OSA SI Initial Medical

[Shopshirt]

Received my SI paperwork for OSA today! From start to finish the process took about 2 months. Thanks to all who provided information about the proper paperwork needed to get it through the process.

For Future Reference

• OSA Diagnosis
• 1 year cumulative CPAP Report showing an average of 6 hours per night.
  
• Letter from the Doc stating the treatment is effective and you are not experiencing daytime sleepiness.
  
• Airman compliance with treatment form
• Put your name date of birth and PI Number on all pages (I also put my SSN just in case.)

Thanks Again!

 

[bbchien]

Received my SI paperwork for OSA today! From start to finish the process took about 2 months. Thanks to all who provided information about the proper paperwork needed to get it through the process.

For Future Reference

• OSA Diagnosis
• 1 year cumulative CPAP Report showing an average of 6 hours per night.
  
• Letter from the Doc stating the treatment is effective and you are not experiencing daytime sleepiness.
  
• Airman compliance with treatment form
• Put your name date of birth and PI Number on all pages (I also put my SSN just in case.)

Thanks Again!

That, is for renewal. On the first one, if you have 30 days' of Supercompliant (>6 hrs, >75% of nights) data, and a good "current status" letter from the treating doc, they will let you have it.

For renewal, print your data evey 90 days so that if your card or wifi doesn't hack it, you have enough to show.

 

[Shopshirt]

Thanks for the update Doc. I had 1 year's worth of data so that is what I provided.

 

[Kananesgi]

First post.

Sorry to dredge up a (somewhat) older topic, but I figured it's better than posting a new topic on the same subject. I am looking at getting my PPL over the next year or so. My "Introductory" flight is a week from this coming Saturday, and due to finances it'll probably take me the better part of 2 years to complete the training (maybe not, we'll see). Unfortunately, I'm worried about the medical situation since I have already been diagnosed with OSA and I've been on a CPAP for close to a year now. The problem is I am on it for DOT requirements (I'm a commercial truck driver), which only requires 70% usage at >4 hrs per night. My initial plan was to go for Sport Pilot, but I am too heavy for the only LSA and instructor in the area, and the LSA is apparently about to be sold, too. The CFI told me about Basic Med, which would work perfectly for me, but I have to get a normal 3rd Class certificate first.

I'm looking for some clarification here. As I said, DOT compliance is 70% nights at >4 hrs usage. Is the FAA requirement 75% nights >6 hrs usage, or just 75% usage with an average of >6 hrs per night? There are fairly often times when I can only sleep for about 6 hrs or less, so getting 75% above that mark might be difficult. Just getting an average above that mark is a lot more doable for me. Heck, I'm averaging nearly that now (5.6 hrs), so it shouldn't be that difficult to raise it up another ~25 minutes or so.

Also, would I be able to get my first SI with the 30 days of "Supercompliance" @bbchien mentioned, given that I have already been using the machine for nearly a year now? If I can just get the initial SI out of the way, I'm planning to use Basic Med from then on.

 

[Matthew]

Pretty sure FAA seems to want >75% of your nights to be >6 hrs. I don't have the letter in front of me on how they explain it, but basically, if you don't get >6 hrs for that night, you can't count it.

 

[bbchien]

First post.

Sorry to dredge up a (somewhat) older topic, but I figured it's better than posting a new topic on the same subject. I am looking at getting my PPL over the next year or so. My "Introductory" flight is a week from this coming Saturday, and due to finances it'll probably take me the better part of 2 years to complete the training (maybe not, we'll see). Unfortunately, I'm worried about the medical situation since I have already been diagnosed with OSA and I've been on a CPAP for close to a year now. The problem is I am on it for DOT requirements (I'm a commercial truck driver), which only requires 70% usage at >4 hrs per night. My initial plan was to go for Sport Pilot, but I am too heavy for the only LSA and instructor in the area, and the LSA is apparently about to be sold, too. The CFI told me about Basic Med, which would work perfectly for me, but I have to get a normal 3rd Class certificate first.

I'm looking for some clarification here. As I said, DOT compliance is 70% nights at >4 hrs usage. Is the FAA requirement 75% nights >6 hrs usage, or just 75% usage with an average of >6 hrs per night? There are fairly often times when I can only sleep for about 6 hrs or less, so getting 75% above that mark might be difficult. Just getting an average above that mark is a lot more doable for me. Heck, I'm averaging nearly that now (5.6 hrs), so it shouldn't be that difficult to raise it up another ~25 minutes or so.

Also, would I be able to get my first SI with the 30 days of "Supercompliance" @bbchien mentioned, given that I have already been using the machine for nearly a year now? If I can just get the initial SI out of the way, I'm planning to use Basic Med from then on.

FAA requirements are just that. Do you understand what a “standard” is?

Just because you can use 4 hrs and drive a truck does not mean so for an airplane.

And, “No” does not mean "ask again”.

Sigh.

 

[Kananesgi]

Thanks for info.

I never suggested that I could fly based on what I'm doing now. I wanted clarification what the standard is because I've seen it written both as an average and not. An example of that is in this very thread (op says average and you didn't correct it in your reply). Since the CPAP machine lists the "average per night" on its main display and on the printouts, it's not out of the realm of belief that the FAA might use that as its standard.

