Events Per Hour

I am new to the world of CPAP, or in my case BIPAP. I know my question is properly one for medical professionals, but I am certain that some here will have an informed opinion.

"My Air" shows that I average fewer than two events per hour. Three per hour is the highest I have recorded, and .2 per hour the fewest. From what I have read five per hour is the baseline for needing treatment. The trump card is that during my sleep study I desaturated O2 down to 77%, which I understand is considered severe.

Given the desaturation level, does that indicate I will be on BIPAP for life, or is there reason to hope I can get off this leaf blower strapped to my face?

Yes...I will ask the doc when we do a follow up. Just seeking opinions here. Thanks.

You averaged a low number because you were on the machine... stop using it and your numbers will go right back up.

But apart from the fact technology is changing very quickly, so the likelihood of you're being on C(or bi) Pap forever is not that high, you'd be much better off to download Sleepyhead (free) to see what goes on overnight because MyAir gives you almost no useful data. Really. Most of us are on SH and can help you find you way (not hard) through it. You need an SD card and would post reports on e.g. Imgur.com, leaving a link on this thread.

What model of which machine are you using (1-2 newer ones aren't yet SH compatible)?

Machine is air curve v10 Auto.
Pressure is set to 20/6

My apnea is mild, before treatment. It is the fact that my O2 levels drop so low that triggered treatment.

Thanks again for your opinion.

AHI is only one measure - the fact that your O2 dropped down so low probably means that your events lasted a long time.

You are lucky the treatment is working so well.

Think of the therapy like a brace that someone wears on their leg. As long as the brace is on they can walk fine, take the brace off and they crumple.

Accept the fact that this therapy has almost no side effects and is used only while you sleep. It will keep your organs strong and functional (including your brain) - it beats wearing a colostomy bag, using a wheelchair, artificial limbs and having a stroke.

Mild Sleep Apnea means that you stopped breathing 5-15 times an hour.
CPAP/BIPAP treats Sleep Apnea...they do not cure Sleep Apnea.

BlackSpinner wrote:AHI is only one measure - the fact that your O2 dropped down so low probably means that your events lasted a long time.

BS is right. And if it were me, I would get SH and check out how long the Apneas your still having are. I can tell you from experience that my OAs were under 2 but I was still having desats of 77 and apneas of 90 sec long. I have had regular apneas of 120 sec with an Apnea Index of around 5.