Remstar Auto Turning OFF or Missing Data?

[NightHawkeye]

In going back over the past few nights data, I noticed that there are a lot of ten minute gaps right after the machine turns ON. This happens both when I go to bed and if I return to bed after getting up. It's always the same length gap in the data, about ten minutes as can be seen in the chart below.


The machine's been doing this for a while, but I just never gave it a thought before tonight. I don't think the machine is really turning OFF, cause it happens just after I lie down. The gap in data is consistently the size shown in the chart above.

Anybody else see this with the Remstar Auto, or did I just get lucky?

Regards,
Bill

[dsm]

Bill RG

I came to the same conclusion, couldn't see any 'gaps' but was waiting for someone else to comment

Can you hone us in Bill

Cheers

DSM

[rested gal]

I don't know about that gap at the beginning. Built-in settling time being marked, perhaps? Although I use a REMstar Auto that has a settling time and when the data recording begins, it is charted starting exactly against the left side, so .... dunno why yours shows a gap there. Also, I'm using Encore Pro 1.4.99, and I think you're using Ver. 1.5i. Maybe that makes a difference in the data displays.

On another note, have you thought about raising your pressure to something more effective than the low of 4 it looks like you are using?

Note to DSM: Apparently you posted immediately after I had deleted my post where I told Bill I didn't see any gaps in his data. After a quick check of some of my own Encore data, I think I see now what he's talking about -- the gap on the left side of his chart. A gap that is not on my charts. I realized (I think...lol) that when he said "gaps" (plural), he probably meant that same single leftside gap on other nights -- not more gaps in this one session.

[dsm]

Yes, I am with you now.

Thanks RG.

Cheers DSM

(PS still meaning to email you the pics of the exotic German xPAPs)

[Jerry69]

Looks like the machine doesn't start recording when it comes on. Right? For 10 minutes, you say?

I dunno why, but you're not getting enough sleep: only 3 hours?

Jerry

[NightHawkeye]

Well, rather than jump to the explanation of what I've found out, I'll first attempt to answer DSM and RG's questions by providing the following chart from two nights ago. The gaps in it are obvious and repeated.


Rest of original post DELETED - To avoid further confusion and embarassment. .

Regards,
Bill

[Bellcrest]

Nighthawkeye, I am finding this very interesting. I am waiting for my own card reader to arrive so I can start monitoring myself. EncorePro all installed and waiting.

Thanks so much for sharing your findings with us. Very interesting.

[NightHawkeye]

On another note, have you thought about raising your pressure to something more effective than the low of 4 it looks like you are using?

Yes, RG. And I do intend to explore that possibility a little later. I know folks here have discovered that keeping the max and min pressures closer together improves things, but . . . to be honest, I've gotten real comfortable with 4 cm right now.

The main reason I've not tried it higher yet is that it has been hard enough to just sort out what's really happening, and I'm reluctant to change more than one thing at a time right now. I've been able to make steady improvement this way. The next thing I know that I want to change is to increase max pressure again. Not quite sure when I'll do that but it'll probably be in the next few days.

I dunno why, but you're not getting enough sleep: only 3 hours?

That's a kick in the pants, isn't it? Seriously, though, you know how quirky Encore Pro is, Jerry. every now and again if I'm up for more than 15 minutes or so during the night Encore Pro breaks up the night into separate pages in the report and treats each page as a separate night's worth of sleep. Doesn't do that in the compliance data, just the detailed reporting. That's part of the reason that MyEncore is such a valuable asset.

Regards,
Bill

[NightHawkeye]

Thinking I could avoid the gap in data by making sure that I stayed awake for ten minutes after hooking up for the night, I did just that. Twice in fact. Once as I went to bed and once after getting up in the middle of the night.

Still have the gaps in data for the Remstar Auto. At least this time I don't have gaps for the oximeter data though, so I guess I need to reconsider the theory about apnea/A-fib as soon as I hit the pillow.

Here's the plot so far.


So now I'm back to assuming this is a machine issue for the Remstar. But how can it be strictly a machine problem if I'm the only one experiencing this? I'm confused. Enlightenment from Respironics experts requested. (DSM?)

Regards,
Bill (. . .get away from that wheelbarrow, you knows you doesn't know nothin 'bout machinery.)

[dsm]

Bill,

I am lost on this one. My 1st reaction is to look for some kind of pattern.

Als, you can export the data in your database as an XML file - very big, but if you do just 1 night for export (I think you can do this) then scan the XML data to confirm that the gaps show (search for a time close to the missing data).

That would prove that it was not a formatting problem with the display software.

Hmm, I can't recall if you said that MyEncore doen't show the gaps ?

Cheers

DSM

[NightHawkeye]

Als, you can export the data in your database as an XML file - very big, but if you do just 1 night for export (I think you can do this) then scan the XML data to confirm that the gaps show (search for a time close to the missing data).

You're not kidding about it being a big file. . . could only see the first few days of it. I didn't see the option to export 1 night so I think I'll start a new patient and download just current data from the Smart Card. It's less than a week so the file will be much smaller.

Regards,
Bill (relieved not to be dealing with A-fib/flutter again on a daily basis)

[Guest]

Hi Bill,

I am showing the same gaps in my charts as you. I have only had the software and reader up for a 2 weeks so I just kinda figured that was the way it was. I just looked at last nights data and I see that all of the graphs now start at the left edge, but the times I got up in the night still show the gaps. I have no way of uploading my graphs, but they do look pretty much like yours.

Bob

[Wulfman]

Bill and Bob,

I'm sorry I haven't followed this thread in depth, but are these gaps showing up when you get up during the night? (that's what I gathered from your last couple of posts). I saw the one at the beginning of your chart when you go to sleep, but I was thinking it was randomly dropping data during the night.
Have you contacted Respironics about this?

Den

[NightHawkeye]

. . . are these gaps showing up when you get up during the night? (that's what I gathered from your last couple of posts). I saw the one at the beginning of your chart when you go to sleep, but I was thinking it was randomly dropping data during the night.

Sometimes the drop-out occurs at the beginning of the night, sometimes after coming back to bed during the night, seems to be purely random. Last night I saw these drop-outs for three of the four times I turned the machine ON.

Have you contacted Respironics about this?

Nope. Because of an intermittent card reader in my current machine, I should get a replacement machine in a few days. That should show whether it is a fault with this specific machine or not.

It's not really a big deal, now that I know it's the machine. Just got a little excited thinking A-fib/flutter was back. (I hate that stuff!)

Regards,
Bill

[NightHawkeye]

Als, you can export the data in your database as an XML file - very big, but if you do just 1 night for export (I think you can do this) then scan the XML data to confirm that the gaps show (search for a time close to the missing data).

Thanks, DSM.

Yes, the gap is there in the xml data. Exactly 2 minutes of data is provided when the machine is turned ON and then for exactly 10 minutes there is no data whatsoever. Assuming the XML data is exactly the same as that in the database then this gap is coming directly from the machine.

I may turn OFF the auto-start tonight and see if that makes a difference. I don't appreciate auto-start anyway. Seems like it's always starting before I want it to. If it's not related to that, then I haven't a clue. I doubt that it's unique to my machine since Bob here observed it as well, but who knows.

BTW, the data in the XML file is exactly the data I've been trying to look at for a couple of weeks now, but just couldn't figure out how to access the MSSQL database. Thanks for the tip on exporting to XML.

Regards,
Bill