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Can a CPAP machine treat central apneas?
Sleep Health | Last Active: Aug 30 12:13pm | Replies (37)Comment receiving replies
@gramps, Sorry for the confusion. I was asking if there was something in the CPAP machine that says "central apnea". I'm guessing they have to download all of the data from the CPAP machine to see the time periods where a central apnea occurred. I was thinking about the way the CPAP machine shows my AHI.
From the link below -- "Central sleep apnea occurs because your brain doesn't send proper signals to the muscles that control your breathing. This condition is different from obstructive sleep apnea, in which you can't breathe normally because of upper airway obstruction. Central sleep apnea is less common than obstructive sleep apnea."
-- Mayo Clinic - Central sleep apnea - Symptoms & Causes: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/central-sleep-apnea/symptoms-causes/syc-20352109
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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.