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About Dave Walsh RRT
(Top Expert on this page)

Expertise
Registered Respiratory Therapist and Licensed Respiratory Care Practitioner (IL). Thirty-five years in the field of Respiratory Care with the last twenty-five years spent concentrating in the area of sleep disordered breathing. Established the first hospital based compact multiphysiologic recording program for the diagnosis and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). I`ve been fortunate to have the opportunity over the past fifteen years to travel across the country and train fellow heath care practitioners in the scoring and analysis of compact sleep apnea studies.

Experience
I'm proud to have built a comprehensive sleep disorders center in Chicago during the '80s and to then go on and build the first hospital based compact multiphysiologic recording program in the country. I now operate DRW&Associates Inc, providing sleep disorders case management services to the community along with both attended sleep studies in sleep labs along with unattended sleep studies done in the home.
   

You are here:  Experts > Health/Fitness > Sleep Disorders > Sleep Apnea

Questions Answered By Expert  Dave Walsh RRT 
In Category  Sleep Apnea

SubjectDate Asked

events and arousals11/21/2009
  Q: I was diagnosed couple years ago with osa. I had my cpap with pressure of 9. I recently went on ...
  A: James: I applaud your attention to your OSAS. But please note that a pulse oximeter is a simple ...
Stop breathing at night9/30/2009
  Q: I was just diagnosed with sleep apnea today just got my results from my sleep study. last night i ...
  A: About the only advice I can give you in order to minimize the effects of sleep apnea until you get ...
Apena in women9/5/2009
  Q: I have had trouble sleeping for many years (I fall asleep fine, but wake frequently and cannot go ...
  A: Marie: Glad you stopped by AllExperts.Com! My advice to you is to check out your local sleep ...
treatment8/4/2009
  Q: Just wanted to ask if you have heard of anyone that has tried 5htp for apnea? I have read it can ...
  A: 5-HTP is considered experimental at best. Although the logic behind the hypothesis that it is ...
MMA6/12/2009
  Q: I live in NYC and have been diagnosed with severe obstructive sleep apnea. My sleep doctor and my ...
  A: Dylan: I am sorry I do not know any ENT surgeons IN NY but have you already tried CPAP therapy? I ...
re Bilevel Readng5/19/2009
  Q: I've had sleep apnea since 2001 form a CPAP to now a bi-level machine and is now at 25 in and 22 ...
  A: Lise: My advice to you is to have a repeat CPAP titration. The BiPAP numbers you provided appear ...
Surgery for OSA5/15/2009
  Q: Lately, I have been feeling very sleepy during the day and wake up with headaches and feeling tired. ...
  A: Jesse: Thanks for getting back to me. At 5'9" and 162 your BMI is well below 30, so weight would ...
Surgery for OSA5/15/2009
  Q: Lately, I have been feeling very sleepy during the day and wake up with headaches and feeling tired. ...
  A: Glad you stopped by AllExperts.Com! Before you begin moving toward invasive and irreversible ...
sleep apnea in the non-overweight4/16/2009
  Q: I'm a 25-year-old woman who has recently been diagnosed with mild OSA (but moderate category in REM, ...
  A: Carla: Please forgive me for not responding sooner. I was alerted from the AllExperts webmaster ...
Sleep Apnea diagnosis4/15/2009
  Q: I was diagnosed with sleep apnea a couple of years ago after my doctor suspected my high blood ...
  A: Debbie: I'd like to help you if I can, but I will need more details of the sleep study results ...
Feel apnea not as severe as study shows4/9/2009
  Q: I was diagnosed with sleep apnea over 10 years ago. Used a CPAP for couple years. Was always ...
  A: I would not say the results are wrong but there might be some question as to the appropriate amount ...
possible sleep apnea?4/6/2009
  Q: My boyfriend has complained about waking up in the middle of the night gasping for air, knowing he ...
  A: Courtney: I'm not is a position to offer diagnosis but the best advice I can give at this time is ...
long uvula3/14/2009
  Q: please advice me on how to go with a long uvula. Half of my uvula was cut when I was like five years ...
  A: Gladys: Glad you stopped by AllExperts.Com! My advice to you is to have your son looked at by an ...
new to this2/26/2009
  Q: I just had a sleep study at SLEEP HEALERS, in Plano, Tx. I am 57 weight 179 and have a special needs ...
  A: Glad you stopped by AllExperts.Com! If your apnea/hypopnea index (AHI) is 43 (and accompanied by ...
Help...I am told I have severe Sleep Apnea2/14/2009
  Q: Walsh, I am a 46 year old male and by all indications am overweight. I am 5'10" and weigh 225lbs. ...
