was a 10 . im setting up the machine as i have read the provider manual. im trying to figure out for a good therapy what the auto should be set at for lowest and highest auto setting pressure . i have it set for 9.5 lowest and default 20 highest . i could probably knock down that highest as during my titration the pressure never went above a 12 and that was for 24 min in a week. i have my ramp set at 20 min at 7 pressure . im using the 3 setting on the c flex . im wondering how this machine knows what time and date it is . im also wondering what a good humidifier number to select would be for starting out . i need to be in compliance with this machine and am hoping i have set it up correctly and that i don't need to enter medical record numbers into the card at this time . overall i am excited about begining the new hose life . i have my cpap dot.com pillow and the hose buddy ,with the software reader and encore viewer in the mail .onward ;

I would recommend 9-12 to begin with.

As you already recognize, the upper limit is not a critical as the lower.

One of the drawbacks of a wide-open range is the machine starts at the low limit and bumps up only after detecting events. It can take a considerable time to get to the most effective pressure. Starting at 9 will prevent apneas that would normally occur as it cycles up thru the lower pressures. Give the narrower range a week or so, ans see where your 90% is.

Best of luck!

As far as humidity goes, start with a middle setting with the following offsets: If you live in a humid area, and/or you don't need heat at night, lower the setting a notch or two. If you live in a dry area, and/or are heating your house at night, raise it a notch or two. If you meet both conditions (for instance, live in a humid area, but heat your house at night), stay in the middle. Try this setting. If your nose or mouth is dry, increase the setting. If you find water in your hose, or are more congested, try a lower setting. Putting some sort of an insulating sleeve on your hose (like a 'snugglehose'. You can also make your own.) is highly recommended both for comfort, and to prevent condensation ('rainout') in the hose.

There are a lot of different philosophies about auto settings. Some believe you should set it to a spot and leave it. Others keep the full 4 to 20, and many believe you should keep as narrow a range as possible.

I personally want to make sure I have a little space both above and below. Experience says I stay within a certain range, but what if something changes? Maybe a new pillow, or a weight gain or loss, or I enjoy a cocktail one night. I like to know there is space for the machine to go a little outside the box when necessary.

But, going too low makes the machine slow to fix a problem. And going too high can allow the machine to run away if you have a large leak.

The 9 to 12 suggested above seems like a good spot to start, at least.

It really is a personal preference, and you'll develop your own after awhile.

sunrunnerdave wrote:my 90% rate was a 10 . im setting up the machine as i have read the provider manual. im trying to figure out for a good therapy what the auto should be set at for lowest and highest auto setting pressure . i have it set for 9.5 lowest and default 20 highest .

That range sounds fine to me.

sunrunnerdave wrote:i could probably knock down that highest as during my titration the pressure never went above a 12 and that was for 24 min in a week.

Since you say the pressure never went above 12 during your home titration, there's nothing in particular to be gained by setting the max lower than the 20 you planned for it. There's nothing wrong with having a generous margin of pressure available up there that won't be used. Since you already know it's not going to get used, it doesn't matter if you set a high ceiling of 20.

If a person didn't have the software to see what's going on, that would be a good reason to put a leash on the max pressure, since massive leaks could drive pressure up and the person might not know they were having bad leaks...might just sleep right through them.

sunrunnerdave wrote: i have my ramp set at 20 min at 7 pressure . im using the 3 setting on the c flex .

That's fine. You can play around with C-Flex settings, ramp settings/time/start pressure, etc., humidifier heat level to see what suits you. You might want to try not pushing the ramp button at all one night. You might be surprised at how the pressure of 9.5 might not seem any more forceful than 7, after you've been breathing the 9.5 for a minute or so.

You've been doing your homework! Setting that minimum pressure up where it will do plenty of preemptive good is smart of you to do.

Good luck with your therapy, and please keep us posted how it goes!