self oximetry testing - new retail product from Virtuox

[RAnn]

Virtuox makes a wrist band oximeter that my local DME uses. It requires a doctor's prescription, delivery and return to the DME. The DME then sends in the info to the Virtuox lab for a report. It's a time consuming process. I just discovered today that Virtuox now has a new wrist oximeter (called the VPOD Apnea Watch) that can be purchased from them for $149. It has a menu the user can access in the morning (after overnight use) which will display the highs and lows during the night for pulse rate, oxygen level, and oxygen desaturation level. I'm currently trying various devices and want to be able to assess their efficacy. This device appears to be something that will provide the info I'm seeking -- both for the short and long term. There are some cheap oximeters on line that supposedly allow one to download info onto a computer, but they've had some pretty bad reviews. Virtuox is a reputable company with professional products. I should be receiving the watch next week some time and will report my experience. I just finished using the DME supplied Virtuox oximeter to test the Good Morning Snore Solution tongue advancing device. The test results showed that my oxygen levels still dropped to 85% and a bit lower. Maybe the tongue device helps snoring, but it did nothing for my apnea. My next device, which I will be getting in a week, is the Tap 3 Elite Dental Appliance. I will then test it on the new Virtuox Apnea Watch (as well as the required overnight sleep study). For anyone who's interested, here's the Virtuox info: http://www.virtuox.net. Phone 877 456 3529. Daniel is the Virtuox rep who has the info on the new watch.

[SGearhart]

I just looked at their site. Their VPOD Apnea watch is a CMS-50I. They renamed the Perfusion Index as an Oxygen Desaturation Index. The only difference is the color of the housing. Try Googling "CMS-50I" or "CMS-50IW".

[palerider]

best price I've seen for the cms50i is at aliexpress.com, where you can get it for under 100$

[RAnn]

I did Google CMS501 and 501W. It's a different company called Contec and they are in China. Maybe the Vituox Apnea Watch is made in China as well, but they do have a 12 month warranty and since DME companies use their products, I plan to stick with them. Do you have any experience with this Chinese product?

[RAnn]

I also Googled Aliexpress. They are part of Alibaba, which is a Chinese site notorious for product knock-offs. See CNBC article link below. Here's a quote from the article:

"Even with Alibaba Group's escalating efforts, some NetNames Global clients still estimate that as much as 80 percent of the Taobao listings mentioning their brand are fakes, Simpson said"

I noticed they are selling the Aveo tongue device at 50% of what the cost is from US companies. They use the same pictures, but I doubt it's the same product. And who knows what they put into the mixture to make it. I would certainly not put anything I purchased from them in my mouth. Nor would I rely on any device they sell for something as important as oximetry. It's not worth saving 50 bucks. Caveat emptor!

http://www.cnbc.com/id/102010154

[SGearhart]

I did Google CMS501 and 501W. It's a different company called Contec and they are in China. Maybe the Vituox Apnea Watch is made in China as well, but they do have a 12 month warranty and since DME companies use their products, I plan to stick with them. Do you have any experience with this Chinese product?

Yes I've had considerable experience with this company. I have both a CMS50F and the 50IW models. My Pulmonologist uses the CMS50F. Contec is the original manufacturer of this unit. AliExpress insures each purchase just to protect the purchaser from what you describe. I have purchased many items and never had any problems. In fact, quite the contrary. I've gotten items faster from them than I've gotten from some US vendors. If you feel better buying from a DME then by all means go for it, it's your money. I was trying to point out that they are just relabeling the CMS-50I.

[bwexler]

I have been using the CMS 50i for about a year and a half. I bought mine from a US supplier, who provided great support.
When I had problems with the original software that was included, one call and he emailed updated software that worked great. After about 13 months one of the buttons failed to respond. One call. Send it back. Got a like new replacement.
I have compared it to the meter my doctor uses side by side, and get accurate results.
I paid a little extra to by in the US, but the support has proved to be worth it.

[InsomniacGuy]

Has anyone successfully downloaded the data from these oximeters to the computer and correlated the O2 to events in Sleepy Head or similar software? Does that offer any insight? Or, is it more useful to look at the overall summary statistics each day? Since I have mostly hypopneas, apparently, I'm curious whether my oxygen saturation is declining much -- ultimately want to figure out the cause of consistent daytime sleepiness.

