PR System One Questions vs Autoset

[titanus]

Hi,

I'm on the fence between getting a PR System One APAP or a REsmed Autoset II APAP. Last time I had a sleep study my AHI was 26 and IIRC I was set to 8 cm (maybe a little less).

I've thoroughly read the specs on each machine and read a lot on this forum about what people think of each. I have some questions I was hoping I could get some help with.

1) Is the System One's A-flex like the M-series A-flex in the sense that the exhalation relief ends before you've stopped exhaling and it starts climbing back to inhalation strength while you're at the end of the exhalation or pausing between exhalation and inhalation?

2) I've read a couple of people complaining that the System One ocassionally sends a strong burst of air to check for Central sleep apnea, and that this wakes up the user or makes it hard to fall asleep. Is this true? Is it that annoying? Can it be turned off?

3)My main concern between both machines is: which will make it easier for me to fall asleep? Compliance is a problem for me, I have a resmed S8 escape blower and even though I've tried getting used to it for a long time I simple can't use the thing. So comfort is the biggest issue for me. Which is the most comfortable to fall asleep with?

Thanks!

[SleepingUgly]

2) I've read a couple of people complaining that the System One ocassionally sends a strong burst of air to check for Central sleep apnea, and that this wakes up the user or makes it hard to fall asleep. Is this true? Is it that annoying? Can it be turned off?

I can't compare the two machines because I've only had the Respironics M Series and the PR System One Auto.

I would not describe it as a strong burst of air. If what I'm feeling is the clear airway detection, I would describe it more like a gentle puff. The only trouble I had falling asleep with it was when I was trying to use the Oracle, an oral device (and I'm still not sure if what I was feeling was due to the CA detection). I don't find it annoying. I was having some issues with what people have described as a kind of buzzing/drilling sound, which was accentuated when my ear was against the pillow, but it is much better since I switched to Cflex + and now I don't notice it. With the Cflex+ I feel a sort of very mild ebb and flow... hard to describe, but not bothersome and maybe even slightly soothing.

I don't know if the puff of air/CA detection is any stronger at higher pressures. I'm at a pressure of 8.

[robmax]

I'm one of the people who had trouble with the PR1: the puffs of air, the whining/dentist-drill sound in the background of my Darth Vader breathing. But the worst part for me was that the machine wouldn't let me breathe at my own pace. I'd be exhaling, and before I was done the machine would be shoving air at me, regardless of A-flex or C-flex setting. I'd be inhaling, and the flex would kick in. (It was even worse than the M-series I'd tried for two months before.) Since my pressure sometimes went to 18 or 19, I'd wake up frequently and would feel as if I were in a losing battle with a hurricane. After nearly a month of this, I returned the machine, got out my ten-year old tank model for a few days, and ordered an Autoset II from cpap.com because my newly-owned DME doesn't do business with Resmed. The Autoset II is incredible. I slept for a full uninterrupted seven hours the first night. As my grandmother used to say, this machine is the Bee's Knees.

Caveat: Everyone's different, so it would be best if you had a chance to try both of them before choosing one.

And now I've realized I'd better change my profile . . .

Rob

[packer]

it really is a personal taste type thing
I had both- thought the resmed was great- until I had the pr 1- it simply
is better for me- i have not noticed the puff of air- did not know it existed-and with the two brand new units I tried the pr1 was
noticeably quieter- no whines or anything like that- so dont know what to say about it - other than not on mine

I have been using the pr1 several weeks now-- it is so quiet that my wife literally asked if it was on-

again- i tried both and chose pr1- but the resmed was fine also- either would be a good choice-
to me it comes down to the little things like quietness- etc
you can turn off or adjust about anything with the pr1 - aflex or cflex- etc

try them both for a week if you can- it was a real learning experience
as for the software, that will get solved- and the DME version will get out like it did with the aflex-
simply how the world works

I dont think you can go wrong with either- Packer

[ozij]

I add my voice to the "try them both".

I'd like to add something else too:
Don't expect magic -- try to analyse (or tell us) what it is that bothers you when falling asleep -- there can be many reasons for that, not all of which are machine related.

O.

[titanus]

Thanks for your opinions guys... keep 'em coming!

I don't have the option of trying them out. I live in Peru, and most doctors don't know what a CPAP is. There is only one company that sells them (at outrageous prices I might add - that's why I'm buying online now) and they don't rent or lend. So I gotta buy based on the info I get from the internet.

