What does the FAA consider excellent compliance on a CPAP

[Chris Charanza]

So I've been checking off the boxes for the FAA and I'm down to the last checkbox (for now and hopefully period) and I've had my sleep study and it confirmed what I already knew that I do indeed have sleep apnea and I've already been on treatment now for 11 nights. I'm looking over the FAA OSA Initial Status Summary and it says Compliance data from PAP device representing 30 days if new diagnosis (may consider minimum of 2 weeks if data verifies excellent compliance, effective treatment and resolved symptoms) or 365 days if previously diagnosed and treated.

Does anyone know exactly what they consider excellent compliance. I mean so far I'm 11 nights straight with an average of 7 hours per night and my AHI on my machine is around 1-1.5 or so sometimes less (i'd have to look at it for specifics) and best I can tell my symptoms are resolved (i'm sleeping way better) and I guess I didn't realize how tired I was every day until I wasn't. I mean ultimately it's just 2 more weeks of data but i will have a follow- up with my sleep doctor on the 15th and it would be nice to package it all up then instead of having to have another appointment just to do a download and have him fill out the form. It took me over a month just to get the sleep study completed once i had my initial visit with the doctor and I'm trying to expedite what can be expedited.

 

[kell490]

They only care about 6 hours or more of 75% of the time. Also if your CPAP machine says 6 hours when you wake up go another 10 minutes over because it will show up in the history as 5:58 minutes. That is what happened to me bunch of days with 5:58 minutes I had to go another year of data now I'm at 88% compliance with 6 plus hours.

 

[Chris Charanza]

I guess what i mean is on my initial submission. When I got my original denial in 2013 for an unrelated issue I also had listed sleep apena as a past problem but never did anything with it. I am just satisfying requirements from back then and I'm needing to submit the initial paperwork but on the FAA site it says 30 days or 2 weeks so in my mind I'm like which is it 2 weeks or 30 days, it's quite confusing.

 

[kell490]

I guess what i mean is on my initial submission. When I got my original denial in 2013 for an unrelated issue I also had listed sleep apena as a past problem but never did anything with it. I am just satisfying requirements from back then and I'm needing to submit the initial paperwork but on the FAA site it says 30 days or 2 weeks so in my mind I'm like which is it 2 weeks or 30 days, it's quite confusing.

I would consult an AME first and ask them what they will want I think if it's a new diagnoses they let the AME issue but require follow up with the history once you have some history not sure if it's 2 weeks or 30 days doesn't really matter as long as they issue the certificate just make sure you stay above 6 hours. What I wonder about is if you mentioned to the FAA you were diagnosed with Sleep apnea back in 2013 and it was included in the denial will they require you to go 365 days of compliance or not will it be looked at as diagnosed but not following treatment plan (CPAP). I guess doesn't really matter anyway at this point since you have that denial no point in paying for a consult just fill out the MedExpress and go though the process. Do you expect deferral? IF so then it will take then months you have lots of CPAP data by then.

 

[Chris Charanza]

I would consult an AME first and ask them what they will want I think if it's a new diagnoses they let the AME issue but require follow up with the history once you have some history not sure if it's 2 weeks or 30 days doesn't really matter as long as they issue the certificate just make sure you stay above 6 hours. What I wonder about is if you mentioned to the FAA you were diagnosed with Sleep apnea back in 2013 and it was included in the denial will they require you to go 365 days of compliance or not will it be looked at as diagnosed but not following treatment plan (CPAP). I guess doesn't really matter anyway at this point since you have that denial no point in paying for a consult just fill out the MedExpress and go though the process. Do you expect deferral? IF so then it will take then months you have lots of CPAP data by then.

Yeah I'm literally on the back end of everything. In the letter from 2013 for the sleep apnea part it asks for a sleep study and the Initial Status report. Based on what I was reading I should be in the 30 day group I assume. I can't imagine they'd make me collect sleep data for a year, I think maybe the year is for someone who is already certificated and in order to keep flying you just start collecting data and then submit it when you re-up the SI although I could be completely wrong on all of this. I wasn't on a cpap when i filled out the paperwork in 2013 I just mentioned it. The truth be told regardless of the outcome I'm glad I went ahead and did another sleep study and got back on a machine. I didn't realize how tired I was until I got a good nights sleep. I just hope i can use the 14 days to get the ball in OKC's court and start the waiting game. I'll have the 14 days by the weekend. I've sent an e-mail to my AME to see if they could help me figure it out. I've also had to through the CogScreen for a past ADHD diagnosis which has now been disproven so I'm good to go on that ( I think ) and this is just the last thing for me to do and I guess I'm just anxious about it and ready to get it over with.

