Forum · What is an Event?

This is probably better suited for the doctors and therapists on the board, but...

What constitutes an "Event"? Is there a specific line where above is an event - below isn't.

Thanks

@Joseph - Could you tell me what you are looking at, Joseph? I can better explain if I know what is in front of you. Thanks for asking the question!

@Joseph - I forgot to add that if you would like to send me a screenshot of what you are seeing, that would be very helpful :-) My email is tshumard@sleepapnea.org

@TheresaS

You are correct, I should have been clearer. When using my CPAP machine, and when I had my sleep study, something called 'events' are tracked. Most obviously these are the times when I stop breathing. I may have 3 or 4 or more during the night. I'm asking for the specifics of what an event is - the definition of an event.

Hi @Joseph - Sometimes referred to as an apneic event , or episode, a pause in breathing must last 10 seconds or more for the "event" classification. Obstructive apnea events can last as long as two minutes and are almost always associated with a reduction in the level of oxygen in the blood. Think about how hard this is on the body's organs! What's more, the sleeping person with apnea may have no idea this is happening many more times throughout the night!

If you have any other questions about your report, I will be happy to help!

Thank you for using the forums to learn!! :-)

Here's my perspective as a clinical data manager who has worked on sleep apnea projects. As part of these research projects, our group often receives sleep study data to review, score, and send results back on. It seems that each project has its own "rules" in assessing the sleep study for the marking of different event types, e.g. hypopneas, apneas, arousals, limb movements. These rules serve as the basis for the sleep scorer's marking events while reviewing the sleep study signals.

As for what constitutes an event, I think the documentation for the Sleep Heart Health Study provides an example of what these rules/definitions look like. Keep in mind, the Sleep Heart Health Study is nearly 20 years old and event definitions have shifted over time! Here's the obstructive apnea definition:

Obstructive Apneas are identified when the amplitude (peak to trough) of the airflow signal decreases to a flat or almost flat signal (showing a 75% reduction of the amplitude of “baseline” breathing) if this change lasts for > 10 s. Baseline breathing is defined as a period of regular breathing with stable oxygen levels (ResFigures 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d).

The site also has screenshots of sleep signals (e.g. "airflow") that indicate and distinguish different event types.

Thanks for both responses. At this time I don't have a screen shot. Although, my daily report (ResMED AirSense 10 up loads a report to the manufacturer servers) shows I have 3 - 5 events per hour.