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I've taken them to higher pressures than that plenty of times with no particular problems. I seriously doubt that you will get a third party tube as it is proprietary Respironics gear.
It certain very specific and rare cases, if CPAP pressure is too high it can, in theory, induce central apnoeas. If it didn't show up on your sleep study you should be fine. If you are worried, just keep an eye on your AHI, because this will include both central and obstructive events. As long it is < 5, you're all good.
Your machine shouldn't need anything more than a regular check of the filter, and the occasional wipe to keep the surface clean. That's it.
With transcutaneous CO2 monitoring. This usually happen as part of s sleep study, although could be done on its own. Breathing in higher levels of O2 than occur naturally in air can cause your CO2 levels to increase and this can be very harmful. Any supplemental O2 should be used with care.
If you do have CSA, then CPAP will almost certainly not treat it. You need a Bilevel device of some sort. CPAP holds you upper airway open, but nothing more. When you have central sleep apnoea, the muscles around your lungs aren't pushing the air in and out. It doesn't matter how much you open up your airway if your breathing muscles aren't moving the air. ASV is a subgroup of BiPAP which was designed specifically for treating Cheyne-Stokes respiration (a particular kind of CSA) in the setting of hypocapnia (low CO2 levels).
You may need to consider as different mask, as the other posters suggest. You could try a standard nasal mask, such as the Eson 2, which is still pretty small but won't hurt your nostrils. Or you could look at the DreamWear Under nose mask, which has the same sore of minimal contact configuration as an intranasal mask, but sits under your nose rather than sealing against your nostrils. Google a picture and it'll make more sense.
It is possible that a further increase could result in further improvement. It is important that any adjustment is done in careful consultation with a respiratory specialist. Increasing oxygen can cause an increase in carbon dioxide levels which can be harmful. Having said that, as it is being added to your VPAP that should help minimise the risk of such a thing occurring. Still, always be careful with oxygen.
It can be rather individual. What was your initial AHI before treatment. If it was 120, the < 15 is pretty darn great. If it was 20 then < 15 is not much of an improvement. Less than 5 is generally the goal, but in the real world there must sometimes be compromises. Also, do you have restless legs? That can artificially inflate the AHI indicated by a PAP device.
You are right Snuffie. Weight is probably the most common contributing factor to OSA, but it is far from the only one. There are a great many OSA sufferers who are not overweight at all. Especially in South East Asia, interestingly.
Has anyone checked you CO2 levels while on O2? Using oxygen on it's own can often lead to CO2 increasing, which can become dangerous. It is general protocol in most hospitals not to prescribe oxygen without assessing it;s affect on CO2 first.
