My APAP falsely reports Central Apneas (PR System ONE)

Hi Everyone,

I upgraded from a CPAP to an APAP because I still experienced a residual AHI of around 7-8, and consequent daytime sleepiness.

I got a PR System ONE by Respironics. Unfortunately, looking at the data using Encore Viewer, it seems that the machine classifies most of my apneas as "Clear Airways Apneas", and does not increase the pressure in order to avert them. No Central Apneas showed up on either my diagnostic sleep study or my titration study, and the pressure that my machine is set to no higher than what it was during my titration study.

Have people experienced this sort of a thing before? I'm considering renting a ResMed machine to see if their algorithm is better suited for my case. Any suggestion would help because it makes a bug difference when my AHI is ~5 as opposed to ~8.

Thanks.

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My diagnosis: ~16 Obstructive Hypopneas/hr
Currently: residual AHI of around 7-8 with a PR SYSTEM ONE APAP at 12-16cm pressure

professorchaos wrote:Hi Everyone,

I upgraded from a CPAP to an APAP because I still experienced a residual AHI of around 7-8, and consequent daytime sleepiness.

I got a PR System ONE by Respironics. Unfortunately, looking at the data using Encore Viewer, it seems that the machine classifies most of my apneas as "Clear Airways Apneas", and does not increase the pressure in order to avert them. No Central Apneas showed up on either my diagnostic sleep study or my titration study, and the pressure that my machine is set to no higher than what it was during my titration study.

Have people experienced this sort of a thing before? I'm considering renting a ResMed machine to see if their algorithm is better suited for my case. Any suggestion would help because it makes a bug difference when my AHI is ~5 as opposed to ~8.

Thanks.

---------------------
My diagnosis: ~16 Obstructive Hypopneas/hr
Currently: residual AHI of around 7-8 with a PR SYSTEM ONE APAP at 12-16cm pressure

Yeah.

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viewtopic.php?f=1&t=52374&p=483996&hili ... al#p483460


Den

I'd disregard "clear airway apnea" reports from the PR System One machines. But that's just me.

Greetings! There is a lot that goes into the determination of Central Apnea. Your "Clear Airway" events could actually be an event that might be when you stopped breathing for a bit. But it might NOT be a Central Apnea. How is that possible? Let's assume you turned over in while sleeping. And let's assume that it roused you just enough that you awoke. Not so much that you remember it the next morning. But you awoke enough that you must now fall asleep again. Ah! Now we face the switch from being awake to being asleep. You will often have temporary events during this switch that cause some times when you stop breathing. However, this breathing instability is perfectly normal and not measured as a central sleep apnea. Unfortunately, your CPAP unit does not know that you are falling asleep.

So, it's not a central apnea. It is a "Clear Airway" event and it will skew your AHI number.

This is just one example why a "Clear Airway" event can not be called a "Central Apnea".

Hope that helps.

Like Rested Gal, I disregard those "clear airway apneas" on my PR System One. My software reports them and the software did not report them with the M Series. I'm using the same settings on the System One as I did on my M series (pressure range and A-Flex setting).

As I look at my detailed data with the System One, I see that almost all of them happen, for me, when I am just falling asleep or, if I am up in the night, they appear as I am falling asleep again. They are happening while I am "getting myself comfortable" and I note that sometimes I hold my breath while I am doing this. That seems to result in "clear airway apneas". "It's the Apneas and Hypopneas, along with the leak rate that I watch.