Does low AHI mean my O2 levels are staying healthy? ASV

When I had my sleep study, they saw my 02 levels fall to about 80%. Not sure how bad that is but they weren't happy about it.

My AHI on my asv is generally below 3. Is this a sure way to assume that my oxygen levels are also staying high?

The best way to see if you have an improvement in your O2 levels is to pick up a recording oximeter and sleep with it on your finger then review the results.

I agree. I am using an ASV and oxygen.

HoseCrusher wrote:The best way to see if you have an improvement in your O2 levels is to pick up a recording oximeter and sleep with it on your finger then review the results.

Sure, i know this would be the BEST way. BUT, i would think that with an ASV machine and how adaptive it is, one would constantly be getting oxygen.

icipher wrote:

HoseCrusher wrote:The best way to see if you have an improvement in your O2 levels is to pick up a recording oximeter and sleep with it on your finger then review the results.

Sure, i know this would be the BEST way. BUT, i would think that with an ASV machine and how adaptive it is, one would constantly be getting oxygen.

No. You are constantly get air and it is up to your body to use it. Your AHI may be low but if they are of long duration then that could cause a problem. The only way to know for sure is with a recording oximeter.

icipher wrote:When I had my sleep study, they saw my 02 levels fall to about 80%. Not sure how bad that is but they weren't happy about it.

My AHI on my asv is generally below 3. Is this a sure way to assume that my oxygen levels are also staying high?

icipher wrote:When I had my sleep study, they saw my 02 levels fall to about 80%. Not sure how bad that is but they weren't happy about it.

My AHI on my asv is generally below 3. Is this a sure way to assume that my oxygen levels are also staying high?

The issue here is the conflict between the words "sure" and "assume" in your question.

"Assume" - yes, if your AHI is lower than in your sleep study, it is a pretty safe assumption that your O2 levels are higher. They may not be 95%+, but they are very likely higher than 80%. If your AHI's on ASV at home are about the same as your sleep study (ie if it was an ASV titration study), then I don't see why you'd assume your O2 is different.

"Sure" - no, you cannot be sure unless you borrow/rent/buy a recording oximeter and use it for a few nights (ideally on a relatively bad night for you). AHI and O2 are related but they are not the same. On my last 2 sleep studies, I had an AHI of 0.3 w/ O2 min of 89%, and AHI of 0.9 w/ O2 min of 90%. (I have UARS, and have lots of RERAs). It would not be safe for me to assume that my AHI < 1 means my O2 is 95%+.

my wife has low ahi <2 and assumed everthing was ok using the cpap. i bought a recording oximeter and found that her o2 was low. a trip to the doctor and an oxygen generator solved the problem. never ass-u-me.

Another point: finger mounted oximeters read through the fingernail.
Nail polish or anything on or under the nail obscuring the view will interfere with readings.

patrissimo wrote:

icipher wrote:When I had my sleep study, they saw my 02 levels fall to about 80%. Not sure how bad that is but they weren't happy about it.

My AHI on my asv is generally below 3. Is this a sure way to assume that my oxygen levels are also staying high?

icipher wrote:When I had my sleep study, they saw my 02 levels fall to about 80%. Not sure how bad that is but they weren't happy about it.

My AHI on my asv is generally below 3. Is this a sure way to assume that my oxygen levels are also staying high?

The issue here is the conflict between the words "sure" and "assume" in your question.

"Assume" - yes, if your AHI is lower than in your sleep study, it is a pretty safe assumption that your O2 levels are higher. They may not be 95%+, but they are very likely higher than 80%. If your AHI's on ASV at home are about the same as your sleep study (ie if it was an ASV titration study), then I don't see why you'd assume your O2 is different.

"Sure" - no, you cannot be sure unless you borrow/rent/buy a recording oximeter and use it for a few nights (ideally on a relatively bad night for you). AHI and O2 are related but they are not the same. On my last 2 sleep studies, I had an AHI of 0.3 w/ O2 min of 89%, and AHI of 0.9 w/ O2 min of 90%. (I have UARS, and have lots of RERAs). It would not be safe for me to assume that my AHI < 1 means my O2 is 95%+.

Gotcha. My 80% O2 level was without any machine. When I had my titration with ASV, the tech never saw my O2 go below 89 or 90%.

What % is considered the lowest acceptable O2 level?

I believe that if your O2 saturation percentage is at 87% or lower for any extended period of time, then supplemental oxygen is considered necessary.

JohnBFisher wrote:I believe that if your O2 saturation percentage is at 87% or lower for any extended period of time, then supplemental oxygen is considered necessary.

Hmmm.. I should probably buy an oximeter. I've been planning on it anyways. Are they pretty accurate? anyone have any recommendations?

One source is

http://www.pulseoxstore.com/

Most of the time they are reasonably accurate. It is best to run a check on yours once you get it to make sure it is giving you good readings. Paramedics use them all the time and most will do a side by side comparison to verify your data. If that isn't possible you can check with a sleep clinic or if your doctor has hospital rounds you can leave it with your doctor to verify its accuracy.

icipher wrote:Gotcha. My 80% O2 level was without any machine. When I had my titration with ASV, the tech never saw my O2 go below 89 or 90%.

What % is considered the lowest acceptable O2 level?

"Although there are no generally accepted classifications for severity of oxygen desaturation, reductions to not less than 90% usually are considered mild. Dips into the 80 - 89% range can be considered moderate, and those below 80% are severe."

http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/sle ... ng-results

So I wouldn't worry too much. Although if you're lucky enough to have some energy to put into fine-tuning your treatment and trying to get even better results / more energy, trying to get your O2 up a few more points seems like a reasonable goal to me. AHI is far from perfect as a metric (as UARSers like myself know), and once it's down around 1-2, if you still don't feel like your sleep is fabulous, you need to find some other metrics to work on.

icipher wrote:

JohnBFisher wrote:I believe that if your O2 saturation percentage is at 87% or lower for any extended period of time, then supplemental oxygen is considered necessary.

Hmmm.. I should probably buy an oximeter. I've been planning on it anyways. Are they pretty accurate? anyone have any recommendations?

The oximeters I've used have appeared to be accurate. Now, recording oximeters, that's a whole other story, and that's why I don't use them. They just don't work for me, although the ones I've used from the DME for a single night O2 study do.

I do seem to be in the minority here on this issue, though.

markdh wrote:... I do seem to be in the minority here on this issue, though. ...

Yup. It is a bit of a minority report.

But think of them as a windsock as opposed to a digital meter to measure the windspeed. You can land a plane with a windsock to tell you how strong the wind is and its direction. You don't need the most accurate tool available to land the plane.

So, if you see the O2 levels down below 87% for an extended period of time (minutes) then you should talk with your doctor and expect more extensive testing with more accurate tools. If you don't see the O2 levels below 87% then you are probably fine.

Just as the windsock isn't the most accurate tool, it does get the job done. Same with tools to help us figure out how we are doing while we sleep. It's not perfect, but it helps us help our doctors focus on problem areas. We don't want them fishing about. Their time and the tests are too bloody expensive. I would rather show them the data and say "now, I know I'm not a doctor, but as I understand it, this might be an issue ...". I let them know I'm bringing DATA and not just guesses. I also let them know I understand it's not diagnostic, but it seems to be a reasonable issue to pursue.

Hope that makes sense.