ASV ? breaths per minute settings

I am into day two of my Resp. ASV therapy (using 950 series loaner machine until 960 backorder is resolved). I notice that the machine seems to be set for a certain BPM because if I try to breath slower it kicks out a heavy pulse of pressure.

Questions:

Are these machines usually set up to have a specific BPM instead of just letting the user breath at his/her normal rate?

I never breath as fast as mine seems to be set at and I feel like I am panting all night long. ? talk to my MD to change the setting

I really want to breath slower than this machine is making me breath. Any thoughts about this subject would be greatly appreciated.

photonic wrote:I am into day two of my Resp. ASV therapy (using 950 series loaner machine until 960 backorder is resolved). I notice that the machine seems to be set for a certain BPM because if I try to breath slower it kicks out a heavy pulse of pressure.

Questions:

Are these machines usually set up to have a specific BPM instead of just letting the user breath at his/her normal rate?

I never breath as fast as mine seems to be set at and I feel like I am panting all night long. ? talk to my MD to change the setting

I really want to breathe slower than this machine is making me breath. Any thoughts about this subject would be greatly appreciated.

Talk to your sleep doctor. Your 950 temp machine and the new 960 machine have an 'auto' breathing rate feature which uses a sliding sample window of BPMs to determine what your pattern/rate is (based on a 4 minute sequence). I'm one of a significant number of people on this forum who advise letting your machine calculate BPMs for you, unless your doctor decides differently (or until you are educated enough to set it yourself). One thing you should know: Most peoples respiration rate changes from the awake state to the sleep state, IOW, one fixed rate may not offer maximum therapeutic value, and may even be harmful IMO, hence using the 'auto' breathing mode makes sense to me... let the machine figure out what you need 'on the fly'. One thing you can try for more respiration comfort which will cut down on that feeling of being too rushed, is to adjust the 'rise time'. As I recall there are three settings numbering from 1-2-3. They offer a longer ramp up to the apex of one's inhale. I find that feature a great bonus to buying a PR autoSV. It'll be explained in your manual... if you don't have a manual get back to us and we'll hook you up.

Thanks. Just checked my machine and they have it set to 12 BPM and not auto. I timed my breathing while on the machine and it felt more like 20 BPM.

I will ask on Monday if we can try the auto setting.

The feeling of being rushed is awful and I believe it is arousing me from sleep or at least making it difficult to relax back into sleep after a wake up.

photonic wrote:Thanks. Just checked my machine and they have it set to 12 BPM and not auto. I timed my breathing while on the machine and it felt more like 20 BPM.

I will ask on Monday if we can try the auto setting.

The feeling of being rushed is awful and I believe it is arousing me from sleep or at least making it difficult to relax back into sleep after a wake up.

If and when you get the auto breathing mode set up and after you have adjusted to it, then try the 'rise time' feature. It's a real blessing on PR machines to be given some latitude on how long you can inhale. BTW: My awake breathing rate is always 11 t0 12, HOWEVER my sleeping BPM is always 12 to 15. Odd as it may sound, some people speed up when asleep and some slow down. Always jot down your Tidal Volume and make sure it's in a good range. How much is a good Vt? That's another story depending on your body size, nasal passages, lung capacity, pulmonary issues and so on. Your sleep doctor may want to determine that and will possibly want some oximetry testing done... in home of course. That's super easy to do.

A problem with self checking breathing rate is that checking changes the rate.
The breathing rate either awake or asleep is an autonomous function. For me, my sleeping rate varies from 14 - 17.
The backup rate of 12 is not particularly out of line. Auto is better for most people.
I tried a rate of 10 as an experiment but went back to auto when the experiment was done.

All soooo helpful!