OSCAR: Central Apnea vs Clear Airway?

Does OSCAR use the euphemism "Clear Airway" instead of "Central Apnea"? Why? is there a distinction?

I ask because the "Clear Airway" events are keeping me from reaching AHI<3 on any given night.

I have a few AHI<2 nights but they are when CAs are non-existent.

This OSCAR program is dynamite. My thanks to those who labored to create it.

jimolson52 wrote: ↑

Thu May 05, 2022 5:14 am

Does OSCAR use the euphemism "Clear Airway" instead of "Central Apnea"? Why? is there a distinction?

It's not a euphemism. It's a term that covers both central apneas and times when a person just stops breathing. People regularly stop breathing when they are awake. When a person changes position in bed, they may reflexively hold their breath. ResMed machines can detect when the airway is open, but they can't tell whether the user is awake or asleep. Clear airway apneas when the person is awake are not an indication of sleep apnea and are of no concern.

This video has a good explanation - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OQFESwNXm0&t=254s

ResMed machines call the open airway cessation of breathing central apneas.
Respironics machines call the open airway cessation of breathing clear airway apneas.
Both mean essentially the same thing.

OSCAR was developed based on SleepyHead open sourced software. SleepyHead was written originally years ago for a Respironics machine....other brand compatibility came later.
The term "clear airway" was what that first SleepyHead used and it's just stuck through various SleepyHead versions and into OSCAR versions.

If you were to use ResMed's official software you would see the term central apnea used and wouldn't see any mention of clear airway apnea anywhere.

It's normal to have a few real asleep central apneas show up. Like it's normal to have what is called a sleep onset central...when we are transitioning from awake to asleep. Those are normal and unless someone has a truckload of them and they can't actually get fully transitioned to asleep they aren't a big deal.

It's also normal for the machine to mistake awake breathing pauses as some sort of central apnea or sometimes even OAs or hyponeas. These machines only measure air flow. They have no way to measure if we are asleep or not.

So it's very possible that some of your clear airway/central flags are false positive flagging or maybe real asleep central that is a sleep onset central.

jimolson52 wrote: ↑

Thu May 05, 2022 5:14 am

Does OSCAR use the euphemism "Clear Airway" instead of "Central Apnea"? Why? is there a distinction?

Oscar is the developmental child of sleepyhead, sleepyhead was originally built to process data from respironics machine.

"Clear Airway" is a term that was made up by philips respironics, for what the rest of the respiratory world calls "central apnea".

If you search google for "clear airway -respironics" the only references, you see are hits on pages like this where someone's trying to figure out what it means.

I need to get back into the Oscar development and see if I can get them to change it, because it's been confusing people for years.

Well, if I'd read Pugsy's most accurate post, I coulda saved this.

Chicago Granny is, however, wrong, it *is* a euphemism.

palerider wrote: ↑

Thu May 05, 2022 1:55 pm

I need to get back into the Oscar development and see if I can get them to change it, because it's been confusing people for years.

Yes...Please get someone to change that annoyance for me....I know...in your spare time which I am sure you are like me and have lots of.

Could I get someone to pay us a dime for every time we have answered that question?
I for one am sick of it.

palerider wrote: ↑

Thu May 05, 2022 1:55 pm

Chicago Granny is, however, wrong, it *is* a euphemism.

Your personality might be very slightly improved by keeping a dictionary handy.

ChicagoGranny wrote: ↑

Thu May 05, 2022 4:00 pm

palerider wrote: ↑

Thu May 05, 2022 1:55 pm

Chicago Granny is, however, wrong, it *is* a euphemism.

Your personality might be very slightly improved by keeping a dictionary handy.

a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing.

Some people freak out because they think a central apnea is some sort of terrible thing.

Ergo, eu·phe·mism
However, trying to get anything through your thick head is a non-starter.

Clear Airway Apnea was chosen because it is an accurate term. CPAP machines can only detect that the airway is not obstructed. The algorithms cannot identify Central Apneas.

Clear Airway is not used because Central Apnea is harsh, blunt, unpleasant, or embarrassing. Clear Airway is used because it is more accurate.

ChicagoGranny wrote: ↑

Fri May 06, 2022 4:31 am

Clear Airway Apnea was chosen because it is an accurate term. CPAP machines can only detect that the airway is not obstructed. The algorithms cannot identify Central Apneas.

Clear Airway is not used because Central Apnea is harsh, blunt, unpleasant, or embarrassing. Clear Airway is used because it is more accurate.

According to *ONE* company in the entire universe of respiratory therapy.

"Clear airway" covers both central apneas and awake breathing cessations. "Central apnea" is not correct in the context of this thread.

ChicagoGranny wrote: ↑

Fri May 06, 2022 4:15 pm

"Clear airway" covers both central apneas and awake breathing cessations. "Central apnea" is not correct in the context of this thread.

A central apnea means not breathing without any effort to breathe. The distinction with an awake cessation is that a central SLEEP apnea only happens when one is asleep.

"clear airway apnea" is, purely, a made up term by philips respironics. They are the only company that use it.

Search the literature of other respiratory device companies, I have.

Or just go on babbling what you're already babbling, and ignore facts, go with what you're good at.

palerider wrote: ↑

Fri May 06, 2022 4:25 pm

"clear airway apnea" is, purely, a made up term by philips respironics.

Yes, it is. They went for accuracy.

ChicagoGranny wrote: ↑

Fri May 06, 2022 4:29 pm

palerider wrote: ↑

Fri May 06, 2022 4:25 pm

"clear airway apnea" is, purely, a made up term by philips respironics.

Yes, it is. They went for accuracy.

Found the respirioncs fangirl.

Like most things related to respironics, facts don't matter.

whatever, please yourself, I've got better things to do than argue with someone who's unrepentantly wrong.

Clear airway is more accurate because it covers both the central apneas and normal awake cessations in breathing that all modern machines report. Reporting both of these two groups as central apneas is misleading. The confusion that this causes can be regularly seen in this forum. Members on the learning curve have to be told that what is reported as central apneas are often just normal awake cessations in breathing.

Clearly, hatred of Respironics can distort one's thinking away from the logical.

Points and counter points made. No one is going to change anyone so I suggest a cease and desist should take place.