Hello all. Hope Spring is as gentle as possible in your area. I was told that any flow over 4 liters on my o2 feed into my ViPAP can "blow out" lung tissue. Destroy ones lungs. It's so frustrating. I'm on 4 liters while inactive, but am a active sleeper. I am on 6 liters when active. But even 6 liters doesn't always keep my o2 sats in the 90s at all times. I'm lucky though, my o2 sats go up pretty quick if I just stop moving. Sometimes I forget to turn my flow back down to 4 before I go to bed. My Apnea MD gets really mad at me when that happens. Says I'm destroying what healthy tissue I have left. I don't do it on purpose, though I do notice that a night of sleep at 5 liters has me waking more refreshed than @ 4 liters. But it does irritate my intercostal tissue. I can wake up in more pain than when sleeping at 4 liters. Not that I am trying to defy my MD. I prefer to follow his instructions. I like and respect the man. I'm just curious.
Is anyone using an o2 feed into their machines that is on a higher flow than 4 ltrs?
Thank you. Happy May!
Was told any liter flow over 4 will destroy my lungs
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makezmuzic
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Was told any liter flow over 4 will destroy my lungs
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"Why Me??" I asked no one in particular. "It's nothing personal." No one in particular andswered, "Names were called , and yours came up." Sometimes it's just that random.
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Re: Was told any liter flow over 4 will destroy my lungs
Most of the air (and O2) that flows from the xPAP machine goes out the vents. A level of 4 l/min in a cannula can be 4 to 20 on a xPAP machine depending on flow ratios. Your doctor should know that since at some point they went to school and this is basic physics.
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Re: Was told any liter flow over 4 will destroy my lungs
where abouts do you connect your oxygen on your VPAP?
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BlackSpinner
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Re: Was told any liter flow over 4 will destroy my lungs
Who told you, your pulmonologist or just some DME tech?
Why were you told that? What other issues do you have?
Why were you told that? What other issues do you have?
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71. The lame can ride on horseback, the one-handed drive cattle. The deaf, fight and be useful. To be blind is better than to be burnt on the pyre. No one gets good from a corpse. The Havamal
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makezmuzic
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Re: Was told any liter flow over 4 will destroy my lungs
Thank you for responding. My o2 connect is set up very close to my mask SleepStar. It's a connector tube that fits between the mask and the standard tubing. Besides Central & Obstructive Sleep Apnea, I have asbestoses, pulmonary fibrosis, both restrictive and obstructive lung disease BlackSpinner. I had mentioned, during my last meet-up with my Pulmo, that every once in a while I forgot to turn my concentrator down. The Pulmo said my sleep test showed that 4 ltrs was all I needed to bring my saturation up to an acceptable level. I believe it was the Tech who said a high ltr flow from a concentrator could cause damage. I think I need to ask my Sleep Specialist what an "acceptable" level is. Considering that the Medicare Powers that be believe an o2 saturation of 87% is "acceptable". My HMO had told me anything below 91% is a stressor on the body. I would love to see the panel of Medicare decision makers spend a day with plastic bags over their heads. LOL See how they function on a 87% o2 saturation.
It's frustrating, I don't want to damage my lungs even further. Higher pressures on my VPAP mean that much more pain when breathing in. I feel like I must choose between painful lung expansion and daily fatigue. Oh well, I guess it could be worse.
But back to my original question, does anyone have their oxygen concentrator liter flow, that feeds into their VPAP hose, set at higher than 4 liters? Thank you , MM
It's frustrating, I don't want to damage my lungs even further. Higher pressures on my VPAP mean that much more pain when breathing in. I feel like I must choose between painful lung expansion and daily fatigue. Oh well, I guess it could be worse.
But back to my original question, does anyone have their oxygen concentrator liter flow, that feeds into their VPAP hose, set at higher than 4 liters? Thank you , MM
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| Mask | |
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"Why Me??" I asked no one in particular. "It's nothing personal." No one in particular andswered, "Names were called , and yours came up." Sometimes it's just that random.
:0)
:0)
Re: Was told any liter flow over 4 will destroy my lungs
Make sure whoever you're talking to realizes that CPAP dilutes the 4 l/m oxygen flow with room air and that much of the O2 will go out the exhaust vent on the mask, not into your lungs.