  A: Glad you stopped by AllExperts.Com! The numbers you give for the results of your sleep study are ...
Sleep study: total sleep time1/13/2009
  Q: I had a study done and was told I must have a CPAP test as I had severe obstructive sleep apnea ...
  A: Glad you stopped by AllExperts.Com! Yes, you may have been sleeping in spurts as you describe. We ...
How bad are the numbers1/12/2009
  Q: I was just told today that I have sleep apnea. I am a 55 year old male who works everyday and ...
  A: Danny: Glad you stopped by AllExperts.Com! The number your doc is referring to is what we call the ...
Defective machine?12/10/2008
  Q: My symptoms of sleep apnea were so definite that my Doctor and I decided to go ahead and buy a ...
  A: Earl: The PA has shed some light on the subject for me and I hope you will extend my thanks to her. ...
Defective machine?12/10/2008
  Q: My symptoms of sleep apnea were so definite that my Doctor and I decided to go ahead and buy a ...
  A: Earl: In summary: 1) you have had a sleep study that showed you have OSAS, 2) you've been on ...
sleep study12/3/2008
  Q: if you were considering a sleep study would you recomend going to a sleep center or doing the at ...
  A: Jim: There are limitations to the unattended in-home sleep study in that it concentrates on sleep ...
cpap and periodic limb movement disorder11/24/2008
  Q: Ihave plmd or nocturnal myoclonus,and was sent to a sleep study and they said i needed a cpap ...
  A: James: I know of no evidence that shows CPAP therapy successfully treats primary PLMD, NM or RLS ...
Sleep Apnea11/24/2008
  Q: My husband is 33 years old and is chronically tired. He had a sleep apnea test done a few years ago ...
  A: Kristy: Thanks for stopping by AllExperts.Com! I feel for you and hope your situation turns around ...
Mixed sleep apnea11/24/2008
  Q: I have mixed sleep apnea and am being treated with a CPAP at 13, but still am tired. They have ...
  A: Corey: Thanks for stopping by AllExperts.Com! Increasing a CPAP pressure level without data to ...
diagnosed but no explanation-Ont.,Canada11/14/2008
  Q: A few months ago I was in the hospital with a strange virus. While in E.R. care , they noted that ...
  A: Linda: Glad you stopped by AllExperts.Com! :) You appear to have two main questions in your post ...
OSA without snoring?11/6/2008
  Q: I am a 22 year old male, 6' 160lbs and I was just recently diagnosed with OSA. The thing I find ...
  A: Jordan: Thanks for clarifying. If the sleep study had shown significant CSA, it is safe to assume ...
OSA without snoring?11/6/2008
  Q: I am a 22 year old male, 6' 160lbs and I was just recently diagnosed with OSA. The thing I find ...
  A: When you say you were "recently diagnosed with OSA" may I assume you had a sleep study, the results ...
Defective machine?10/11/2008
  Q: My symptoms of sleep apnea were so definite that my Doctor and I decided to go ahead and buy a ...
  A: Earl: Let me preface by saying my comments are based on whatever info you have provided to date and ...
POST NASAL DRIP AND SLEEP APNEA10/7/2008
  Q: I SUFFER SLEEP APNEA AND USE THE CPAP MACHINE SINCE 2 YEARS. LATELY I AM FEELING THIS UNCOMFORTABLE ...
  A: Ercilia: I had this same problem a while back and found that after I soaked my CPAP hose and ...
Central Sleep Apnea10/3/2008
  Q: Can obstructive sleep apnea be mistaken for central sleep apnea? I recently went through a sleep ...
  A: Lisa: Methinks you have been exposed to info overload regarding your sleep study results! Long ...
oxygen levels10/3/2008
  Q: I had another question related to oxygen sat levels. Is it normal for sat to decrease a little when ...
  A: James: Yes, it is normal for SPO2 to fluctuate with body position, metabolic rate changes, etc. ...
Tired through the day9/30/2008
  Q: I'm female 24 and I get really tired through the day. I fall asleep quite easy but usually wake up ...
  A: Nicola: Glad you stopped by AllExperts.Com! It would appear on the surface that you might have ...
Waking up suddenly with choking sensation9/2/2008
  Q: I have had a few episodes where I will wake up out of a deep sleep choking. I can't seem to inhale ...
  A: Misha: The best advice I can offer, given the info you provided, is that you consider making an ...
Sleep apnea concerns8/26/2008
  Q: So good of you to share your time & knowledge on allexperts. My doctor suspects I have sleep apnea ...
  A: Ron: It is very important that you make clear to the anesthetist that although you have not been ...
