Test User's Overview of Apnicure's Winx system

[SleepingUgly]

There's a sensor at the top of the container. This is supposed to tell the machine if it gets full. The problem is, due to saliva being foamy after being sucked down, it seems to get the sensor wet. I think it has some back-off functionality if it's starting to get a little wet (to avoid sucking down a ton of moisture, or to save the pump?) and it will actually turn off completely if it gets really wet.

The "a bit wet" feature is annoying - I think the sensor is just not working properly since it seems to trigger a reduced effort too easily.

The "completely off" feature is understandable, but it needs to have some type of alarm.

I'm going to ask about it when I'm calling them tomorrow. I think both these problems are design things which can be addressed - it's just a very new machine.

I'm told by Winx that this issue has been rectified in the machines they are disseminating now.

[Xney]

I'm told by Winx that this issue has been rectified in the machines they are disseminating now.

Cool. I'm returning my loaner today, gonna try to get my own machine ASAP. So far I like it a lot, but I'll need to use it for a while to see if it's better or worse. As an early user, I expect there will be a few rough patches.

[Xney]

I ordered my own Winx! Apnicure is saying they've fixed the issue with the premature moisture detection in recent builds. I have no idea if it's true or not - I guess we'll see. The loaner was a pretty old manufacture, relatively speaking.

I'm sad that I don't have one now to use for a bit. My sleep between my sinus infection and the various problems going on wasn't good enough to really tell how it was doing, but it didn't feel worse than the CPAP. If they fix the moisture problem, I could see it at least being as good as the xPAP stuff for me.

Once insurances start to support it, I could see the Winx being pretty popular. xPAP will no doubt remain the gold standard, though. It's just soooo hit or miss on whether the Winx is going to work for somebody. Given the need to determine the vacuum pressure to have a solid seal in a sleep study, and the need for a sleep study to detect whether it's treating OSA, it's not going to be easy to get like a xPAP.

We'll see, I wonder how it'll be with a month or so of use - crossing my fingers.

[cosmo]

How much?

[Xney]

Well, it's on a deal from last year which isn't going to be available for long. So I'm not sure my cost would apply to anybody else

Insurances will start to cover it over time.

[Xney]

Got my own machine in the mail today. I'll update after a night or two on it!

Assuming all the parts are there..

[Xney]

Here's the box it came in. Now, I don't really care about the box & packaging, really, but I have to admit they did a great job with it. It felt a lot like unpacking an iPad, which is a big compliment. The box comes with the Winx, a tank, tubing, power supply,and of course, if you use it wrong, it will suck your face right off. Also a carrying case and the mouth piece holding thingy.

A separate package had the mouthpiece for my size.

I wasn't going to have photos of the package, but it's nice enough to warrant some:

box:



inside:



If there's anything you're curious about, just let me know - I can post photos.

What really counts is whether it works, and works well for me. I'm looking forward to giving it a shot, so we'll see.

[SleepingUgly]

It does look like a cool gadget in that minimalist tech-looking box. I think their slogan, instead of "Freedom to dream" should be "freedom to drool". It's hard to get beyond the saliva aspect, but at this point I'd try anything. I like the "unmasking sleep apnea" part.

However, I heard from winx that one needs to have enough soft tissue in the palate to pull the palate forward and obtain a vacuum. I happen to be seeing my ENT, so I will ask how much soft tissue I have. I am betting not enough.

[Xney]

Yes, you definitely need enough soft tissue to create a seal AND pulling your tongue/tissue forward has to address your problems. Not sure how many people that will be true for.

They're addressing the saliva thingy. It sounded like it wasn't a problem for everybody, or even most people. It could just be some of us. But they did say they had a solution, different membrane at the top of the tank (the detector) and some kind of strip I put into it to reduce the foamy-ness. We'll see how it works!

[cosmo]

Glad you're able to get your own!

You don't have an oximeter? I want to see some data

[Xney]

Heh no, but even without anything in a sleep lab it only went down to 88% or something. Almost all hypopneas rather than obstructive apneas (at least a few years ago)

On xPAP the lowest desat was like 92-93% but I still felt like poo so...

[Xney]

Update after 2 nights of using my own, newer machine:

It's nice having your own machine, and this one is also newer than the loaner they had. A couple of interesting notes:

1) (good) The saliva thing seems to be pretty much fixed for me. I haven't noticed it doing anything weird with the newer tank sensor (photo below)

2) (good) The new machine seems to have a stronger vacuum, hasn't seemed to go down at all or lose itself unless I deliberately lose the seal or move a lot

3) (bad) the old machine, when it achieved the full vacuum, would turn off or mostly off. The new one never seems to turn off. This is good in the sense that it makes for a very consistent seal, and it's not uncomfortable. However, the machine is making noise consistently. I would say due to it being at a higher "pump" noise level regularly, it's more noisy than my xPAPs were, although very loud. The xPAPs sound like a "woosh" air sound, but the winx sounds like a "pump" boat kind of sound.

4) I'm experimenting with different ways to clean the mouthpiece, since I now have a spare new one. Their recommendation is to wash it in warm water, which I think would be totally inadequate after a week or two. They're aware of the issue, and trying to figure it out. In the meantime, I'm going to try out some different things as I go along the 3 month period you're "supposed" to use it before you replace it. (This is not approved by the manufacturer)

I'm following up with Apnicure on #3, not sure if it's intentional or not.

Medically, I think there's no issues in that it's not shutting itself off or losing vacuum (from what i can tell falling asleep, anyways)



This is the new top of the tank. You can see the modified membrane at the top, which I guess dries out more easily or doesn't get as wet as easily. It's covered in something white and blue. The old one was just the naked membrane, which had trouble drying out quickly (according to them)

The few times I've seen the flashing orange on the machine which indicates partial moisture, it seemed to maintain vacuum fairly well. I'm anxious to see if this remains true as it's used more and more.

[SleepingUgly]

The xPAPs sound like a "woosh" air sound, but the winx sounds like a "pump" boat kind of sound.

I don't know what a pump boat kind of sound is, but this does not sound good. Is it something you could block out with white noise machines?

[Xney]

Hm well I could see if I can make an audio recording of it. If you've heard a vacuum pump, it sounds just like that. It's not particularly loud - it's more noticeable because it's not quite regular. (the vacuum pump works harder and easier at times)

[SleepingUgly]

How is it going with the Winx?

BTW, is it even feasible to use the Winx with CPAP, or no way? (obviously this is only for true masochists...)