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Hi All,

I have been diagnosed with sleep apnea and the doctor recommended to have a CPAP with humidifier. I have zeroed down on Resmed's S9 Auto Escape model, however someone told me the latest model is of inferior quality as compared to the Resmed's previous model S8 etc. Would like to get the feedback from the user who have been using the S9 model for past couple of years, the pros and cons, any problems faced etc.

Thanks

gurneet wrote:Hi All,

I have been diagnosed with sleep apnea and the doctor recommended to have a CPAP with humidifier. I have zeroed down on Resmed's S9 Auto Escape model, however someone told me the latest model is of inferior quality as compared to the Resmed's previous model S8 etc. Would like to get the feedback from the user who have been using the S9 model for past couple of years, the pros and cons, any problems faced etc.

Thanks

Welcome to the forum. You have a lot to learn. You will be well served to read a great deal before making uninformed decisions like the S9 Escape Auto. The S9 Autoset is the preferred machine if your only issue is OSA. PR System One Series 60 Auto CPAP would be another great alternate. Goal is to have as much information available to you as possible. Any ResMed machine with the word Escape in it does not offer all the information to assist you and your doctors in evaluating your therapy.

The sages on the site, who know a lot more than I do, say avoid the word Escape connected with the s9 because of its limited data capabilities. The S9 auto is the way to go so argue it with your insurance company. I just got the s9 myself last week and it is very easy to use, and very effective too.

gurneet wrote:Hi All,

I have been diagnosed with sleep apnea and the doctor recommended to have a CPAP with humidifier. I have zeroed down on Resmed's S9 Auto Escape model, however someone told me the latest model is of inferior quality as compared to the Resmed's previous model S8 etc. Would like to get the feedback from the user who have been using the S9 model for past couple of years, the pros and cons, any problems faced etc.

Thanks

The S9 autoset is an awesome machine. The S9 Escape Auto has no data other than hours of usage and ahi. There is a lot more to cpap treatment than that, so you really want to get the machine with full data. You will be able to look at your pressures through the night and see how it is changing and if you need to adjust your range. You may see that it is set too low and needs time to get to your needed pressure. Or perhaps it isn't set high enough at the top end and is stuck at the top, unable to help you. A simple change in pressures can fix these problems, but if you can't see what it is doing or what it wants to do, you won't be able to take advantage of it.

The Autoset also shows your breathing waveforms, leak (which can really mess up your treatment if it gets too bad), if you are still snoring, how deeply you are breathing, etc. You can see the graph of your whole night, and you can zoom in as much as you want to get a really good look. Another great feature is to see when your events are, what type they are, and how LONG they are. This can tell you much more than the ahi, as you can have a great ahi and still be having super long apneas. And it can help you adjust your treatment if you know when they are happening and if they are in clusters.

Welcome to the group. Get the S9 AUTOSET (or the respironics model that was mentioned, it also has great data and graphs). Do NOT get the Escape.

Thanks for the information, I would definitely look in to Auto Set model. Another question Is Resmed's S9 model as durable as its earlier model?

Guest wrote:Thanks for the information, I would definitely look in to Auto Set model. Another question Is Resmed's S9 model as durable as its earlier model?

The S9 autoset is my first machine, so I have no way to compare. I got mine April 30 of last year, so less than a year with it. I can tell you that I have had no problems with it. I am using the first humidifier chamber, first hose with no problems. I do travel at least once a month, so my machine goes with me. No problems. I have dropped it on the floor once (rolled over and pulled it off the shelf I had it on). I have since gotten a cabinet for it where it sits in a drawer (open at night, closed during the day).

I assume the OP is reacting to a post in a previous thread saying the S8 was better because the power brick was smaller and a few other physical comparisons.

