How long to see improvement?

Hi All,

I recently got my CPAP machine and have been using it for the last 4 nights but my AHI number doesnt seem to be getting better. During my sleep study I had an AHI of 11 ( zero centrals, 1 osa and the rest hypopneas). Using my CPAP machine I have an AHI of 8 mostly made up of centrals and hypopneas. Should I be concerned that this seems to be increasing the centrals? I've not noticed an improvement in tiredness symptoms. I've included my readings in the iamge attached.

Should I stay the course or go back to the doctor?

Thanks!

Hi New2SleepApnea

If I were in your circumstances I would be concerned enough to ring whoever set up the machine for you and ask them to review the results so far.

I would even go so far as to request that they put a reasonable limit on the pressure maximum if the machine is running on auto.

Personally I run my machine on a fixed pressure with no ramp but that's probably just my distrust of devices. :)

In the meantime if you had an AHI of 11 beforehand you might be better off without the machine until you can get it sorted.

What brand and model of a machine do you have? Is it in Auto pressure mode? If so, what are the minimum and maximum pressures set at? Are you using EPR or Flex? If so what is it set at?

A reduction from an AHI of 11 to 8 is not a great improvement, and does not meet the general guidelines to be under 5. I noticed from an earlier post your sleep study indicated your obstructive index was 1 and the hypopnea index was 10. The issue with hypopnea is that they are almost always assumed to be obstructive, but they can actually be central or clear airway in nature. CPAP pressure does not help with clear airway events, and it may in fact make it worse.

I would go back to your doctor to report your results, and ask if the maximum pressure can be reduced to see if that helps, or ask if your machine can be set to a fixed pressure significantly lower than what your machine is currently going to.

If you have a compatible machine you could view your results on a PC or a Mac using a SD card reader to transfer the data to SleepyHead. That would be very revealing as to what is going on. This version of SleepyHead is no longer being developed, but it still works.

EDIT: I believe that image you posted is from DreamMapper and suggests you have a DreamStation machine. Is it an Auto version, and again what are the pressure and Flex settings?

It surprises me that a max of 13 could be the cause of so many central events.

It seems like we are missing a piece of the puzzle.

Taking the machine back to whoever set it up would be a sensible move.

Emailed my doctor yesterday so I'll update when I hear back. I am using a nasal pillow and have woken up a few times throughout the night and noticed that I was breathing through my mouth, could that be affecting the results?