Defective machine?8/23/2008
  Q: My symptoms of sleep apnea were so definite that my Doctor and I decided to go ahead and buy a ...
  A: Earl: My hunch is that the machine is probably working as it should but that an auto-set system is ...
Defective machine?8/22/2008
  Q: My symptoms of sleep apnea were so definite that my Doctor and I decided to go ahead and buy a ...
  A: Let me see if I understand this correctly: your physician prescribed CPAP therapy without a ...
cpap vs bipap in nmd6/28/2008
  Q: I have written before about having hypoventilation at night due to an underlying mitochondrial ...
  A: Linda: Well, at least you are being given a choice. As for me, I consider CPAP and BiPAP to be ...
cpap vs bipap in nmd6/27/2008
  Q: I have written before about having hypoventilation at night due to an underlying mitochondrial ...
  A: Linda: No, I don't think you are making too much of this issue. In fact I applaud your enthusiasm ...
O2 questions6/14/2008
  Q: What does O2 nadir means in a sleep study and what are the normal values? Also, what are oxygen ...
  A: The SPO2 nadir is just a fancy word for the lowest SPO2 (oxygen saturation of the blood as measured ...
Sleep Apnea Study6/13/2008
  Q: A few months back I had a sleep study done because the insurance company stated I needed it for jaw ...
  A: Karen: The respiratory summary points to essentially unremarkable results regarding sleep apnea. ...
Sleep Apnea Study6/13/2008
  Q: A few months back I had a sleep study done because the insurance company stated I needed it for jaw ...
  A: Karen: Thanks for the further details. And as is the case with most sleep lab reports, this type ...
Sleep Apnea Study6/12/2008
  Q: A few months back I had a sleep study done because the insurance company stated I needed it for jaw ...
  A: Karen: I'm a bit confused. You first say the sleep study report came back "normal" but then you ...
Leak compensation6/10/2008
  Q: What does it mean when a PAP machine says it has "leak compensation"? Thanks, Roberto
  A: Roberto: Simply put, if there are any small leaks detected by the flow sensor in the machine it ...
BiPAP compliance6/9/2008
  Q: What recommendations can you give me regarding BiPAP compliance? I am having a very hard time ...
  A: Roberto: The best advice I can give you is to check out when and where your local AWAKE support ...
hypoventilation6/9/2008
  Q: I am 43 yrs old with a dx of mitochondrial myopathy with proximal and respiratory muscle weakness. I ...
  A: I'll simply cut to the chase and tell you I do not have any particular words of wisdom. But when I ...
BiPAP's6/8/2008
  Q: Dave: Are there any advantages of fixed BiPAP's over Auto-BiPAP's? Why would someone choose one ...
  A: I personally do not think the auto-BiPAP is better than a fixed setting BiPAP. I say this because ...
do i have sleep apneia?6/5/2008
  Q: i am 21 years old.i am 7stone in weight,i am 5 foot 2'',i smoke a fair amount and used to drink ...
  A: One does not have to be overweight to have symptoms of sleep apnea. And insomnia and sleep apnea ...
dental device5/30/2008
  Q: I have been on cpap for 2 days and am having trouble exhaling but will give it some time. My ...
  A: You will need more than two days to acclimate to nasal CPAP therapy. After a while you should get ...
Interpreting my polysomnogram5/24/2008
  Q: I am 29 years old with OSA & Atrial Fibrillation and am looking for help understanding my sleep ...
  A: David: You ask if apnea events are important in the absence of arousal. I would say that if the ...
Odd feeling when I wake up....?4/22/2008
  Q: I'm a 20 year old guy and I've been having some strange symptoms. I wake up almost every morning ...
  A: Patrick: Some things that make sleep disordered breathing worse are weight, alcohol, smoking, drug ...
Odd feeling when I wake up....?4/20/2008
  Q: I'm a 20 year old guy and I've been having some strange symptoms. I wake up almost every morning ...
  A: Patrick: It's good that you are checking our your symptoms and taking an interest in this. As you ...
UPPP Surgery4/6/2008
  Q: I am a 59 y0 woman with several medical conditions. One of those conditions is mild sleep apnea. ...
  A: Carole: Before committing to a irreversible surgical procedure, perhaps you might first ask your ...
still tired3/7/2008
  Q: I was diagnosed with upper respiratory sleep apea about 3 months ago after suffering for a couple ...
  A: Kelsey: Glad you stopped by AllExperts.Com! In order to try and help you, I'll need a bit more ...
pain in upper chest when waking2/26/2008
  Q: This is a kinda random question...I am a 26 woman without children, overweight, allergy asthma and ...
