Is the AHI my cpap tells me what it corrected?

awritersmind · Post by **awritersmind** » Thu May 24, 2012 8:46 pm

My DME didn't give me an instruction manual with my CPAP. I found it online but I'm still not sure about it. I have a REM Star Auto A-flex one system. The number on the button is 550P. Under the info block I can pull up my average AHI. Is that what it corrected? Or is that the AHI that remains even while using it?

I ask because mine is over 6. When I had a sleep study it showed I had REM specific, but because I only got about 10 minutes of REM sleep the overall AHI was like 2.1. I used to not sleep through the night at all. I have been with the CPAP. Not as well with machine the DME gave me. Am I crazy that the loaner I had for the first month worked better?

Drowsy Dancer · Post by **Drowsy Dancer** » Thu May 24, 2012 8:52 pm

awritersmind wrote:My DME didn't give me an instruction manual with my CPAP. I found it online but I'm still not sure about it. I have a REM Star Auto A-flex one system. The number on the button is 550P. Under the info block I can pull up my average AHI. Is that what it corrected? Or is that the AHI that remains even while using it?

The number is what your machine didn't correct.

I believe you have the same machine I do. It is fully data-capable. Do you have the software yet to read your data from the SD card in the machine? SleepyHead is great, and it's free.

awritersmind1 · Post by **awritersmind1** » Thu May 24, 2012 9:00 pm

I'm trying to use Sleepy Head but I think I'm sort of confused...

How is it that this index is higher than the sleep lab but I'm sleeping better? O_o I asked someone at the office about the placebo effect and their response was that CPAP is too annoying for that to be an issue, LOL! I guess mine was really a lot worse than they realized or what showed up? Maybe it's this mask? I've tried several. Now I'm using the Quattro FX I believe it's called, the full face mask.

I was trying to insert a screen shot of my data but it's not working...

Pugsy · Post by **Pugsy** » Thu May 24, 2012 9:04 pm

Is this what your machine looks like?
https://www.cpap.com/cpap-machine/respi ... -flex.html

or does it have a darker gray instead of silver looking accent face plate?

There is software available. Check out my signature line for information on SleepyHead. If your machine is the 60 series machine (darker gray face plate) then you need a different software...so let me know.

THe numbers on the machine screen is a 7/30 average AHI..which is an hourly average for the events that the machine was not able to prevent and thus they get scored. We never know about the events that get corrected..only the ones that slipped past the defenses.

awritersmind1 · Post by **awritersmind1** » Thu May 24, 2012 9:11 pm

I have the one the page linked to with the white top part and white on the side. It's the one no longer available. I have the info pulled up in sleepy head, I'm just trying to figure out what it all means.

AHIApnea / Hypopnea Index 7.22
HypopneaHypopnea 3.46
ObstructiveObstructive Apnea 0.20
Clear AirwayClear Airway Apnea 3.56
RERAResp. Effort Related Arousal 0.99
Flow LimitFlow Limitation 0.69
VSnoreVibratory Snore 0.00
PB/CSRPeriodic Breathing 2.76%

I tried to copy and paste it all. I've been feeling real sleepy again lately, not the super sick I had been feeling, but just tired early in the evening and having a really hard time waking in the morning. Maybe this is why? Although I keep wondering how is it that my number was a 2 during the test and not it's in the 7s, yet I'm sleeping pretty soundly. I mean, last night wasn't perfect, and come to think of it, some of the times I woke up make the time stamps, but most nights I'm not.

awritersmind1 · Post by **awritersmind1** » Thu May 24, 2012 9:15 pm

The thing is I still need more help from my doctor, and I appreciate that he got me the loaner and all that, but I need someone to keep better tabs on this because something seems weird to me about the way my numbers are. I had an old REM star auto as the loaner, the black brick kind that has the big size data card, and it was telling me the number was around a 1 or so with it. The technician there that is the head gave me more info than the doc... :-/ He said with the older machines they weren't as accurate though.

Pugsy · Post by **Pugsy** » Thu May 24, 2012 9:21 pm

I don't think the other older machine scored clear airway events and they make up roughly half your AHI.

It's possible that some of those events would have not been counted (if they happened) during a sleep study if they were either sleep onset or post arousal clear airway events.

Do you have copies of your sleep studies? If so is there any mention of centrals?

robysue · Post by **robysue** » Thu May 24, 2012 9:24 pm

awritersmind wrote: I ask because mine is over 6. When I had a sleep study it showed I had REM specific, but because I only got about 10 minutes of REM sleep the overall AHI was like 2.1. I used to not sleep through the night at all. I have been with the CPAP. Not as well with machine the DME gave me. Am I crazy that the loaner I had for the first month worked better?

and

awritersmind1 wrote: How is it that this index is higher than the sleep lab but I'm sleeping better?

I think the reason you're feeling better is that your REM AHI is probably reduced enough so that you are now actually getting some extended REM time.

I don't know how long you actually slept during that sleep study. But let's suppose it was around 6 hours. Since your overall AHI = 2.1, that would mean you had a total of about 13 events during the sleep study But the OSA is REM-specific, so it's likely that all or almost all of the 13 events happened during those 10 minutes of REM. And that would make your REM AHI equal to about 78.

