What can cause a sudden increase in pressure on CPAP?

Last night I was woken by the machine putting too much air inme. I usually see about 10 (cmH2), but last night it jumped to 13.5, and this is with the machine in APAP mode, humidifier running etc. I do lay on my side now, and the seal is really good after advice fro this board..
Is there anything that can be checked? Filters, Hoses (mine is the style of hose with a thinner tube within it for pressure monitoring to adjust within APAP mode), and my mask is a RESMED Quattro.
Thanks

If your machine increased pressure from the lower to the higher, that is because it detected one of two things. Either you were having problems while you were sleeping (had an event) or that there was a leak and it increased the pressure to try and keep you breathing like you should. I would check the clinical settings and see what the pressure is set for as the Max.

An APAP when it operates in the Auto mode has 2 settings, the min and max.

If you go into the clinical settings, you should be able to turn off the APAP mode and just have it run as a CPAP to where it will stay at your setting of 10.

David

usually pressure increases are not "sudden" but gradual and many machines have algorithms that will raise the pressure only 3 units in a short period of time -

do you have the software to look closer at the data? I bet there were several events that triggered this.

drj130 wrote:...or that there was a leak and it increased the pressure to try and keep you breathing like you should.

It is my understanding that the machine should not increase pressure in response to a leak, but rather it will increase the air flow to attempt to maintain the target pressure... I'm not an expert, so my understanding could be mistaken. I'm curious if some of the forum veterans could clarify... I have seen this stated before that pressure will be increased in response to leaks, but it doesn't seem right to me.

jmelby wrote:

drj130 wrote:...or that there was a leak and it increased the pressure to try and keep you breathing like you should.

It is my understanding that the machine should not increase pressure in response to a leak, but rather it will increase the air flow to attempt to maintain the target pressure... I'm not an expert, so my understanding could be mistaken. I'm curious if some of the forum veterans could clarify... I have seen this stated before that pressure will be increased in response to leaks, but it doesn't seem right to me.

That's true (generally speaking). I verified that with some of my own experiments once. However, if the "pressure" is not sufficient (as opposed to volume) due to leaks, and/or allows some events to occur, then those events (flow limitations, hypopneas and apneas) will cause the machine to increase pressure......which can increase the leaks and then the cycle continues. At some point, it will hit the upper pressure limit ("runaway") or the leaks will stop or the user wakes up.


Den

Thanks everyone. I will CPAP it tonight, and see what happens. I dont have software yet, but compliance and hour useage.

Steves396lt1 wrote:Thanks everyone. I will CPAP it tonight, and see what happens. I dont have software yet, but compliance and hour useage.

Hi,

Until you get the software and know what happened, I think I'd consider staying on APAP. If you were having events and need the pressure, then CPAP will not be able to respond. I think you need to know if you are having events, and if you need the extra pressure to prevent them. If you do go to CPAP, then you might want to run at the higher pressure so the machine is always ready to give you treatment. The issue with doing that is that higher pressure can have side effects, too. I think you should keep things the way they are at until you have visibility into the data.

-john-

jweeks wrote:

Steves396lt1 wrote:Thanks everyone. I will CPAP it tonight, and see what happens. I dont have software yet, but compliance and hour useage.

Hi,

Until you get the software and know what happened, I think I'd consider staying on APAP. If you were having events and need the pressure, then CPAP will not be able to respond. I think you need to know if you are having events, and if you need the extra pressure to prevent them. If you do go to CPAP, then you might want to run at the higher pressure so the machine is always ready to give you treatment. The issue with doing that is that higher pressure can have side effects, too. I think you should keep things the way they are at until you have visibility into the data.

-john-

Good point. Maybe in some due time I can get the software. 100 dollars is a lot right now.

.

Steves396lt1 wrote:Thanks everyone. I will CPAP it tonight, and see what happens. I dont have software yet, but compliance and hour useage.

The Puritan Bennett 420E which you show in your profile shows neither compliance nor usage on the its screen.
Something doesnt' fit here.

O.

I hated that aspect of apap. It woke me up all night long. Any little leak and that pressure goes up. You cough, the pressure goes up, you turn, the pressure goes up. I changed to cpap and its great.

Steves396lt1 wrote: Good point. Maybe in some due time I can get the software. 100 dollars is a lot right now.

Check around online ... I bet the software is available for download somewhere.

If you know the name of the software, do a search in google or whatever search engine.

cobra4x4 wrote:

Steves396lt1 wrote: Good point. Maybe in some due time I can get the software. 100 dollars is a lot right now.

Check around online ... I bet the software is available for download somewhere.

If you know the name of the software, do a search in google or whatever search engine.

Been searching, cant find it anywhere. ;(

ozij wrote:.

Steves396lt1 wrote:Thanks everyone. I will CPAP it tonight, and see what happens. I dont have software yet, but compliance and hour useage.

The Puritan Bennett 420E which you show in your profile shows neither compliance nor usage on the its screen.
Something doesnt' fit here.

O.

All you do is hit the information access button on the bottom left for a few seconds then click through and it shows you all kinds of data.

Steves396lt1 wrote:

ozij wrote:.

Steves396lt1 wrote:Thanks everyone. I will CPAP it tonight, and see what happens. I dont have software yet, but compliance and hour useage.

The Puritan Bennett 420E which you show in your profile shows neither compliance nor usage on the its screen.
Something doesnt' fit here.

O.

All you do is hit the information access button on the bottom left for a few seconds then click through and it shows you all kinds of data.

Please check the machine you put in your profile. The Puritan Bennett 420e does not have a information access button, at all. As a matter of fact, it has not buttons on the bottom left.

Please check the machine next to your bed and the data you get on the screen. If you have the Sandman Auto, there is no reason your data should be limited to leak and compliance.

O.

Give me your email and I will send you a manual for my CPAP 420 E. It has information access buttons and I use it everyday.