It's hard to pinpoint exactly what makes it so hard to be compliant - I just can't fall asleep! Sometimes it takes hours.
One annoying factor is that I'm very used to sleeping on my stomach, and it's difficult to sleep on my back or side when using the CPAP. It's something I'm working on through practice and some alprazolam.
The mask was definitely very annoying, although since I've changed from a nasal mask to nasal pillows that particular area has been much more less troublesome (I had a resmed nasal mask that used to leak all the time, and feeling it was uncomfortable).
The feeling of the air pressure when I'm exhaling is a big bother too. I'm hoping the new apap I get with exhaling relief will solve that.
Lastly, the noise of air whooshing. The machine itself is pretty silent, it's the noise created in the tube and mask of flowing air that annoys me.

At the moment I'm tilting a bit towards the resmed. From all the comparison reviews I've read people who prefer the system one acknowledge that the autoset II is almost as good, but I've read a few autoset fans mentioning that they can't stand the system one. So that makes me think that the autoset would be the safer choice, seeing as I can't test them and I haven't read of anyone not liking the autoset.

If I were to get the system one, does anybody know where I could get hold of the encore pro 2.2 software? or the autoset software? can't seem to find 'em.

[Muse-Inc]

The software availability might tip the scales one way or the other. There is no user software for the PR1...yet; they keep saying there will be but there are no firm dates; I am not sure how much data is available in the machine's LED as I've never used it. The AutoSet lets you review (in its LED) the following data for the last sleep session, or wk, or month, or 6 months: AHI, AI, HI, 95thcentile pressure (meaning that 95% of the time the pressure was less or equal to that number), leak, usage. Plus, the AutoSet II, like other ResMeds Series II machines, has a really nice MASK FIT feature that lets you adjust your mask to an excellent fit as well as HUMIDIFIER WARMING setting. The software cannot legally be sold to end users in the US; there is an Australian site that sells it and many here report having ordered it. The PR1 does have an excellent re-designed humidifier that users report prevents rainout.

I'm one who loves my AutoSet; it's EasyBreathe technology matches my breathing perfectly and the EPR settings are wonderful as I gradually became intolerant to exhaling against my old CPAP pressure.

[el_zorro]

I have a PR System One Straight CPAP and a Resmed S8 Autoset II.

I like them both. I use the PR System One as my daily home machine and I use the Resmed as a backup/travel machine and occasionally to check my pressure at home. My sleep lab did a great job with my pressure setting, so my autoset ends up going right to the pressure setting that the DME set for my based on my titration study which is 11 so straight CPAP is working well for me at this point.

I'll try to summary my comparison into points.

CFLEX vs EPR
I cant comment on AFLEX but I am very happy with CFLEX+, I find it slightly smoother than EPR.

Data
The LCD data is better on the Resmed which includes daily numbers. The PR system one only has 7 and 30 day averages. The clinical software is good on the PR System One but it only available to DME and Doctors. It does report on Central Apneas which is unique I think. PR System one uses a non-proprietary card reader (off the shelf SD card reader works), you need the software to read the data but the card itself is not proprietary. Resmed requires a proprietary data link card reader.

Humidification
This one is a big one for the system one. PR has solved rainout with their new humidifier, it is a very slick and solid design. The Resmed works well once you get the setting turned down but if you like to sleep in a colder room you will need a heated hose solution for the Resmed.

Ease of Use
Slight advantage for Resmed. Menus are slighly more intuitive and more info is available.

Someone else who has an PR System One auto might want to comment on its auto functions. So far I am very happy with the autoset as far as auto functions.

Both seem like extremely solid machines that will both last for years. My goal is to be able to get 5 years out of the pair of them.

[fadedgirl]

I have the PR System 1. I am a newbie, so for what it is worth:

I definitely notice the puffs of air. It may rouse me for a second when I'm falling asleep, but I do fall asleep with it. I wonder if it doesn't wake me somewhat when I'm asleep that I simply am not conscious of, or if its the cause of my waking up entirely a few times per night. Not a fan of that.

It does not match my breathing whatsoever, which is very annoying ~~ I do not like it. Plus, it seems as though that is the very last thing someone with sleep apnea needs. I thought I had a lemon, but I guess that is its standard.

