metsfan302 wrote:Thanks so much!!!
My wife last night asked me a question that well I could not answer.
Why do all these Cpap/vpap etc companies make so many different models when they can make just 1 say an ASV type machine that can be set to do Cpap/Apap/Asv etc..... ?
I think the base reason is that almost all apnea patients only need what a straight CPAP delivers. That is, they only have obstructive events and a plain vanilla cpap will fix that completely. A smaller percentage need what the various auto and bi-level machines provide in terms of pressure relief during exhale because of either comfort issues or because their pressure requirements change quite a bit during sleep.
Only a very few need what an ASV machine can provide. That is the ability to deal with central apneas by becoming a sort of ventilator and "fixing" the problem of the patient just not breathing.
BTW, Respironics makes such a machine - the V60 Ventilator but it is a hospital only device.
Respironics V60 Ventilator Manual
As the most recent study done and reported by ResMed indicates, putting someone on an ASV machine when they have other specific issues related to heart conditions increases mortality risks - so much so, that these patients are routinely removed from ASV cpap therapy until the researcher figure it out.
I think that having a single platform that allows for the implementation of different functionalities would be a great idea. My wife recently got hearing aids and the manufacturer has a whole spectrum of models that supply increasingly complex solutions to hearing loss. But, there is only one hardware base. The audiologist changes the firmware to select the level of support that the patient needs. Costs go up as the firmware becomes more capable.
Just speculating but it may be that the distribution of patient needs for hearing loss issues likely does not look like the distribution in apnea patients.
Oracle 452 Lessons Learned Updated
DSX900 AutoSV with HC150 extra humidifier and Hibernite heated hose
Settings: EPAP Min-10.0, EPAP Max-17, PS Min-3, PS Max-10, Max Pressure-20, Rate-Auto, Biflex-1.
Sleepyhead and Encore Pro 2.21.