 

[kell490]

You have nothing to lose really since your already denied AME will guide you though the hoop jumping. If you were diagnosed back in 2013 with a sleep study they may view that as diagnosed but not following a treatment plan since it's been so long maybe what happened before doesn't really matter anyway. You got a new sleep study and like your starting out fresh again with a new diagnoses. I'm guessing that is how it will go the sleep apnea will be a non issues.

 

[Chris Charanza]

I really believe that I'll probably wind up in the category of either two weeks worth or 30 days of data and then I'll have it sent to my AME and it'll all be forwarded to the FAA at that time and hopefully it'll be serving up an Ace as I've seen written here.

 

[Randomskylane]

Iirc they will want original sleep study as well. Original dr appointments too. Also might take months to process. You really need the right doc to guide you because if you send a package of stuff and one item is missing you start over with next package in terms of processing time

good luck

 

[bbchien]

They want 30 days on your “initial”, and >23 with duration bars taller than 6 hours, then the well treated “ letter….

no “gold stars” are given…..

 

[Chris Charanza]

They want 30 days on your “initial”, and >23 with duration bars taller than 6 hours, then the well treated “ letter….

no “gold stars” are given…..

I'm not really worried about the time. I mean what is 2 more weeks in the whole scheme but it's very confusing as to why they would even put a 2 week option if they won't accept that. I will just give my sleep doctor the form and have him fill it out and give him the memory card to do what he needs to do. Either way it's not a big deal really. I'm just checking that box off so I can serve that ace as you say in a few weeks.

 

[Chris Charanza]

Iirc they will want original sleep study as well. Original dr appointments too. Also might take months to process. You really need the right doc to guide you because if you send a package of stuff and one item is missing you start over with next package in terms of processing time

good luck

I'm working with a good AME who is just waiting on me so they can submit everything. I'm just glad that I got all the other stuff done so I can quit worrying about it and this is all that's left. As far as the original sleep study i'm pretty sure that no longer exists in a form I can retrieve it. It was about 14 years ago. I do have a brand new shiny sleep study for them to see though.

 

[Randomskylane]

Fwiw- If you know who did it…ask for a copy (the faa will)

 

[Chris Charanza]

Fwiw- If you know who did it…ask for a copy (the faa will)

I am actually meeting with the doctor for a formal review of my sleep study. At that appointment I am going to provide him with the OSA initial status report paperwork and request that it along with the sleep study be sent to my HIMS-AME to go with my ADHD Neuropsychological Evaluation Report so that they can be sent to the FAA at the same time so yes, luckily i will have all that documentation ready to go. I'm basically completing stuff from 2013 when I got denied because of the ADHD medication I was on and this was the other thing they asked for because I mentioned I had been treated for it before. As far as that sleep study goes, it's gone with the wind. I can't even recall the name of the doctor for it but I'd imagine this new one is what they'd want anyway.

 

[Checkout_my_Six]

4.0 AHI or less......

 

[Chris Charanza]

4.0 AHI or less......

Last night was my 14th night using my CPAP and my AHI last night was 0.5 but it seems to be averaging between that and 1.5. I won't have an "official" number until the doctor downloads the data into whatever software he uses but I found some software that is compatible and downloaded it and on the daily reports it's always been 1.5 or less since I began treatment. I guess the extra time until the 30 day mark isn't that substantial but I'd just like to get this zipped up and have everything sent in sooner rather than later and I'm averaging 7 hours of use. One night out of 14 I got 5.75 hours of use because I just couldn't sleep but I'm averaging 7 hours over the period of the 14 nights.

I'm getting the thing about the 14 days from the FAA so it's somewhat confusing how they say 30 days then right next to it in parenthesis they say may consider a minimum of 2 week)

 

[kell490]

My AHI is averages about 2.0-2.4 it's gone up as I finely figured out a good mask. It was lower but my masks leaked before it gave high leaks, but lower AHI.

Does your CPAP allow you to see the history online I have a Resmed the 10 and 11 upload though the Cellular network. I find there isn't really any need to use the sd-card the sleep doctor is going to pull from the website anyway he never asks for the card its all cellular.

I pull a history off the website monthly lot easier then dealing with a sd-card and that oscar program. This is what the report looks like you can see it gives you >6 hour % on there easy to see if your meeting FAA standards. Used to be the site only showed 4 hours I'm sure they have enough pilots using it they requested the 6 hour %. I'm at 87% for 365 days should be more then enough.

 

[Chris Charanza]

I turned everything in on Friday. I had 30/30 days with an average of 7 hours per night with an AHI of 1.4. My sleep doctor completed the initial status paperwork and sent it along with my cpap download and sleep study. I should be ok I think. The sleep study actually was the last thing I had to complete along with a neuropsychological with cogscreen which the psychologist noted no aeromedically significant findings and no need for further testing and the report said it ruled out ADHD so hopefully in a few months I’ll be cleared of the hoops and hand an SI in hand so I can get back to training.