F&P Machines and leak rates

[MS Gray Man]

OK so I know I'm one of the few oddballs with an F&P machine. Hoping there are some others that actually pay attention to data.

I use FF masks and find that start pressures in the 12-13 range the machine shows a baseline leak of 60 l/m at the start of the night (when I know it is not leaking) So as a result in data, leak never falls below 60 l/m, which is very close to F&Ps mark for excessive leak.

It seems that just the vent rate on the mask should be about 30 l/m a minute but I find the 60 number consistent across every mask I've used with it.

F&P Forma, Quattro FX, Resp Comfort Gel, and Mirage Q.

I suppose I'm being a bit obsessive about it but I feel it's hard to trust the AHI numbers when the leak numbers seem out of line.

Is this specific to my machine or for the F&P users that might read this, do you see lower or similar leaks in data??


Thanks

[First Reviewer]

MS Gray Man I'm very new to this, but I too have zeroed in on the Leak Rate Graph of my Daily Sleep Data Chart. I have leak all over the Graph.

I also think that one would first have to get their Mask Leaks under control before any of their other Sleep Data would be any use to them whatsoever.

I take it that your Mask Leak number cannot get any Higher than 60?

"I suppose I'm being a bit obsessive about it but I feel it's hard to trust the AHI numbers when the leak numbers seem out of line." MS Gray Man it seems to me that you are hitting the nail on the head here, and in no way are you being "Obsessive".

I would think that Miss Pugsy will know whats going on here.

Good Question !

[Pugsy]

That baseline should not be showing 60 L/min with your pressures.
I assume that you are using SleepyHead??? to see the graphs?

What does your machine's LCD screen offer you? Anything about leak?

Are you using the Icon or one of the other F & P machines?
The Icon has the 60 L/min no man's land for leak...the other F & P machines have 95 L/min large leak line.

[dos coyotes]

I just spent my first night with my "new" F&P Icon Auto ---- it's a machine I bought for travel and I wanted to test it. Using the LCD screen my numbers appear to about match my S9 ---- I got 6.8 hours of sleep, had an AHI of 1.0, 90% pressure was 12.5 --- leaks were 38. What is the 'do not pass go' leak number on the F&P???

How do you read data from the F&P in SleepyHead? I pulled the smart card before using it a day or two ago when the machine first arrived. it's supposed to be USB - but my Mac did not react - no error message, no I can't recognize this, no nothing???

That said I got what I felt was a pretty good night's sleep, certainly comparable to the S9.

[Pugsy]

What is the 'do not pass go' leak number on the F&P???

For the Icon....60 L/min
For the other F& P machines...95 L/min

I don't think that your Mac version of SH is compatible with the Icon.
The F & P Icon stuff was a last minute quick thing and I don't think he got it included in the Mac version before he had to take time off from SH coding for personal reasons.
He may be working on it again so maybe a little later it will work.

[MS Gray Man]

So for me.. I'm looking at the data directly in F&P Infosmart software. So leak data is being pulled directly from the usb stick.

Can't use SH because I don't own a Mac.

Across all the masks and every day it's showing a starting leak of 60 l/m or very close. Now it does show leakage increases and decreases across the night, but the minimum leak it ever shows is 60. Of course this includes the beginning of the night when I know the mask is not leaking beyond the expected vent rate.

I'm guessing that this is a flaw with the machine itself. I suppose it could be an error in software, but I would think it was pulling data as recorded by the machine.

This is an HC254 btw.

Either way I'm running out of ideas to try. If it baselines at a 60 l/m leak when starting with the mask, it explains why it never shows anything less since the most leak proof point is at the start of the night with a properly adjusted mask.

I may try blocking the mask vent for a bit just to see what impact it has on the data. No.. Not sleep like that.. Just try it for 15 mins or so before going to bed to see what impact it has.

[Pugsy]

This is an HC254 btw.

Sorry I was assuming you had the F & P Icon...that has the 60 L/min large leak red line.

Your HC254 has a 95 to 100 L/min large leak red line area you want to avoid.
I can't remember exactly but it is very generous.
If you are seeing 60 L/min showing most of the time then you should be fine. It does seem a little elevated based the mask's expected vent rate but maybe that's just the way that machine ends up figuring things.
I don't know a whole lot about the F & P HC 2xx series machines.

SH has a Windows version (in addition to the Mac) but it won't work the the HC 2xx series of machines...only the Icon.

So my fault...I assumed you had the Icon...don't have many HC254 users here...have a few that have the base model without data but not the full data machine.

I think you are probably doing just fine with that leak and I wouldn't worry about it.