More about Respironics M series

nightingale · Post by **nightingale** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 6:46 am

Thanks to those of you who responded to my inquiry regarding the machine leaking and ruining furniture. I am angry that there apparently IS a problem, the company is aware, yet the machine is still out on the market. I am of the opinion every patient who has experienced this problem contact Respironics directly at 800-345-6443. The QA person is Sam Cribbs. Their telephone hours are from 8am - 8pm, located in PA.
I intend to have them reimburse the cost of refinishing my bedside table.

inacpapfog · Post by **inacpapfog** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 7:58 am

how long did you use your auto before it leaked?

John Galt · Post by **John Galt** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 8:27 am

I've seen several negative postings about the M series, including a couple about leaks. Just to present the other side, I've had my M series since August and I'm extremely pleased with it. I've had no problems with the humidifier and no problems with noise. My only concern relates to problems getting data from the system into Encore Pro, and it's possible that this is not a problem with the M. Overall, I'm very pleased and would buy it again.

Catnapper · Post by **Catnapper** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 8:51 am

I started with the M Series Auto on Nov. 2. This machine surpasses the Resmed machines I had previously. No leaks (although because I heard about leaks I put it in a pan and added a foam cushion to avoid potential sound issues), and very comfortable breathing are so far the norm. I love being able to see the data from the software to support my growing confidence in the therapy. I quickly got used to the sound of it, which was also quieter than the Resmed ones.

I am careful with the O ring seal, and careful not to tip the humidifier when I put it back in the machine. The humidifier is very hard to open, so maybe the fit is extra tight. I am also careful to feel the humidifier seal against the place it goes in. There is not a click so much as a pressure and contact connection.

Maybe I was lucky and got a good one. I am sorry to hear other people are having problems with this machine. I really like it a lot.

Catnapper

oldgearhead · Post by **oldgearhead** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 8:59 am

I intend to have them reimburse the cost of refinishing my bedside table.

Sorry about your table. Who's your lawyer? Maybe we can get a class action law suit going and close down these idiots because of their un-expected seal problem.

Give me a break!

Slinky · Post by **Slinky** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 9:15 am

When I spoke to the folks at cpap.com about the M series, they said Respironics was aware of the problem, had come up w/a solution and cpap.com took an inventory of all the M series machines they had on had, ordered that number of new tanks w/the "fix" and all M series ordered from cpap.com now come w/the "fix".

Whether local DMEs and other online sellers are as aware and as conscientious is another story.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 10:21 am

I have an M Pro. What exactly is this problem again? Since only the lower half of the humdifier tank contains water during normal operation, and since the only possible weak point in that lower half is the plastic-to-metal connection around the metal heating plate, I'm assuming that's the weak spot that can fail?

More info please? And how can I get the newer, safer tank? Go to my DME where I got the machine?

Thanks folks!

inacpapfog · Post by **inacpapfog** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 2:01 pm

So far, I've not had any sign of a leak with my m series auto.
Granted, I've only had mine for about 3-4 months. I'll be sure to keep a heads up on the issue though.

Mike2000 · Post by **Mike2000** » Thu Nov 23, 2006 8:23 pm

I found this interesting post on the American Sleep Apnea Forum about the M-series. I just did a copy and paste, I have not changed any of the text.

A link to the actual post is here:
http://www.apneasupport.org/about6597.html

This is a rather lengthy post, so only those who use the M series would likely be interested in what I say here.

I am a DME Specialist in a full service sleep center. Meaning we have Drs, lab, and DME all under the same roof. We have concerns about the M series. Countless complants have resulted in us approaching Respironics about them. Needless to say, based upon the fact that my employer orders cpap machines by the truckload, this raised some red flags at Respironics.

Today the Respironics Rep came by. I shant go on and on about how disappointed I was that she only hung around for a couple of hours, but I will mention that she was well dressed and brought along her note pad. Since the company I work for is one of the largest and highest volume sleep centers in the country (as well as her biggest client), you’d think that she would have dedicated a sizeable chunk of her day to addressing our concerns. But….I’ll move on.

1) I brought up the issue with the water chamber being internal, resulting in ruined machines. She agreed that it was a concern of the higher ups, but they recommend that when the calls are made reminding patients of their Dr appointment the next day, they might mention that they need to be sure and empty their water chamber. I must admit, that is a good idea. Additionally, there is a problem with M series water chamber leaking water due to the little seal it has being pulled out of alignment as it is closed. I’ve seen a few of these problems and have had to exchange about 8 or 10 water chambers as a result. Respironics apparently has had to pay for several tables due to this issue, so they are working on an updated water chamber design that is less likely to leak.

2) We discussed the power supply being huge and difficult for some people, especially elderly folks, to deal with. I asked if it was done that way to make the body smaller, or to get it away from the water chamber, but she said no. The primary reasons the power supply was designed that way was to prevent heat problems, and to enable them to use the same power supply for both the cflex and bipap versions of the M series. She did, however, admit that the power supply is bulky and a bit more complicated than it could be. Lastly, they are going back to the 5 ft cord (like the rest of the Remstar units have) from the wall to the power supply. They currently issue a 3 ft cord with the M series. Due to the large power supply, it is an irritation to have that short of a cord.