Do you know what your pressure is?
Is the doctor worried about the oxygen causing pressure, or about the chemical effects of too high of an oxygen level?
Do you know what your pressure is?
Is the doctor worried about the oxygen causing pressure, or about the chemical effects of too high of an oxygen level?
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Please enter your equipment in your profile so we can help you.
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If it's midnight and a DME tells you it's dark outside, go and check for yourself.
Useful Links.
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makezmuzic
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Re: Was told any liter flow over 4 will destroy my lungs
Thank you Arch. I had no idea. My pressure setting is 14. He did a Co2 check during my last visit. So maybe the chem effects are the issue. I don't seem to be asking the right question.
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"Why Me??" I asked no one in particular. "It's nothing personal." No one in particular andswered, "Names were called , and yours came up." Sometimes it's just that random.
:0)
:0)
Re: Was told any liter flow over 4 will destroy my lungs
My mother's was set high enough that she needed the bigger oxygen hose setup. I think the normal one was limited to 16 l/min.
Remember that oxygen is very toxic as it gets close to pure as it speeds up reactions and oxidises everything. In modern hospital use, it gets dulled fairly quickly or is used for short terms. Your condition might be one of the ones made worse by high levels of O2.
If you VPAP machine records data, then it will have "leak" data in l/min. You If you have 10 l/min of O2 and 30 l/m leak then 1/4 of the O2 is going out the vent. (that is 10/(10+30)=1/4).
In your case, your doc is say 4l/min and 5l/m hurts but makes you more alert. I expect you may need more than 4 when you have high leaks and about 4 when you don't.
I would consider 4 options:
1) get a vpap that can adjust O2 flow. I don't know if you can even buy one but the only one I expect that might work, costs more than a new car.
2) put the o2 injector adapter closer to the pump. You can extend that with a "passive humidifier" which will work as a mixing chamber.
3) try 4.5 l/m. Most of those are infinitely adjustable.
4) get the pump on a less auto mode so its pressure changes less but you will need a professional to look at the data and come up with a plan for that.
Also check your leaks. If they are bad, your o2 will dive. Fix them first! You will need to have your machines data looked at on a computer to see how bad the leaks are but it is the most likely problem and the easiest to fix.
Remember that oxygen is very toxic as it gets close to pure as it speeds up reactions and oxidises everything. In modern hospital use, it gets dulled fairly quickly or is used for short terms. Your condition might be one of the ones made worse by high levels of O2.
If you VPAP machine records data, then it will have "leak" data in l/min. You If you have 10 l/min of O2 and 30 l/m leak then 1/4 of the O2 is going out the vent. (that is 10/(10+30)=1/4).
In your case, your doc is say 4l/min and 5l/m hurts but makes you more alert. I expect you may need more than 4 when you have high leaks and about 4 when you don't.
I would consider 4 options:
1) get a vpap that can adjust O2 flow. I don't know if you can even buy one but the only one I expect that might work, costs more than a new car.
2) put the o2 injector adapter closer to the pump. You can extend that with a "passive humidifier" which will work as a mixing chamber.
3) try 4.5 l/m. Most of those are infinitely adjustable.
4) get the pump on a less auto mode so its pressure changes less but you will need a professional to look at the data and come up with a plan for that.
Also check your leaks. If they are bad, your o2 will dive. Fix them first! You will need to have your machines data looked at on a computer to see how bad the leaks are but it is the most likely problem and the easiest to fix.
_________________
| Mask: AirFit™ N20 Nasal CPAP Mask with Headgear |
| Humidifier: S9™ Series H5i™ Heated Humidifier with Climate Control |
| Additional Comments: Resmeds overpriced SpO2 |
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makezmuzic
- Posts: 30
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Re: Was told any liter flow over 4 will destroy my lungs
Thank you Tim. That was VERY informational.
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"Why Me??" I asked no one in particular. "It's nothing personal." No one in particular andswered, "Names were called , and yours came up." Sometimes it's just that random.
:0)
:0)
Re: Was told any liter flow over 4 will destroy my lungs
i'm not sure if this is relevant to your case, but high airway pressure from CPAP can trigger pneumothorax. i have seen this occur in one person whose CPAP was inappropriately calibrated.
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