  A: Tiffany: Given your reportedly large tonsils, being overweight and the question of sleep apnea you ...
obstructive sleep apnea question1/31/2008
  Q: What can I do about obstructive sleep apnea and also is there a correlation between that and ...
  A: Janice: Glad you stopped by AllExperts.com! I'd like to address your concerns, but your question ...
snoring/stop breathing while sleeping11/9/2007
  Q: I am 37 year old female. within the past year I have noticed I have caught myself making a loud ...
  A: Carrie: Glad you stopped by AllExperts.Com! Your description of symptoms is consistent with a ...
Dry Mouth9/20/2007
  Q: I am a new user of a cpap machine and the dry mouth is incredible. I am getting better sleep but my ...
  A: Glad you stopped by AllExperts.Com! I'm a CPAP user myself and experience the same problem on most ...
Possible Sleep Apnea?8/14/2007
  Q: I've been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and cfs, but so far have found nothing to relieve the ...
  A: Tanya: Glad you stopped by AllExperts.Com! To make a long story short, yes - you should lobby your ...
PSG results - how to tell if CPAP is successful?6/16/2007
  Q: I have PSG results from two sleep studies done at the same location. The first was PSG w/PES and ...
  A: Sue: Glad you stopped by AllExperts.Com! Hope I can help with this inguiry... I think common ...
sleep apnea side effects5/27/2007
  Q: My husband was diagnosed with high bp, possible periphreal neuropaty and sleep apnea in the same ...
  A: Mandy: Thanks for clarifying. The in-home sleep study is designed to rule in/out sleep apnea only; ...
sleep apnea side effects5/26/2007
  Q: My husband was diagnosed with high bp, possible periphreal neuropaty and sleep apnea in the same ...
  A: Sleep apnea does cause high blood pressure. May I ask what were the results of his sleep study? As ...
Dry mouth with CPAP machine5/9/2007
  Q: I've been using my CPAP machine for over 1 year and often wake with extremely dry mouth. I'm using ...
  A: Glad you stoppped by AllExperts.Com! The dry mouth is indeed most likely due to your mouth being ...
Awaking breathless5/2/2007
  Q: Dave. Thank you for taking my question. The problem is this: very often, maybe every other day, I ...
  A: Glad to have you stop by AllExperts.Com! May I first suggest you take the sleep apnea quiz at ...
SLEEP APNEA AND CPAP MACHINE3/25/2007
  Q: I have went through the test and I stopped breathing 115 times that night.I have been on cpap fo ...
  A: Dave: Glad you stopped by AllExperts.Com! If you are having trouble being compliant with a ...
severe sleep apnea3/21/2007
  Q: Dave, I have been diagnosed with severe sleep apnea. I am 34yr old male, 6ft 223LBS. I have been ...
  A: Martin: Glad you stopped by AllExperts.Com! I'm not sure if you will find "other peoples tests on ...
How many is to many?2/28/2007
  Q: I had an overnight study about 3 months ago that showed that I was having 17 "events" per hour.. ...
  A: Eric: glad you stopped by AllExperts.Com! The "events" number you are referring to is called the ...
Sleep Apnea & the Heart12/8/2006
  Q: Does sleep apnea have anything to do with heart disease? What I mean is, can having sleep apnea ...
  A: Penny: Glad you stopped by AllExperts.Com! Unfortunately, your husband is correct in that sleep ...
cpap machine10/23/2006
  Q: How can I change my air pressure on a resmed s7? I have been using my machine for 2 1/2 yrs. @14 ...
  A: Ceri: Glad you stopped by AllExperts.Com! Sounds like you have widely differing therapeutic ...
sleep apnea6/8/2006
  Q: I think I have sleep apnea and am presently being checked out by my physician for the same. Besides ...
  A: Dannielle: Sounds like you had an unattended sleep study that focuses on sleep disordered breathing ...
Help with sleep apenea5/26/2006
  Q: Parent had a fall. Discs are messed up in neck and back. Uses oxygen and has sleep apenea. ...
  A: RJ: Sorry to hear about the unfortunate accident. As for options other than nasal or oral CPAP, ...
Sleep apnea2/10/2006
  Q: I am 45 years ol and have been wearing a cpap for about 5 years. I went from using 6 as a pressure ...
  A: Gary: glad you stopped by AllExperts.com! There are several variables at work here. First, how ...
OSA question2/2/2006
  Q: I was just diagnosed with 'probable' OSA. My sleep study is next week. Any info you can offer will ...
  A: Glad you stopped by AllExperts.com! Lots of questions... :) As for prepping for the test, you are ...