The "heated humidifier" doesn't heat the air at settings 1 or 2, and only barely at 3. I quit using it as I'm not a fan of humidity, but I wasn't impressed with that. Along with dry air I like it quite cool 99% of the time, but one night I felt frozen to the bone and was less than pleased that I couldn't get any heated air out of it...even after running it for several hours.

I also detest the fact that I cannot access last night's figures on the unit's LCD. Its inexcusable that Respironics deliberately prevents the display of this data on the unit. In order to get it, I have to take the smartcard out, download it, and then mess around with the software report. As if I have time for this everyday? What a major pain in the ass. OR you can reset your machine's data every day, so that the "averages" are just your daily number. But if you care to have your data history for analysis or provider purposes, you still have to take the smartcard out and download the data before you reset it. Same 'ol pain in the ass.

The LCD has no backlight! I can barely read it even in the daylight, and its nearly impossible to read at night even with my bedside lamp right above it. This makes making any settings changes nearly impossible. Very aggravating and again: not an excusable intentional design decision by Respironics.

I like that it is very small and quiet. And that it is gray and subtle (versus blue and white, blech!) aesthetically.

I will be getting the Resmed Autoset if it matches one's breathing! Frankly, it may be worth getting just for the backlit LCD and so that I can instantly see my info from the night before. Less cursing = more sleeping!

[ozij]

fadedgirl, no heated humidifier can heat the cpap air.
You need a heated hose for that. I got mine more that 4 years ago at http://www.sleepzone.com.au -- it's been in constant use, and is worth every penny.

O.

[Uncle_Bob]

titanus, Any reason why its just a two horse race at this point?

At the time of writing the Resmed Autoset is rate 4.9 out of 5 on cpap.com and the PR1 is just 4.2 out of 5.

Is there any reason you are not looking at the F&P SleepStyle 254 Auto CPAP currently rated at 5 out of 5?

It sounds like you might benefit from the SenseAwake feature of the F&P 254 to help you with complaince.

https://www.cpap.com/cpap-machine/fishe ... ifier.html

[Hose_Head]

Thanks for your opinions guys... keep 'em coming!

I don't have the option of trying them out. I live in Peru, and most doctors don't know what a CPAP is. There is only one company that sells them (at outrageous prices I might add - that's why I'm buying online now) and they don't rent or lend. So I gotta buy based on the info I get from the internet.

I hope that you are aware that Resmed USA will not allow USA online sellers such as CPAP.com to ship Resmed products out of the USA. You do have the option of buying online and having the Resmed products shipped to an American address (friend or relative?) and have it reshipped to you from there. This also is something to keep in mind when you need to purchase filters and other parts in future for a Resmed xpap.

[titanus]

titanus, Any reason why its just a two horse race at this point?

At the time of writing the Resmed Autoset is rate 4.9 out of 5 on cpap.com and the PR1 is just 4.2 out of 5.

Is there any reason you are not looking at the F&P SleepStyle 254 Auto CPAP currently rated at 5 out of 5?

It sounds like you might benefit from the SenseAwake feature of the F&P 254 to help you with complaince.

https://www.cpap.com/cpap-machine/fishe ... ifier.html

To be honest I reduced the list to those two because both resmed and respironics have lots of followers here and in other sites, and those were their top offerings in the APAP department. I haven't heard anything of the F&P unit. The 5 out of 5 is impressive, but then again the sample size is small (5 people). Have you used this machine? Would you recommend it over the other two?

I hope that you are aware that Resmed USA will not allow USA online sellers such as CPAP.com to ship Resmed products out of the USA. You do have the option of buying online and having the Resmed products shipped to an American address (friend or relative?) and have it reshipped to you from there. This also is something to keep in mind when you need to purchase filters and other parts in future for a Resmed xpap.

Yeah I know. I'm shipping it to Florida and then getting it reshipped here. Importing replacement parts doesn't bother me much... it seems the the local company never has anything in stock anyways, and they first sell things before they actually bring them over to deliver them.

[fadedgirl]

fadedgirl, no heated humidifier can heat the cpap air.
You need a heated hose for that. I got mine more that 4 years ago at http://www.sleepzone.com.au -- it's been in constant use, and is worth every penny.

O.

Well no wonder! I do have an Aussie Heated Hose en route. Thanks for the info, its nice to deduct one con from my PR 1.

[SleepingUgly]

If the noise is an issue for you, consider getting a white noise machine to block it. That might help you sleep.