Checking stats on a ResMed S8 Escape

[ladytonya]

I read somewhere on here that you can check your stats on the ResMed machines without software. How do you do this? I have read through the manual that came with the machine and I only see where you can change the ramp time and one or two other things int he patient menu. How do you get to see your stats? I've never seen a copy of my sleep study and have no idea exactly what my stats were. I only know that I had a total of 86 apneas but not sure over how long of a time period. Anyway, any help with accessing stats on the ResMed S8 series would be greatly appreciated!

Tonya

[Bookbear]

LadyTonya:

RestedGal has posted a quick and easy way to see your numbers:
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"With most ResMed machines, if you want to quickly check your nightly results in the little window the next morning through the User menu (not the clinical menu) here's how:

1. Hold down the right arrow button.
2. While holding it down, press the left arrow button and hold it down, too...you're now holding both buttons down together.
3. After a few seconds, the words "Efficacy Data" "day"will appear in the window. Release the two buttons.
4. Press the Left button for "Enter".

You'll see "Press" (pressure) - I think that's the 95th percentile pressure. If so, that pressure AND pressures UNDER it were effective at preventing apneas and hypopneas 95% of the time during the night. It doesn't mean you spent 95% of the time AT that pressure.

Press the button under the down-arrow to go through the next items.

Leak
AHI (below 5.0 is doing very well)
AI
HI

To get out of the menu, press the righthand button under the word "Exit" a couple of times until you see the word "Settling" in the menu. You're out of the Efficacy data and the machine is ready to use again.

Important: If you want to see the data that way, without going into the clinical menu, you have to look at it before noon. At twelve noon that data from the night before disappears, cleared out so that the machine is ready to show new data the next day.

The data is not erased...it stays in the machine for downloading with a ResLink card. Just can't be seen in the display window via the User menu after midday. Can continue to be seen via the Clinical menu. "
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(BTW, she is right, the Pressure numbers are 95% for ResMed, other companies use a 90% figure).

GoofyUT has a humorous post on what NOT to do to get into the Clinical Menu to see and set all the options available on the S8:
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"Being a mere mortal, you shouldn't access the clinical menu to change the settings yourself. You should seek a medical professional to do that FOR you.

So, I know that you won't want to be confused about how to access the clinical menu. Therefore, you won't need to hold the down and right keys down for a few seconds until the clinical menu comes up "Clinical Menu-Welcome". Then you won't want to hit the left key ("Menu") to bring up the menu, and you won't want to then hit the left key again("Enter") to enter the settings menu. You also won't want to change the mode setting from AutoSet to CPAP. So, you won't want to hit the down key to bring up the Min. pressure. screen, nor the left key to change the value. You won't want to use the up and down keys to scroll to the pressure that you would want to set, because you'll leave that to a professional. Then, there'll be no need to hit the left key ("apply") to set that pressure. Then you won't hit the down key to scroll to the Max. Pressure screen and do the same.

If you HAD done this, you'd be done, so you'd then just have kept on hitting the right key to exit back to the "Settling" screen which is what you would see to confirm that you're in AutoSet mode. If you were in CPAP mode for some reason, that screen would have said RAMP instead of SETTLING.

But thank G-d that you decided to leave this all to a professional and not confuse yourself by doing any of this. "
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IMHO, the Vantage S8 is a fine machine, well made, convenient to use, and effective.

Good luck!

[GoofyUT]

Well, the first issue is, I'm not sure that the S8 Escape has any stats other than usage stats. Are you sure that you have the Escape model? I believe that efficacy stats are only available on S8 Vantage and Elite models.

Chuck

[ladytonya]

It is definitely the S8 Escape. It says Escape right above the LED display. It has a card slot and I have a card, but I was told that they do not use that so it's just in a card in my case with my other documentation.
I wish I would have found this board before I received my machine! I would have gotten one that works with software that I can use to look at my stats. Am I just out of luck as far as seeing any of my data because I have the Escape model? I will try the things that were posted by Bookbear, but if they don't work I guess I'm just SOL. Thanks for all the info!

Tonya

[GoofyUT]

Well, you should be able to view your usage data just fine, using the key-combos that Bookbear listed. But, I don't think that the S8 Escape is equipped with the necessary components to given you efficacy data re: AHI, AI and HI.

Sorry.

Chuck

[Rastaman]

Unfortunately, the S8 Escape is a standard CPAP and not an APAP where you could see data. The machines that use standard CPAP use only 1 pressure setting so there probably isn't much difference in the data from day to day. Not only that but it's not designed to give you feedback at all. For that you'd need APAP.

On the bright side your machine is at a very reasonable price for CPAP's. I started with a Remstar Plus M Series and tried that out for a couple of weeks and then went to the S8 Autoset Vantage. Both of them worked great and I'm happy with the Vantage.

[GoofyUT]

Unfortnuately, Rastaman's info. isn't quite accurate. You can get a CPAP that will give you efficacy data. In the ResMed S8 range, its the S8 Elite. In the Respironics range, its the Remstar Pro2, I believe (the Pro also might give you efficacy data, but just not write to the Respironics SmartCard).

So no, you don't ned to go to APAP to get download-able clinical efficacy data.

Hope this helps.

Chuck

[Rastaman]

So many CPAP's, so little time. I guess the main thing is that the Escape doesn't have this function. I forgot there are higher levels of regular CPAP that do.

And that leads me to believe that if I ever switch to CPAP mode on my APAP, then it will still give me data?

[GoofyUT]

U betcha

[Rastaman]

Well, then the APAP has more functions than I thought. Cool. And it sounds like one who wants to keep track of their numbers would have to get the Pro or Auto to get that feature. I don't know much about the bi-level machines but I'm sure there are lots of different editions of those too. It's interesting comparing what works best for different people and what they like the best, especially if they've tried alot of different CPAP's and masks.