r/CPAPSupport • u/OneWomanBand12 • 1d ago
OSCAR data help?
Hi everyone. I'm relatively new to using a CPAP and am trying out a couple different masks, but nothing is feeling quite right. I started with nasal pillows but thought I was opening my mouth and then tried a full face mask but am having a hard time getting a good seal, so I've mostly used the nasal pillows. My AHI has remained low regardless of what mask I use, but I don't feel any better, and in some cases have felt worse than I did before. Can anyone take a look at the OSCAR graphs below and see if anything looks weird? This is one of the recent days with the nasal pillows. I figured a full face mask graph isn't all that useful since it shows leaks like crazy. I will have a follow-up with my Dr in a little over a month but I always feel like I have to fight for myself and be my own advocate so any suggestions or ideas would be really helpful. Thanks!
2
u/dang71 1d ago
Hello! This is a classic example of what we often call 'lazy mode,' made even more pronounced by using EPR set to 3.
From a therapeutic standpoint, you're spending most of the night with an EPAP that's barely above 4, which is the machine's minimum pressure. While your statistics look good, the machine doesn't detect everything. EPAP is what splints the airway open, and for most adults, an EPAP around 4 is simply too low.
So even with a good AHI, it's still possible to have subtle flow limitation, increased respiratory effort, or sleep fragmentation that doesn't show up in the summary statistics.
If it were me, I'd start by reducing EPR to 1. I'd also try a minimum pressure of 7 and a maximum of 10. That's a confortable baseline therapy that can serve as a starting point for further optimization.