Treatment12/25/2005
  Q: I was diagnosted with sleep apnea meny years ago, I was told that I had 700 to 1000 epasodes a night ...
  A: Bob: glad you stopped by AllExperts.Com! The answer to your question is yes, you should have had ...
Why is it that they can place...12/8/2005
  Q: Why is it that they can place stints in arteries to releive obstruction but something similar cannot ...
  A: Billy: glad you stopped by Allexperts.com! There are at least two oralpharyngeal/nasal stent ...
When will I notice a Change?11/28/2005
  Q: I have completed the overnight sleep study and also the 2nd night to adjust my cpap. It has now been ...
  A: Doug: glad you stopped by AllExperts.Com! Yes, each person's response to CPAP therapy is ...
Sleep Apnea10/3/2005
  Q: I was diagnosed with sleep apnea a couple of weeks ago and now on a CPAP machine with humidifier. I ...
  A: Mike: glad you stopped by Allexperts.com! First off, is your humidifier a heated unit or simply a ...
snoring9/14/2005
  Q: How can we know the cause of my boyfriends snoring? On a scale of 1 - 10 its a 10!!!......we have ...
  A: Ruthel: glad you stopped by Allexperts.com! Fistly, may I suggest some personal research on ...
Central Sleep apnea8/10/2005
  Q: Are there any labs that can measure the levels of arterial CO2 while sleeping to detect central ...
  A: Roberto: Glad you stopped by AllExperts.com! They do not normally monitor arterial CO2 by means of ...
snoring6/23/2005
  Q: My husband and I sleep in separate room because he snores and I am a light sleeper. Is there any ...
  A: Lee: glad you stopped by AllExperts.com! Heavy snoring is the most common sign of sleep disordered ...
Questions about some sleep parameters5/11/2005
  Q: For the following: SaO2 awake average = 97% SaO2 worst case = 90% Average SaO2 desaturation = 2% ...
  A: Roberto: glad you stopped by AllExperts.Com! Allow me to intersperse my answers to your questions ...
Interview~in a hurry4/26/2005
  Q: As you know I am Samantha Hildebrand and I am from Wissahickon Middle School. I will need to use the ...
  A: Samantha: I just read over your questions. I'd be glad to help you with your project, but this late ...
sleep and apnes4/17/2005
  Q: For the past approx. three months I have been suffering from hyper-sleep, i.e. I fall asleep ...
  A: Jan: glad you stopped by AllExperts.com! Probably the most efficient way for us to appraoch your ...
waking up unable to breath3/4/2005
  Q: I had a dream last night that I wasn't able to breath and when I woke up I realized it wasn't a ...
  A: Beth: welcome to Allexperts.com! The event you are describing is not unusual and can be caused by ...
cpap suggestions8/12/2004
  Q: My mother falls asleep before she can get her CPAP mask on. She hasn't been compliant for the past ...
  A: Ronda: glad you stopped by Allexperts.com! Like real estate, the key to success with CPAP therapy ...
Sleeping Problems6/29/2004
  Q: My girlfriend seems to snore very loudly everynight and it drives me crazy. I sometimes only sleep a ...
  A: Jonathon: glad you stopped by Allexperts.com! Although excessive daytime sleepiness is commonly ...
apnea cyre6/20/2004
  Q: overnight sleep study indicates moderate sleep apnea. recent pft pulmonary function test showed a ...
  A: Padraeg: glad you stopped by Allexperts.com! Couple of thoughts and some questions... 1) what ...
Test Question6/1/2004
  Q: I recently underwent a sleep study and was told by the pulmonary physician that I experienced 25 ...
  A: Charles: glad you stopped by Allexperts.com! As for "lowered pulse Ox levels," this is relative. ...
sleep apnea5/30/2004
  Q: I have sleep apnea and wanted to know why oxygen concentrators are not used to treat sleep apnea? ...
  A: Shay: glad you stopped by Allexperts. com! An oxygen concentrator and a CPAP machine are not ...
Automatic CPAP5/29/2004
  Q: I have moderate to severe OSAS diagnosed eight years ago. Since I was not a candidate for ablation ...
  A: Michael: glad you stopped by Allexperts.com! I have to admit that I have not found a need to use ...
Name for this?4/23/2004
  Q: I know that sleep apnea is when breathing stops during sleep, and as far as I know I don't have ...
  A: Briand: glad you stopped by Allexperts.com! Breath holding during wakefullness is quite common and ...
sleep apnea3/13/2004
  Q: The cost of testing for sleep apnea is so out of reach..even for deaparate people...I am wondering ...
  A: Laurel: glad you stopped by Allexperts.com! I hope I can help with your question. The traditional ...

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