APAP or CPAP? Very confused

Go into the clinical setup menu and look for a setting called "Sleep Quality"...the default from factory is for "usage"...and you only get summary hours of use. It needs to be set to "On" to be able to see all the data available.
So make sure that setting is set to "on" in the clinical setup menu. This is not something you can do from the screen where you see hours of use right now.
If it is already set to "On" then the LCD screen should show AHI, pressure and leak number and you may be missing a step to get those numbers.

If detailed data is turned on, you can get to the Advanced Info menu by holding down both the info and settings buttons (the two rectangular buttons to the right of the LCD) for 3 seconds. That will give you access to compliance data, 90% pressure, leak, AHI, and Central AI. If you highlight Period and press the knob, you can change the period of time displayed (day, week, month, year).

Thank you Pugsy and Latinist. My sleep clinician actually encouraged me to look at the numbers and believe it or not, she gave me her personal cell number to call her this weekend! I will try this.
and hopefully not mess anything up. I will come back later with numbers hopefully. Luthie (Sandi) from Chicago suburbs

I don't know what I would do without you guys. My payback would be to also be experienced enough down the road to help others as you have helped me!!

Ok, I did as you said with the set-up menu and bingo: This is the information I saw:

Sleep Quality 8.9 (although I know specifically I was tossing and turning for 1 hour between 2 and 3 am and got up 2 times for bathroom trips)
Mask Quality: Smiley face
AHI: 0.4

Am I doing ok with my first night set to 12-20? Thank you.

Please help with this: I just got more information from the Autoset on my first night.

Sleep quality 8.9 (although again I am tired and had lots of get ups for bathroom and for "no reasons" for 1 hour just staring at the ceiling)

Mask Quality - Smiley Face green
AHI - 0,4

Pressure 14.8

Leak 26

I am the gal who is a newbie and the clinician who re-set my pressures from 12-20 when I had been on 4 for the past 2 weeks. Please let me know what you think of those numbers?

Your ramp exist for your comfort - change it to start at 4. The ramp is only on for the first 20 minutes to allow you to fall asleep, if it is keeping you awake it is not doing its job.

Luthie2006 wrote:Please let me know what you think of those numbers?

The leak number is a little high, but the AHI is excellent. Seems you do need quite a bit of pressure after all. What kind of mask are you using and how is it fitting?

I am using a WISP Large over a Res Med Premium Chin Strap. I thought any leak rate under 30 is good? No? Thank you so much.

Luthie2006 wrote:I am using a WISP Large over a Res Med Premium Chin Strap. I thought any leak rate under 30 is good? No? Thank you so much.

The "red line" for ResMed machines is 24 L/min; over that number they don't guarantee that the machine can compensate (although it will try). When I had leaks in that range the machine would be unable to differentiate between obstructive and central apneas and therefore would not increase the pressure in response to events. Yours is not too high, and it should be noted that you were under that number most of the night; but 10% of the time you were at or above 26 L/min.

Your AHI is excellent, so it's not something to obsess over. But maybe a small headgear adjustment would help.

Thank you very much Latinist: I was fitted for a WISP Medium size nasal mask, but after putting the chin strap on my head (first) it took up room and the Medium was so tight, it made huge marks on the bridge of my nose. I don't want to loosen the straights particularly. I believe the "leaks" are coming out of my mouth with my lips a little opened. I have a sore throat today from it, and my mouth was dry.
Since the Green "Smiley" face was on the mask fitting setting, could it be that the 26 leak rate was coming out of my mouth? Also, please tell me how I could check for central apnea? The machine didn't tell me or I did not see it? Thank you so much.

I was switched from cpap to vpap due to having problems exhaling. I have COPD. After 3 months on vpap, same as apap dual pressure system, I am going to go back to cpap,
My original settings from the pulmonologist were10 Ipap 4 Epap PS 6 Pretty much encompassing the whole range of breathing. Machine would sense what to do she told me. Every time there is a pressure change I am waked up. Not very restful
I have the resmed s9 vpap which I beleive can run cpap also. Monday back to the Dr for pressure and Cpap adjustment

Luthie2006 wrote:Thank you very much Latinist: I was fitted for a WISP Medium size nasal mask, but after putting the chin strap on my head (first) it took up room and the Medium was so tight, it made huge marks on the bridge of my nose. I don't want to loosen the straights particularly. I believe the "leaks" are coming out of my mouth with my lips a little opened. I have a sore throat today from it, and my mouth was dry.
Since the Green "Smiley" face was on the mask fitting setting, could it be that the 26 leak rate was coming out of my mouth? Also, please tell me how I could check for central apnea? The machine didn't tell me or I did not see it? Thank you so much.

