Better xPAP Stats, More Disrupted Sleep

[Slinky]

I decided to share my disgruntlement with Resmed this morning.

Dear Sirs:

As you continue to improve your products may I suggest that you give serious consideration to improving the heating capabilities of your Resmed S8 series integrated humidifiers, the Humidaire 3i. Size is nice, comfort is more important.

I contacted your company regarding my Humidaire 3i blowing COLD air and your company graciously replaced my Humidaire 3i. Its too bad my local DME supplier couldn't also be as gracious. And they certainly were NOT timely in replacing it!! I've since read of 5 others who have had their Humidaire 3i replaced.

I've come to the conclusion that it isn't that this new Humidaire 3i is defective but rather that the Resmed S8 Elite is not capable of providing enough heating power for the Humidaire 3i to adequately provide comfortable humidity and air temperature during cold winter weather.

My new Humidaire "is" heating - but - I'm repeatedly being woke up thru the night w/COLD air blasting up my nasal passages. So much so that just last week I ended up w/a chapped nasal passage on the right and a sore, irritated nasal sinus. I had to forego using my Elite for two full nights due to the pain and discomfort. I'm still waking to COLD air blowing in my nasal passages and by morning I wake with a drippy nose, sneezing, great discomfort in the nasal passage which thankfully gradually dissipates by noon or so. I'm then fine all day until I go to bed w/the Elite and Humidaire 3i and the misery starts all over again.

I've resorted to purchasing a used Fisher & Paykel HC 100 online and hope that using that in addition to or in place of the Humidaire 3i will avoid this misery.

My sleep doctor scripted a two week loaner AutoPAP and my local DME supplier provided me w/a RemStar Auto w/C-Flex BUT said they had no humidifier available. God bless my sleep lab they were able to loan me a passover humidifier but that was just not tolerable either. A good friend loaned me his F&P HC 100 stand alone heated humidifier and that worked WONDERFULLY at a level of just 4. It has the capability of being adjust up to a level of 9.

I LOVE my Resmed S8 Elite's capabilities of providing the Efficacy and Usage Data on the good size, easy to read LED screen. I wouldn't want give that capability up. It was a very considerate and wise decision to give patients the ability to access that information, it wasn't a particularly considerate or wise decision to require a doctor's order for the patient to access that information.

You've actually antagonized that portion of the patient population who have educated themselves about their Obstructive Sleep Apnea by restricting the sale of the AutoScan software and ResScan Card Reader. Nor did your online pricing policy endear yourselves to this patient population.

I would have liked to have purchased a Resmed S8 Vantage as either my primary xPAP machine or as my backup xPAP machine. Due to your online pricing policies I will be purchasing a RemStar Auto w/C-Flex or a RemStar M series Auto w/C-Flex. AND the software and reader.

I realize that patients such as myself are currently in the minority but this minority will continue to grow and grow just as more and more patients are realizing that their doctors just no longer are allowed the TIME necessary to provide optimum care and we MUST educate ourselves and take an active role in our healthcare working WITH our doctors as a team.

Thank you for your time and consideration in these matters.

[xface]

I recently had a cold/sinus problems and had the same problem with the Remstar and it's built in humidifier. Cold air in the middle of the night or when it was working an empty tank before dawn (setting 4 or 5).

I spoke to cpap.com and they suggested I purchase a new humidifier unit. Same problem!

I attached my old F&P unit and it worked GREAT! I did have one problem though. I attached one of those round anti-bacteria filters to the unit between the remstar and the F&P. While testing a new mask (soyola, thanks for the suggestion snoredog), the remstar recorded solid snoring even though I was was sitting quietly watching TV.

Anyway to get to the point, I've had the same problem with remstar and I highly recommend the F&P.

Thanks for all your suggestions I've been reading and best wishes for your treatment.

Al

[Snoredog]

Hey I'm all for kicking Resmad in the chins whenever we can, but you have to UNDERSTAND:

1. A heated humidifier is NOT for warming the incoming air. If you are expecting your HH to warm the incoming air you are mistaken on its use, they simply don't do that.