3) I explained how the software in the initial machines lacked a way to read the therapy hours separate from the blower hours. She took a dive on this one and admitted that when the M series first came out, the people who designed the software had it in their head that all the machines would be smart card enabled, and that this method of checking the machines would be the primary way that DME providers or Dr’s office would check compliance. They were wrong. The smart card info, if downloaded, has the therapy hours listed on its readout, but if you simply look at the little display, you are pretty much SOL. She said they caught this and updated the software, but not before thousands of machines made it onto the market. She also addressed the issue of discrepancies in the software in regards to how the total therapy hours don’t match the 7 day ave or the 30 day ave. She said that they just recently decided to revamp the software again to fix this contradictory info on the M series and we should see better matching info in future versions. (In case you are interested, they are on the third version of the standard software, with another on the way. That’s not to mention the pro software and all the changes they have been making to that) I then asked about updating the existing machine with the newer more accurate software, and she looked like a deer in headlights. She said she’d approach the higher ups with this suggestion and get back to me. This should really interest the folks with the pro M series units. Odds are that the software is giving you some incorrect info. I doubt that all of it is incorrect, but if they made mistakes on the simple things like therapy hours, it would be difficult for me to believe that the more intricate and crucial figures the machine tracks aren’t affected as well.

4) The bag has been redesigned. She admitted that the bag lacks suitable storage space for the manuals, tubing, and mask. In response to this, Respironics has decided to make the bag even worse. Yup…you read that right. They are removing 2 of the pockets and leaving the pocket for carrying the tubing and mask the same size. They also shortened the main flap that closes it all up. She has no idea why they did all this. Doesn’t make any sense at all, except that it will be less expensive to manufacture. She just shrugged her shoulders when I asked her why.

5) The pressure issue was a new one for her. I, and my fellow employees related to her how unpredictable the M series is as far as holding pressure, compared to all the other brands and models we handle on a daily basis. I actually believe that she’s never heard this before. She promised to pass this info up the chain of command, along with all the things we discussed today.

6) Lastly…sound. At first she claimed ignorance, and that our sleep center was the only DME group complaining about this. However, after showing her case after case after case of documented complaints from patients, she relented and admitted that yes, she has attended side by side comparisons at Respironics and that her opinion is that the M series is noisier than the Remstar Plus series. Let me make this perfectly clear….the Respironics Rep agreed with me on the noise issue. Our sleep center provides exemplary follow up. We have 4 employees that do nothing but make follow up calls. They have accurate and detailed documentation of every patient that complains about something. They showed her the records. Then she relented and stated that the probable reason that most DME’s don’t pass along a lot of complaints is likely due to the fact that their follow up is virtually nonexistent. In addition, most DME’s are basically hands off once you get your mask and walk out of their establishment. Therefore, as most of you have seen in the numerous posts about !@#! DME’s, they don’t care, and the patients feel they won’t get anywhere even if they do complain.

After speaking to me and the other DME Specialists, the follow up peeps, my boss, and our department manager, I invited her to watch as I did machine checks so she could see some of these problems for herself as we encounter them. She hung around for ONE machine check, then left. *sigh*

The last thing she said to me before bailing was...."I agree, the M series has some serious problems. We might need to go back to the drawing board and rethink some aspects of it."

That’s all for now. I’ll let you know if anything else occurs on this front.

Jeffro

Guesasit · Post by **Guesasit** » Thu Nov 23, 2006 10:44 pm

Jeffroe is a loser and has more important things to think about.

Mike2000 · Post by **Mike2000** » Thu Nov 23, 2006 11:12 pm

Gee, that's a mature response.

Goofproof · Post by **Goofproof** » Fri Nov 24, 2006 8:53 am

But then, what really matters? You have the newest untested product, at a higher price. When you could have had a "tank", Like we had advised many times to deaf ears.

All that mattered is footprint, creature comfort, being first on the block to own one, and travel size. (If you don't travel)

Still with it problems the "M"agic is still as good as it's competitors, with the exception of it's Father, the "Tank" Jim

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Nov 24, 2006 3:46 pm

Guesasit, your comment was totally uncalled for. It was clearly stated that Jeffro's comments were originally posted in another forum. The comments made were one person's opinion, he stated his experience with CPAP equipment and the M series.

SKEELER · Post by **SKEELER** » Fri Nov 24, 2006 5:32 pm

I am having an unusually slower day at the DME company I work for, where I am a part-time Respiratory Therapist. I have been battling daytime sleepiness for 20 years (I am currently 35 y/o). I am slender and a competitive athlete in ice speedskating. I definitely do not fit the standard stereotype for that of the typical CPAP user.

I took it upon myself this summer to begin using a remstar auto from the legacy line (prior to M series). I can report that I have come to discover my best range of pressures for the auto setting are 8 to 15 (most obstructions are maintained with 9 to 11 c.w.p.). I have had a profound decrease in sleepiness during the day--even to the point that it only takes me 5 to 10 minutes to fully wake up, where it used to take most of the day (5 or more hours) to wake up.

I work for two divisions of our company, one in the office, and the other at the local department of corrections. Being a CPAP user, I have become familiar with what our clients have to deal with on a firsthand basis. I began to do setups with the M Series units early this past summer and I have to say, I cannot understand the rationale for the design of the power cords. They are bulky and cumbersome and not compatible with the manual dexterity of most people, including myself. The humidifier chamber is extremely difficult to lock/unlock the slider on the front of the chamber. During setups, I tell my clients to gently slide with one finger, to keep from it "snapping" on the raised bumps on either side. There is just enough clearance to allow for opening it for cleaning without completely sliding the lock tab to side.

As far as the M Series leaking water, IMHO, the square shape of the silicon interface on the circuit connection contributes to this leaking. On visual inspection, I initially thought it was a good design and unlikely to leak like the legacy series does, but apparently I was wrong when a client came in last week complaining that her brand new M series leaked water on the first night of usage.

DreamStalker · Post by **DreamStalker** » Fri Nov 24, 2006 5:47 pm

I guess the older tank model is the one to get until they work out all the bugs in the M series?