If we could look at your flow rate graphs we might be able to tell whether it looks like mouth breathing or not. Have you looked into SleepyHead and its ability to show you detailed data? As for the green smiley face, I would take that with a grain of salt; I've spent a lot of time in leaks and still had that green smiley in the morning. I'm not sure how it is determined at all.

As for looking for central apneas, SleepyHead can show you that info or you can get it from the Advanced Info menu on your device. Just hold down both rectangular buttons for three seconds and that menu will pop up. You have to scroll down, but it will give you your leak, total AHI, and central AI.

The leak number shown on the LCD screen is a 95% number and all that means is that for 95% of the time you were at OR BELOW that leak number. It does NOT mean that your leak was 27 for 95% of the night.
The 95% number is easily elevated by short periods of time in larger leak...like reseating the mask or maybe just a little mouth breathing.

Mr Green Smile face means that for at least 70% of the night your leaks weren't excessive or above 24 L/min.
Mr Red Frowny face shows up when large leaks (above 24 L/min with the S9 machines) are present for 30% or more of the night. It takes a lot of big leaks to get Mr Red Frowny face to show up.

To have a more accurate idea of what actually happened in terms of the leak you really need to use the software leak report graphs.

I thought there was a way to the the AHI breakdown into event categories on the LCD but I am not for sure because I never use the LCD screen...I just use the software
but if your overall AHI was 0.4 (that's an hourly average for the entire session) that means less than 1 event (no matter what type) per hour over the entire night and that number would include any centrals if you had any...and the number is so small that even if they were all centrals it wouldn't be anything to worry about.

Again, thank you to all: Unfortunately last night I felt the pressure more (maybe because not as tired the night before) and had to disconnect myself from the machine after 15 minutes.
I called my sleep technician reluctantly as she gave me her cell number and I didn't want to bother her on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Chicago, a rarity around here! But she told me to call her no matter what. I am going to bring the AUTO PAP machine back tomorrow morning, Monday, and she is going to ask the doctor if she can lower the pressure starting at 10 instead of 12 and:
10-20 with a ramp of 8 of 20 minutes. I just could not catch my breathe last night laying in bed, and my chest was hurting too with every breathe. Does this sound reasonable to you instead of starting at 12. Remember, the one night I used this, it showed my pressure went to 14.8. Does ramp at 8, to go to 10 (instead of 12) and going to 20 sound more reasonable? Thank you very much. I appreciate any advice.

Luthie2006 wrote:Again, thank you to all: Unfortunately last night I felt the pressure more (maybe because not as tired the night before) and had to disconnect myself from the machine after 15 minutes.
I called my sleep technician reluctantly as she gave me her cell number and I didn't want to bother her on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Chicago, a rarity around here! But she told me to call her no matter what. I am going to bring the AUTO PAP machine back tomorrow morning, Monday, and she is going to ask the doctor if she can lower the pressure starting at 10 instead of 12 and:
10-20 with a ramp of 8 of 20 minutes. I just could not catch my breathe last night laying in bed, and my chest was hurting too with every breathe. Does this sound reasonable to you instead of starting at 12. Remember, the one night I used this, it showed my pressure went to 14.8. Does ramp at 8, to go to 10 (instead of 12) and going to 20 sound more reasonable? Thank you very much. I appreciate any advice.

The whole reason for an auto is that it will go up to 14 if it needs to. As long as you are not at pressure 4-6 it can handle it.
Your chest is sore because your muscles have been exercising breathing out against the pressure. The ramp is a comfort feature and it should be 6 to 10 at this point in time, it really has not much therapeutic value because you are not really asleep when you are using it - it is like training wheels.

There are manuals online which will allow you to adjust it yourself.