Something I've noticed as a newcomer to this forum is the lack of cpap pressure settings being given. I'd like to suggest that since this could be useful information to gather, forum members leave a brief post here to say what settings they are using, if they've always used the same settings, and if they have changed, is there a reason why, for instance weight loss, gain, age etc? Did you use an oximeter to arrive at your settings and if so which one?
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The questions are coming like dominos. What happens when the desats are not from Apnea? Do they PAPem anyway? is there any follow up to verify that it is apnea?
In the US the over-night ox test is typically followed up with a PSG. Sometimes the doc will throw in a HST prior to the PSG. Over here it is all about 100% verification so that no one gets sued.
I am glad that the U.K. system has your stamp Tiger.
I think I should PAP my PSG afetr I've sorted out my HST :)
Sorry, couldn't resist.
The norm here (in my city, not necessarily UK as a whole) is that one is declared to be suffering from OSA, given a PAP rig and sent home to get on with it.
Follow-ups are annual and of the ,"Are you still snoring" type. I think it's more about them having enough patients to justify their jobs - lovely people, just lost in State administered medicine. PSG? jeesh! you'd be lucky to get one at sleep study/diagnosis time?
But hey! it's for free (if you don't count a lifetime of compulsory monthly deductions from your salary).
Leicester and Papworth Hospitals offer an excellent service, APAPs for all and great follow-up including a drop-in centre, so I'm told by patients there. We can get it right, just mostly don't.
TF
Here in sunny Burnley (cheapest housing in the UK) believe it or not I'm supervised by St James at Leeds, an hours train ride away and two taxis! - the schedule here is to be seen every two years unless you have a problem, but due to pressure of overwork they are currently running around 10 months behind, so when I sent in my DVLA license forms in (three year review because of my diabetes originally) I got hassled as to why I had not seen a 'consultant' for around 2 years 7 months - all sorted though, I rang them and they gave me an appointment in May and the dvla seem happy with that. Odd isnce I have not had a sleep study for 15 years other than being lent an APAP for one night and that was years ago.
I've ordered an oximeter and expect it shortly - watch this space!
PS For our American brethren DVLA = driver and vehicle licensing agency. I can hardly take the mick out of rockhinklerpsgt for not expanding his acronyms then failing myself !
I am sorry Caveman. My wife and I are both in the electroneuro diagnostic field. I also spend quite a bit of time with other techs. I sometimes forget that not everyone knows the slang or acronyms that I use on an everyday basis. Well at least when I am talking shop.
PAP is short for CPAP.
RPSGT=Registered Polysomnography Technologist or Sleep Tech for short.
PSG= Polysomnography or the sleep study.
HST=Home sleep study.
@Tiger, thanks for all of the info you have provided. I am finding that knowing how things are done in different cultures is very educational. I believe that there is not all that much difference in the Pros and Cons of your sleep industry versus ours. It's just different.
Thanks Rock. Have added the new words to the A-Zzz's Definition Blog of mine on here ;)
RockHinkleRpsgt said:
PAP is short for CPAP.
RPSGT=Registered Polysomnography Technologist or Sleep Tech for short.
PSG= Polysomnography or the sleep study.
HST=Home sleep study.
I am learning so much already - a huge thank you to everyone -
what is certainly clear with regards to sleep apnoea, modern medicine and patient care are clearly failing for many, regardless of where in the world ...
I hope the efforts of the The British Lung Foundation and Philips Respironics partnership in the 3 year Mission to raise Sleep Apnoea Awareness can help improve care and treatment.
thank goodness for people like you all here to inspire and give confidence.
so looking foward to asking the hospital more searching questions next visit ...
sleep well
hugs Jacks xx
Hey Guys, First post to this Forum so bear with me. I've read through most of the comments on this thread and it seems that some are not receiving the support they need from their hospital. I have to say that I have found the staff at the sleep clinic in Edinubrgh Royal very helpful and supportive if I have had any issues. They even gave me an APAP home so that I could check to see what my apnoeas were up to and whether my treatment was working. The only issues reported after using the APAP was that I was having mask leakage and that my pressue should be increased slightly so they gave me a new gel mask to try which unfortunately wasn't successful but I applaud them for trying to help. I general don't tamper with the settings on my CPAP more through lack on knowledge than anything else. Anyway it's great to have a forum like this with such knowledgable people, Kath has really helped me out when I needed it. Well done to all involved.
Bye for now....bacon roll and cup of tea calling!!!
We're also fortunate here in Hull, Julie, in having great supportive staff who bend over backwards to help :)
Sorry, I've been looking back through the posts on this thread and have realised that I never replied to Rock's query about why my machine was set wide open - 4-20. It was for diagnostic purposes. Had several clinic visits to check what was going on. I'll leave more explaining for another time as I'm very tired and needing to go to bed. Big thank you to all the helpful people on this site and your American sister site.
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