how to read Polysomnography and Cpap Titration report

I have 5 page report each for Polysomnography and Cpap Titration. What are the key figures I need to look into ? as
I want to order it online at cpap.com.

For example, this is the reading (summary) from the first page :




The recommendation is - Nocturnal CPAP 9.0 cm H20.

Your AHI puts you just over the line between Moderate and Severe OSA. But your O2 desats "trump" that, making PAP therapy a must...and soon!

You should benefit from CPAP (or APAP) therapy. It sounds like you want to be involved with your therapy. That's a good thing, and it will require a data-capable machine. (For purposes of discussion "compliance data" is worthless. Make sure yours gives detailed data. Just because it has a removable card does NOT make it a detailed data machine.) That way you can read and interpret your progress often and make changes as appropriate.

Your next choice is whether to go Auto (APAP) or not. Auto machines vary the pressure as needed, tailoring your therapy in response to your apnea events. However, there are downsides to Auto, as well. Many Autos can be run in either mode (CPAP or APAP) giving you the option to go with whichever mode gives you the best therapy. I have a RemStar M-Series Auto w/a-flex. I normally run it in CPAP, but every few months I'll spend a week on APAP to ensure my pressure is optimal. Best of both worlds, IMHO. (And my doctor concurs...) The machine I mentioned above gives several options (mode, range of auto, type of exhalation relief, etc.) It is also FULLY data capable. I would recommend it highly...but there are othercomparable makes and models available, of course.

thanks LinkC for the informed reply.
I am providing more info from the sleep study.



There are so many knowledgeable people here and I hope somebody would know the answers.

The total duration of sleep was 162.5 minutes then according to this formula - Apnea events, plus Hypopnea events and divide by the total number of minutes of actual sleep time, then multiplied by 60,

my AHI is = 2+61/162.5 X 60= 23

1)is this correct ?

2) I dont have any apnea episodes during REM period ?

3) how bad is my apnea-desat statistics ?

thanks from a newbie !

greenfx wrote:thanks LinkC for the informed reply.
I am providing more info from the sleep study.



There are so many knowledgeable people here and I hope somebody would know the answers.

The total duration of sleep was 162.5 minutes then according to this formula - Apnea events, plus Hypopnea events and divide by the total number of minutes of actual sleep time, then multiplied by 60,

my AHI is = 2+61/162.5 X 60= 23

1)is this correct ?

2) I dont have any apnea episodes during REM period ?

3) how bad is my apnea-desat statistics ?

thanks from a newbie !

I can tell you from working in a sleep lab, that it is very common for people to not have any episodes while in REM sleep. We also see the opposite where REM sleep is the only sleep stage people have a problem. Your apnea-desat isn't too bad, but still significant enough to cause problems. I have seen peoples oxygen drop to 50% while asleep! When we do sleep studies we look for a 4% decrease in oxygen or lower, as they (doctors) say 4% decrease is significant enough to cause the heart to work harder to make up that lack of oxygen. You also deprive the brain of oxygen during apnea and this is why so many people wake up with headaches.
You are correct thought! There are allot of knowledgable people on here, and this is why every single patient of mine gets the CPAPtalk.com flyer when they leave!

greenfx wrote: The total duration of sleep was 162.5 minutes then according to this formula - Apnea events, plus Hypopnea events and divide by the total number of minutes of actual sleep time, then multiplied by 60,

my AHI is = 2+61/162.5 X 60= 23

1)is this correct ?

2) I dont have any apnea episodes during REM period ?

3) how bad is my apnea-desat statistics ?

For #1, not quite right. You should divide by 118.5, as that was the actual sleep time, for about 32. We've all seen worse. By the way, it is as normal as can be not to have slept well during a sleep study. As for #3, I didn't think those desat statistics were so bad, but others may disagree. You never got down into the 70s or below, and the number of desaturations into the 80s was relatively small. That's not to say you don't have OSA and shouldn't seek treatment -- quite the opposite. But with these numbers, I wouldn't lose sleep worrying that I'd already done myself grave damage. I'd say you were someone who got on top of this problem early.