 

[Kelvin]

I can't sleep *less* than 6 hours using my CPAP...

 

[Brad Z]

FAA requirements are just that. Do you understand what a “standard” is?

Just because you can use 4 hrs and drive a truck does not mean so for an airplane.

And, “No” does not mean "ask again”.

Sigh.

A little harsh, Bruce. He was asking what the standard was. I suppose we could have just pointed him to the FAA guidance.

Here's what it says:

For CPAP/ BIPAP/ APAP:
A copy of the cumulative annual PAP device report which shows
actual time used (rather than a report typically generated for insurance providers which only shows if use is greater or less than 4 hours). Target goal should show use for at least 75% of sleep periods and an average minimum of 6 hours use per sleep period.

 

[Kananesgi]

A little harsh, Bruce. He was asking what the standard was. I suppose we could have just pointed him to the FAA guidance.

Here's what it says:

For CPAP/ BIPAP/ APAP:
A copy of the cumulative annual PAP device report which shows
actual time used (rather than a report typically generated for insurance providers which only shows if use is greater or less than 4 hours). Target goal should show use for at least 75% of sleep periods and an average minimum of 6 hours use per sleep period.

Thank you for that. Thats what I was looking for. The problem I'm running into is with the terminology:

"...75% of sleep periods and an average minimum of 6 hours use per sleep period."

That "average minimum" is what's throwing me. There is a difference between sleeping more than 6 hours and averaging more than 6 hours. I may just be splitting hairs here though.

 

[Matthew]

Thanks for info.

I never suggested that I could fly based on what I'm doing now. I wanted clarification what the standard is because I've seen it written both as an average and not. An example of that is in this very thread (op says average and you didn't correct it in your reply). Since the CPAP machine lists the "average per night" on its main display and on the printouts, it's not out of the realm of belief that the FAA might use that as its standard.

Yeah, CPAPs can show "average hrs per night" and the FAA document says "average minimum of 6 hours use per sleep period" (The word "average" in that sentence is confusing. I think they were trying to work around someone sleeping 4 hrs, getting up to pee, then sleeping 2 more hrs.) You can get a copy of something called Sleepyhead, either for Mac or PC. Install it, then have it import data from the SD card in your CPAP. SH can be configured for a 6hr compliance report (default is 4), and then you simply tell it to print a report. It will show every night, highlight the nights >6 hrs, and do all the averages and percentages. If your CPAP doesn't have an SD card, there are other ways, but not simple ways.

 

[Kananesgi]

Yeah, CPAPs can show "average hrs per night" and the FAA document says "average minimum of 6 hours use per sleep period" (The word "average" in that sentence is confusing. I think they were trying to work around someone sleeping 4 hrs, getting up to pee, then sleeping 2 more hrs.) You can get a copy of something called Sleepyhead, either for Mac or PC. Install it, then have it import data from the SD card in your CPAP. SH can be configured for a 6hr compliance report (default is 4), and then you simply tell it to print a report. It will show every night, highlight the nights >6 hrs, and do all the averages and percentages. If your CPAP doesn't have an SD card, there are other ways, but not simple ways.

Ok, I'll look into that. Right now I'm reliant on the reports that ResMed generates online. I wonder if Sleepyhead is available for Linux...

(edit)...woo-hoo, it is available for Linux!

 

[bbchien]

A little harsh, Bruce. He was asking what the standard was. I suppose we could have just pointed him to the FAA guidance.

You're right, Brad. I just get so tired of people asking, "do I have to comply". It drives me nuts.

The global statistics page is only useable if you have a really high, e.g. 98% useage. A block of average hours could be construed in a manner that doesn't yield 75% of nights with >6 hours' usage, e.g, if you have 40% of nights with 5:55 usage and some very long sleep sessions, you make average hours allright but not "75% of nights showing 6 hours or more of use". And I have a few guys like that- the swing shift work guys at the nuclear facility, for example. "Here's my compliance, now reissue me!?" is answered with,

Got to sleepyhead.
Get the chart graph program for creating the report.
Put your SD in the SD USB reader dongle
Create the bar report.

The graph below- once created by Resmed, the other by Sleepyhead, is what is required.

Airman cannot seem to understand that the STANDARD (and that is what it is), requires that the agency actually count the bars with heights over 6 hours. And they have people to do it.
(Right or wrong....(?))

 

[idahoflier]

Dr. Chien,

As long as we're discussing OSA, I believe I heard a few years ago that there was discussion of OSA being added to the CACI list in the future. Is there any truth to that? If true, would you have any idea when that might occur?

Thanks!

 

[Kananesgi]

You're right, Brad. I just get so tired of people asking, "do I have to comply". It drives me nuts.

I can understand that. In my defense, I wasn't trying to dodge being compliant, I just wanted to clarify what I needed to do to get compliant. My apologies if it didn't come across that way.

"75% of nights showing 6 hours or more of use".

This is precisely what I needed. It's probably going to be difficult with my schedule, but this tells me exactly what I need to accomplish. Once I get home and get SleepyHead compiled for my computer, I'll know where I am now and start working on a plan to get where the faa wants me. Thanks!