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Can a CPAP machine treat central apneas?

Sleep Health | Last Active: Aug 30 12:13pm | Replies (37)

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I, too, have mostly central apneas and hypopneas. I don't think my CPAP makes a difference in either, but I have been monitoring my central/hypopneas with a pulse oximeter. I just stop breathing, and 30 seconds go by as my O2 sinks, then I breathe again. My CPAP shows the ratio shown in the image above. But when I talked to my pulmonologist, he showed me his report. As far as he could see, my sleep apnea was 'fixed' because my AHI was 4 and under. All that report showed was the AHI. He was apparently not able to drill down. And of course, the O2 level isn't shown either. Nor is the time they appear, which I think would be helpful for treatment. Just bothers me that this information is available to the machine and the user isn't available to the doctor.

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Replies to "I, too, have mostly central apneas and hypopneas. I don't think my CPAP makes a difference..."

I recommend you go to apneaboard.com and see the marquee at top, a thick black one. On it, mostly toward the right, is OSCAR. That is a freeware, safe, that you can download and make an account. Then, remove your SIM card from the slot on your machine and read it, either in a reader or in a slot in an older PC/laptop. Allow OSCAR to read the data, and soon you'll get a comprehensive depiction of all your important and relevant data. This data should match all data available to a sleep coach or to a physician specializing in sleep and sleep disturbances.