Now, with the machine your overall AHI is around 6, but chances are you are also getting a lot more REM sleep. Let's suppose that you use the machine for about 6 hours each night. With an overall AHI = 6, that means that you've had about 36 events happen in spite of the PAP machine. Now lets assume that instead of 10 minutes of REM you are in REM for about the standard 20% of your sleep time. 20% of 6 hours is 1.2 hours of REM instead of 10 minutes. So instead of a REM AHI = 78, you're now down to a REM AHI = 30, which is still way too high, but far less than your diagnostic test.

awritersmind1 · Post by **awritersmind1** » Thu May 24, 2012 9:33 pm

It's possible that some of those events would have not been counted (if they happened) during a sleep study if they were either sleep onset or post arousal clear airway events.

Sleep onset meaning as I doze off?

robysue wrote:
I think the reason you're feeling better is that your REM AHI is probably reduced enough so that you are now actually getting some extended REM time.
I suppose so. I noticed one night I went without my CPAP and as soon as I started dreaming, I'd wake up. Typically with the CPAP I don't have that because I'm not remembering dreams or anything.

I don't know how long you actually slept during that sleep study. But let's suppose it was around 6 hours. Since your overall AHI = 2.1, that would mean you had a total of about 13 events during the sleep study But the OSA is REM-specific, so it's likely that all or almost all of the 13 events happened during those 10 minutes of REM. And that would make your REM AHI equal to about 78.

Yeah, the overall sleep time was about 6 hours. But there was 10 or 12 minutes only of REM sleep. I wondered about that. They told me the RDI was 34 but when I figured it I got a much higher number...

Now, with the machine your overall AHI is around 6, but chances are you are also getting a lot more REM sleep. Let's suppose that you use the machine for about 6 hours each night. With an overall AHI = 6, that means that you've had about 36 events happen in spite of the PAP machine. Now lets assume that instead of 10 minutes of REM you are in REM for about the standard 20% of your sleep time. 20% of 6 hours is 1.2 hours of REM instead of 10 minutes. So instead of a REM AHI = 78, you're now down to a REM AHI = 30, which is still way too high, but far less than your diagnostic test.

Yeah. I'm much more energetic but for the last week, (of course after I had my really quick consult with the doc.) I started feeling sleepy again. I also switched masks though. I used to use the clear blue full face mask but it kept not sealing and leaking so I tried the Quatro FX. I like the FX because it is more comfortable.

Do you have copies of your sleep studies? If so is there any mention of centrals?[/quote]

It mentioned 3. One of the doctors there I saw proceeded to tell me that I had no centrals when it was right in front of him...

Did the format of the discussion board change? Sorry if my post is all screwy. It seems different.

Pugsy · Post by **Pugsy** » Thu May 24, 2012 9:45 pm

3 centrals in the sleep study isn't much.
And yes, it is normal to have some centrals at sleep onset (doze off) and even when waking up (called post arousals) and those are discounted in sleep studies as being of no concern.
Now your machine doesn't know if you are asleep, awake, falling asleep or just waking up so it just calls them like it sees them.

awritersmind1 · Post by **awritersmind1** » Fri May 25, 2012 8:17 am

According to my machine, last nigh there were 41 "clear airway apneas". They were all well within when I'm sleeping soundly.

What does the number in parenthesis mean under the "events" tab in sleepyhead? This is when you expand the menu to get the details about the events.

robysue · Post by **robysue** » Fri May 25, 2012 8:41 am

awritersmind1 wrote: What does the number in parenthesis mean under the "events" tab in sleepyhead? This is when you expand the menu to get the details about the events.

It's the estimated length of time for the event.

awritersmind · Post by **awritersmind** » Fri May 25, 2012 9:19 am

Yikes, really? Cause I saw some 50s in there. I wonder if this machine is just completely wrong or something. Although it's staying fairly consistent.

Pugsy · Post by **Pugsy** » Fri May 25, 2012 1:12 pm

awritersmind wrote:Yikes, really? Cause I saw some 50s in there. I wonder if this machine is just completely wrong or something.

It's probably pretty darn close. You can click on one of those events at a certain time and the graph will zoom in on it and you can count the seconds. It is kinda hard to see the beginning and end of each event but I have counted a lot of them to see how close that number in parenthesis is..and it is pretty darn close. Might be off by a couple of seconds but with it being hard to see the beginning and ending my counting could be off a little.

With a 50 second event....it will be very obvious that it is long. I have had some 45 second events and one glance at it up close in the second by second graph speaks pretty plainly.

awritersmind1 · Post by **awritersmind1** » Fri May 25, 2012 1:18 pm

Oh I meant I wonder if the machine is really that accurate with recording real events. I wish there was a way to not use the pressure and just have it records my breathing patterns without it to see how I do at home without. The sleep studies are almost pointless for me because they don't give an accurate portrayal at all....

Is the AHI my cpap tells me what it corrected?

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