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CPAP or APAP better for patients with AFIB?

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WarpedTrekker +0 points · over 6 years ago Original Poster

I'm a relatively new to treatment, got my AirSense 10 AutoSet in August. My doctor had it set to automatic 6-13 pressures, and was doing great on it. Then this past month, I had my first AFIB episode and was in the hospital overnight. The AFIB is currently treated with drugs, "Multaq". Haven't had any further AFIB so far.

When I saw my sleep doctor yesterday, she changed my machine to constant pressure of 12, with a 15minute ramp time. She said that for AFIB patients, it is best to use a constant pressure, then to rely on the machine to automatically adjust pressures.

I really don't like the constant pressure, and last night I felt 12 was a little too much. Felt a little jittery this morning when i woke up. Normally, my machine would adjust pressure from 6-13, and normally would be around 10.6 at night on average.

Is there any documentation that corresponds to what my doctor is telling me? Is it true that CPAP is better then APAP for people that had previous AFIB episodes?

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wiredgeorge +0 points · over 6 years ago Sleep Enthusiast

Welcome! Hard to argue with a doctor's advice and prescription but in my experience, if you were averaging 10.6 and it is set to 12 now, I can't see where it makes much difference from a comfort standpoint. I am not very sensitive to such things so may not be the best to judge but I would give it a week before getting concerned and if you still have issues, revisit them with the doc would be the best course of action. I don't use any ramp so can't comment on ramp but it is there to ease a person into what becomes peak air pressure. Maybe a long ramp time, which you can choose yourself, would be of benefit?

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