I see no reason to go with an S8. I love my S9.

gurneet wrote:Hi All,

I have been diagnosed with sleep apnea and the doctor recommended to have a CPAP with humidifier. I have zeroed down on Resmed's S9 Auto Escape model, however someone told me the latest model is of inferior quality as compared to the Resmed's previous model S8 etc. Would like to get the feedback from the user who have been using the S9 model for past couple of years, the pros and cons, any problems faced etc.

Thanks

Sounds like somebody (maybe your DME?) is trying to get rid of an old model (S8) by dumping it on you.

Go to the ResMed products page and you won't even see the S8 series offered anymore:

http://www.resmed.com/us/products/produ ... c=patients

and it hasn't been for some time.

However, if you want to examine the differences as seen through the eyes of ResMed, you can use this comparison page which was designed at the time of the introduction of the S9:

http://www.resmed.com/int/products/prod ... c=patients

In any case, of course you want to avoid any "Escape" model for the reasons others have explained.

Regards, Nate

If you are purchasing the CPAP out of pocket and have limited dollars available, I would tell you that the S8 Autoset ll is an excellent machine. The negative is that it is difficult to find a card reader to see your data. It does, however give you substantial data on the LCD screen. I have used both the S8 and S9. The S9 is definitely quieter. If you are covered by insurance or have the money available, I would go for the S9 AUTOSET. If you are not interested is following your data..the S9 Escape give you the same therapy as the other S9s.

HI,

I read in one of the forums that
"The S9 is actually quite noisy, it seems the machine housing is hollow and acting like a soundboard; resulting is a whooshing noise when Inhaling, when exhaling there is a certain wheeze/whistle when exhaled in a certain speed. this is very annoying during ramp time; that is where everyone is trying to sleep!! I still have to cover the machine with a sweater or something. I will contact the manufacturer/ customer service to see if this normal...."

Any feedback on this.

I have been using my S9 Autoset for 26 months, and before that the S9 Elite for 9 months.
Neither has bothered me with excessive sound. The S9 series is one of the quietest groups of cpap machines on the market.
(possibly THE quietest.) Of course many people are unusually sensitive to machine noise,
regardless of which machine they have. People have used numerous strategies to deal with cpap sound--
white noise, a small fan, placing the machine low, and using a hose cover are only a few.

Some posters here and DMEs I have spoken with have stated that yes, the ResMed units are somewhat more delicate/prone to breakdowns than other brands. They do have 2-year warranties, however, so that my be sufficient for you. If you are really concerned with reliability and don't mind a non-heated tube, the DeVilbiss Intellipap units now have 5-year warranties so they may be a better choice for your peace of mind.

Guest wrote:HI,

I read in one of the forums that
"The S9 is actually quite noisy, it seems the machine housing is hollow and acting like a soundboard; resulting is a whooshing noise when Inhaling, when exhaling there is a certain wheeze/whistle when exhaled in a certain speed. this is very annoying during ramp time; that is where everyone is trying to sleep!! I still have to cover the machine with a sweater or something. I will contact the manufacturer/ customer service to see if this normal...."

Any feedback on this.

I have never experienced this. Both my mom and I have the S9 autoset, and we travel and stay in hotels. I actually got up and went over to my mom and waved my hand in front of her exhaust vent to see if her machine was on. I could not hear it at all. My sister travels with me a lot too, and she was amazed at how quiet my machine is. My mom's old machine was loud in my opinion. I dreaded getting a machine, but the S9 autoset is awesome.

There have been a few people who said they could hear a whistle or bird sound, but it seemed like they were getting it when they exhaled hard.

I've had the S9 Autoset for almost 2 years now and it is very quiet for me. In fact, my heated hearing aid dryer's fan is louder than the S9. I like it alot, have traveled both by car and plan numerous times with it, with no breakdowns or anything. The only weird this is that last time I had my data card read, there was no data for the last 6 months on the card, but I'm wondering if this was more of a user issue than a card issue...when I tried to download it at home, it worked just fine!

Good luck,

Katie

My S9 AutoSet is so quiet that my husband thought I was dead the first night I used it. He couldn't hear me OR the machine!