The purpose of the heated humidifier is to increase the amount of humidity into the air. By adding some heat you can do this over creating a much LARGER surface area the water must run over. If you want more humidity consider the larger passover humidifiers such as the one shown below. It works because it has more SURFACE area for the air to flow over.

Most heated humidifiers only warm the water in the tank to 92 to 98F. If you don't think yours is heating, fill the tank and after it has been on a while check it with a oral thermometer.

The 3i humidifier probably doesn't work very well because it is SMALL. It doesn't have that much surface area to add humidity in the off or passover mode. So even if you crank it all the way up there will be limited humdity it can add.

2. If you want WARMER incoming air then get a HEATED hose. You can warm the incoming air without adding too much humidity at the same time. Most HH are capable of producing a rainout condition and the incoming air will still not be warm enough especially if you use a pillow style interface which blows air directly into the nares. If you are using this style of interface the heated hose is a MUST.

I used to own the S7 Spirit and 2i humdifier (kteague now owns it) and during the summer I would use it in the OFF position, in the winter I never got over 3 setting. But during the winter the incoming air was still cold and if I wanted it warmer I used my heated hose.

I don't use the heated hose during the summer months. I live in Central Calif.

[Snoredog]

[quote="xface"] I did have one problem though. I attached one of those round anti-bacteria filters to the unit between the remstar and the F&P. While testing a new mask (soyola, thanks for the suggestion snoredog), the remstar recorded solid snoring even though I was was sitting quietly watching TV.

Anyway to get to the point, I've had the same problem with remstar and I highly recommend the F&P.

Thanks for all your suggestions I've been reading and best wishes for your treatment.

Al

[Slinky]

Thanks, SnoreDog. I understand what you are saying BUT I am NOT asking for really warm air, all I am asking is that my nose not be froze by the *&$% humid air being blown into it.

I had an HC 100 here for awhile and it has no more water surface than the Humidaire 3i. I've felt the Humidaire 3i heating plate and sometimes its warm (and the air is comfortable) and other times it is cold and that is when I been woke up w/COLD air blowing in my snozz.

I also understand that these integrated humidifiers are not being heated every second of the night by the xPAP it is integrated w/and that it is a heat on/heat off type of situation.

The Humidiare 3i IS using water. Not the entire tank in one night but a decent share of the water in it and must be filled each day during this cold weather. The fact of the matter is that these integrated humidifiers are NOT capable of supplying sufficient temperature and humidity during really cold weather for those of us who evidently require more humidity than some.

And, I do take most of my hose under the covers as much as possible to help reduce the need for the heat for the humidifier.

Which takes me to: do you feel the heated hose a better alternative to buying a good used HC 100 or 150??

[Guest]

"The Remstar algorithm will limit any response to snores and it should not respond with any pressure increase after it has mapped those snores in memory, while it may continue to "log" them in any reports, detection and response are two different things with that machine.

I also noticed a similar response to snores while using a UMFF. I have 3 different UMFF masks, some old some new, the entrainment valve sounds like a bull frog as I breathe in/out, I've gotten used to it, but my Remstar hasn't, it records a SI of 261, when I switch to the Soyala, the SI drops to near nothing. "

Actually, I noticed my pressure used to peg at the high number with snores or whatever was causing it and creating even more sinus problems. When I'm having big problems, I just set to cpap mode and hope for the best. I also use the UMFF and have more snores, but nothing like with the filter.

"I wished Respironics added a feature to their Autopap to enable/disable Snore detection/response. This would make their machine much more compatible with patients that also have central and mixed apnea in addition to OSA."

Man, do I agree! Do you know if any of the Bipap machines have this option? I was looking into them next.

[xface]

Slinky, I use both the heated hose and the F&P HC 150.

Interesting, I didn't know the attached units just turned on and off. I guess it's the ambient tracking or whatever helps on F&P unit.