I imagine these oximeters are cheaper than the ones that can be integrated directly with a Resmed or PR S1?

[Jay Aitchsee]

Has anyone successfully downloaded the data from these oximeters to the computer and correlated the O2 to events in Sleepy Head or similar software? Does that offer any insight? Or, is it more useful to look at the overall summary statistics each day? Since I have mostly hypopneas, apparently, I'm curious whether my oxygen saturation is declining much -- ultimately want to figure out the cause of consistent daytime sleepiness.

I imagine these oximeters are cheaper than the ones that can be integrated directly with a Resmed or PR S1?

Here's a few posts on the subject: search.php?keywords=oximeter+sleepyhead

[bwexler]

Has anyone successfully downloaded the data from these oximeters to the computer and correlated the O2 to events in Sleepy Head or similar software? Does that offer any insight? Or, is it more useful to look at the overall summary statistics each day? Since I have mostly hypopneas, apparently, I'm curious whether my oxygen saturation is declining much -- ultimately want to figure out the cause of consistent daytime sleepiness.

I imagine these oximeters are cheaper than the ones that can be integrated directly with a Resmed or PR S1?

Yes! You can, and I do dowload the data directly into sleepyhead software. It displays a graph just like all the other peramiters and allows you to move it to the position you like, so you can compare it to other events.

I paid $170 for mine they can be found cheaper now. Those that plug into the XPAP directly start at over $1,000 last time I checked.

[archangle]

Be aware that no pulseox device can reliably rule out apnea.

A pulseox may give you a strong indication that you do have apnea, but some people with severe apnea never show an oxygen desaturation at all.

[palerider]

I did Google CMS501 and 501W. It's a different company called Contec and they are in China. Maybe the Vituox Apnea Watch is made in China as well, but they do have a 12 month warranty and since DME companies use their products, I plan to stick with them. Do you have any experience with this Chinese product?

contec makes the cms50f and i models, (not one, eye) and that's what is pictured in that vpod rebranding.

if you don't want to believe it... that's up to you.

feel free to pay more to someone that's stuck their name on contec's product.

[palerider]

I did Google CMS501 and 501W. It's a different company called Contec and they are in China. Maybe the Vituox Apnea Watch is made in China as well, but they do have a 12 month warranty and since DME companies use their products, I plan to stick with them. Do you have any experience with this Chinese product?

Yes I've had considerable experience with this company. I have both a CMS50F and the 50IW models. My Pulmonologist uses the CMS50F. Contec is the original manufacturer of this unit. AliExpress insures each purchase just to protect the purchaser from what you describe. I have purchased many items and never had any problems. In fact, quite the contrary. I've gotten items faster from them than I've gotten from some US vendors. If you feel better buying from a DME then by all means go for it, it's your money. I was trying to point out that they are just relabeling the CMS-50I.

yup, same here.

and if rann wants to throw away her money, that's her bidness... as you say

[palerider]

Has anyone successfully downloaded the data from these oximeters to the computer and correlated the O2 to events in Sleepy Head or similar software? Does that offer any insight? Or, is it more useful to look at the overall summary statistics each day? Since I have mostly hypopneas, apparently, I'm curious whether my oxygen saturation is declining much -- ultimately want to figure out the cause of consistent daytime sleepiness.

I imagine these oximeters are cheaper than the ones that can be integrated directly with a Resmed or PR S1?

yes, and by about a factor of 10. the ones that plug in are hella spendy. (1000+) for all the parts, last I heard. and less convenient, since they've got wires going from your hand to the cpap, more to get tangled in.

[RAnn]

There are a number of wrist oximeters on the internet and they ALL look similar and come from different Chinese companies. The intent of my original post was to let people know that there is something available from a reputable, Joint Commission accredited US Company, that might be of help if they were in a similar situation to mine -- not to debate a shopping, prices and branding. On that note, just because something looks like something else doesn't mean it's been rebranded and that it's the same exact thing or the same quality. We're all entitled to our own opinions, but not our own facts. If there's factual proof that Virtuox has taken the Contec product and "rebranded" it, I'd be interested in reviewing that proof. Absent that, thank you for your opinions. I'll post my experience with my Virtuox Apnea oximeter. Hopefully, it will provide me with the interim information I need before I do another sleep study with the dental appliance.