1800CPAP.com CPAP or BiPAP Download Service
1800CPAP.com will download your machine for you and provide you with a detail sheet for your review as well as your next appointment with your sleep physician. This report will give you vital information for you to review with your doctor to ensure you are receiving proper CPAP therpay as well as ensuring you are receiving maximum benefit. Reports will vary based on the manufacturer of your CPAP or BiPAP (Bi-Level) machine. Most of the machine will allow you to review the following:
- Therapy usage (time used at therpaeutic pressure)
- Average Daily Usage
- Days used
- Days used greater than 4 hours (4 hours of use per night is the benchmark for a patient being compliant)
- AHI (Apnea Hypopnea Index) which is used to determine whether the machine is working appropriately at the settings.An AHI of less than 5 on a CPAP machine or BiPAP machine is considered good.
- Leak (this information allows us to see if your mask is leaking too much which could effect how much you are benfiting from your CPAP machine or BiPAP machine) Leak rates vary on style of mask.
- Daily breakdown of usage
- Daily breakdown of AHI
- Daily breakdown of Leak
Again, the information provided on your report may have more or less than the above bullets, it truely depends on which CPAP machine or BiPAP machine you are currently using. All of this information allows you to monitor your therapy on a daily, weekly, monthly, semi annually or annually basis so that you can maximize your effectiveness of the CPAP machine or BiPAP machine. So many people do not monitor their usage with the machine; therefore they never completely benefit from the use of CPAP.
The reporting is great for new CPAP users as well as CPAP users that have been on a machine for years. The new users benefit by finding out important information at the beginning of use so that they do not struggle with CPAP as much allowing for a smooth transition from not using a CPAP machine to using one. The existing patients or otherwise known as veteran CPAP users can benefit by the report because as the months or years go by, their needs for certain pressures may change. The pressures may change due to any of the following, but not limited to:
- Weight loss
- Weight gain
- Age (the older we get, the more our muscle tone decreases, potentially adding the need for more pressure)
- Lifestyle changes (drinking or use of certain medications can affect how much pressure is needed to keep your airway open)
- Sex (many post menapausal women will have a need for CPAP when otherwise they would not have used a CPAP)
- Pregnancy (goes with weight gain/ loss as many pregnant women could benefit from the use of CPAP during their pregnancy and may or may not need it after the birth of the child)
The mode of therapy is a definite difference maker in the need of consistant download reports. An AutoPAP will adjust with you on a nightly basis the ensure your Obstructive Sleep Apnea is consistantly a non-issue. The reports are still necessary to potentially shrink your pressures. Alot of AutoPAP users start at 4cm to 20cm of water pressure when they may need to be at 7cm to 10cm. This is important because if you should be between 7cm-10cm and you are at 4cm-20cm, you basically have to have events during the beginning of your sleep to get to a pressure that is necessary. These reports will allow you as a consumer to have an educated conversation with your physician about maximizing your CPAP therapy and possibly decreasing your CPAP or BiPAP pressures. In Fixed CPAP Pressure machines, the reports will allow you to ensure the pressure setting is where it needs to be on a consistant yearly basis.
The following will be a breakdown of what the manufacturers reports will provide you when 1800CPAP.com completes a download for you. The information will be based on manufacturer as well as model within the manufacturer.
Respironics CPAP machines and BiPAP machines:
Respironics machine collect data on the CPAP machine or BiPAP machine based on the model you have been using. The data collected is broken down into two categories:
- Basic Usage Data: devices measure and report patterns of use along with therapy settings, including pressure, pressure relief and humidification. The device identifies patient therapeutic use when the blower is on and breathing is detected via a flow sensor. Basically it is going to give you information on how often you are using the CPAP machine or BiPAP machine. This is very basic information.
- Advanced Compliance Data: devices monitor and report on patterns of use along with abnormal events that may impact the efficacy of the therapy.These events include apnea, hypopnea, snore, flow limitation, non-responsive apneas and large leaks. The device identifies these abnormal breathing events via an advanced algorithm that uses both flow data and pressure data inputs generated by the flow sensor and pressure sensor of the device. Below is a basic explanation on how these events are calculated and their meanings:
- Apnea Detection: Apnea is when you have a full closure of your airway for a minimum of 10 seconds. You have more than likely heard the term Obstructive Sleep Apnea and the Apnea part is a full closure in your airway. This is calculated in the Philips Respironics System One CPAP or BiPAP machines by the REMstar algorithm establishes a baseline of patient flow based on a moving flow signal window- it detects an apnea as a 80% reduction in flow lasting a minimum of 10 seconds.
- Hypopnea Detection: Hyponea is defined as a a 30% reduction in airflow with a 3-4% or greater reduction in oxygen saturation that last a minimum of 10 seconds. This is known as a partial closure in the airway and is considered when you hear the terminology AHI (Apnea Hypopnea Index). The Hypopnea along with the Apnea is calculated by total number of these two divided by the number of hours you were asleep. This is calculated by the REMstar algorithm establishes a baseline of patient flow based on a moving flow signal window- it detects a hypopnea as a 40% reduction in flow lasting at least 10 seconds, followed by a recovery breath. The 30% reduction above is how it is actually defined, but Respironics uses 40% in their machines.
- Snore Detection: Snoring needs no introduction, nor does it need to be defined as I am sure the majority of the people reading this have some sort of snoring while they are sleeping. Respironics states that snoring is a measure of partial occlusion and is a strong indicator of potential respiratory events. The REMstar algorithm has the capability to detect snoring vibrations and adjust the pressure accordingly.
- Flow Limitation/ Upper Airway Resistance: Flow limitation/ Upper Airway Resistance is defined as less than 30% reduction in airflow without a desaturation in oxygen or without an arousal. The REMstar algorithm analyzes the flatness, roundness, peak and shape of each breath throughout the night and determines a gross change in these characteristicsas a flow limitation.
- Non-Responsive Apnea/ Hypopnea: At higher pressures, if a patient does not respond to pressure increases due to apneas or hypopneas, the device will automatically convert to a CPAP for a 15-minute period and an NRAH notification will show on a report.