Newly diagnosed — Respironics vs airsense

[cpvtnh]

I knew I had sleep apnea because my wife, who has been on CPAP for 10 years or so, has had to roll me over to get me breathing again for the last 9 months or so. Took a while to get the study! Results of the home study: a letter with a lot of boilerplate about sleep apnea and an introductory paragraph saying my apnea was “quite severe” when on my back and “rather mild” on my side and therefore “moderate” overall. I don’t get to meet with the doc again at this point but was shunted straight to the provider of equipment. I don’t know my scrip, but I’ll try to get it so I can buy stuff directly if I need to.

So I’m pretty familiar with sleep apnea and CPAP, on account of my wife, and also for the last 6 months or so trying to get my mom to use her CPAP. (That’s another story). However I am as yet unfamiliar with the nuances of my own situation.

The equipment provider called today to verify my insurance info to get things moving on their end, and I asked which brands of CPAP they work with. She said Respironics and Airsense 10, Airsense 11.

My wife has had the Phillips DS1 and got it replaced in the recall. As far as I can tell it’s been perfectly fine. I’m pretty sure my mom is not on the Airsense, so I don’t have any experience with that. Aside from being potentially toxic or carcinogenic or whatever, the first machine was fine and the second one is OK.

I searched the forums here for “Respironics vs Airsense” and also for Respironics and Airsense. I got a sense that there is antipathy for Phillips among users here and the Airsense is preferred. Phillips certainly deserves plenty of antipathy for how they handled the recall (slowly). Is there more to the antipathy, if there is any, than that? Looking up stats on the machines, the Phillips looks like it might be preferable to me in case I travel. I haven’t traveled much at all — no air travel — since Covid, but I haven’t given up on the idea altogether. I’m a photographer, and I assume that a CPAP is carry on, and any CPAP bulk means less photography gear I can bring. Win for Phillips.

So is the Airsense better? I’m male, so I assume the “for her” in the Airsense 11 won’t help me. Are there other differences that might be of benefit? Should I go for the Airsense 11 if insurance lets me go for that one? Then get a smaller travel CPAP (as my wife has) for travel?

So that’s it for now. Opinions? Advice?

[LSAT]

Airsense 10 Autoset

[lazarus]

Is there more to the antipathy, if there is any, than that?

Respironics/Philips has at various times in the past briefly had the edge in some respects. No longer. It has fallen way behind ResMed in technology, quality, and comfort to the point that I can no longer recommend them. That could change one day, of course, if Respironics ever gets its act together, but that day isn't today.

CPAP is carry on, and any CPAP bulk means less photography gear I can bring.

Medical equipment does not count against you as carry-on.

I assume the “for her” in the Airsense 11 won’t help me.

Some males get better numbers with that mode. I am a male over 6 feet tall and over 200 pounds who gets better numbers with that modality myself, but just by a very little bit. It's a completely different application of the algorithm, so it's cool to have it available to try it. You don't know until you know.

if insurance lets me go for that one?

Insurance doesn't care what you get; they pay the same either way. Insist from the DME that they give you the machine you want or refuse to sign for it.

The important word in LSATs response is "Autoset." Insist on that. It is an APAP that has full data reporting, which is important. I personally would be happy with the 11 (which will have the For Her modality), but I agree with LSAT that the 10 would still be my preference if I were buying today, since the motor has a proven track record for reliability.

[chunkyfrog]

Plus a dedicated travel machine--the Resmed Airmini.
Tiny thing, a bit pricey, but a possible business expense--a must if you travel a lot.

[zonker]

So that’s it for now. Opinions? Advice?

welcome to the zoo!

i must agree with lsat and lazarus. airsense 10 all the way for precisely the reasons lazarus gave you.

i have one minor quibble with what lazarus said. cpap is allowed as carry on and doesn't count against your allotment. however, it's not the same traveling in europe. seems that each airline over there has a different policy. but, you could call them ahead of time if you plan to travel there.

good luck!

[lazarus]

Thanks, Zonker.

[zonker]

Thanks, Zonker.

hey, i have to agree with you every now and then. it keeps you confused.

[lazarus]

Thanks, Zonker.

hey, i have to agree with you every now and then. it keeps you confused.

I meant thanks for the correction about European travel. I've only flown U.S. carriers into and out of Europe, myself.

We have to be comfortable with having one another's backs with this stuff!

[palerider]

. Win for Phillips.

No. Last I checked, Respironics didn't even ship a *travel* bag (ie, padded to protect the equipment, Resmed does, lose for philips.

So that’s it for now. Opinions? Advice?

The auto algorithms on the Resmed Autoset machines are just simply *better*.

One or two people that've tried both prefer Respironics, everyone else, by an overhwelming majority, prefer Resmed.

Plus, they're quieter.

[cpvtnh]

Thank you very much! I’m so glad I found this forum. Airsense it is.

Now I think I might try to move my elderly mom to the Airsense. She was given a Luna unit. Her equipment provider has not been very good at setup etc. Mom fights the machine. After I guess 8 months now she is more likely to pull the mask off than keep it on. The CPAP makes such a huge difference in her cognitive capacity, if she wears it, and a nap or night without it is a huge setback. My sister is the primary point person in helping her, but I have spent some time there. Though we have spent tremendous energy enforcing/encouraging her use, and my sister has had her back to the provider several times, we have not taken the step to get her a new provider or different machine. My sister is way busy and exhausted, and I am 6 hours away and have been bogged down with my own busy project.

[zonker]

We have to be comfortable with having one another's backs with this stuff!

[zonker]

Thank you very much! I’m so glad I found this forum. Airsense it is.

Now I think I might try to move my elderly mom to the Airsense. She was given a Luna unit.

yeah, the luna units are too brand new and therefor unfamiliar to most of us on the forum.

plus they don't work with the oscar software, whereas resmed and philips DO.

[Grumpy48]

No. Last I checked, Respironics didn't even ship a *travel* bag (ie, padded to protect the equipment, Resmed does, lose for philips.


One or two people that've tried both prefer Respironics, everyone else, by an overhwelming majority, prefer Resmed.

Plus, they're quieter.

Both the DreamStation 1 (from my DME) I had and the more recent DreamStation 2 (recall replacement direct from Resperonics) came with a padded carry bag. The bag is comparable to the one I got with my Resmed Airsense 10 Auto.

I also have a Resmed Airsense 10 Auto I bought as a backup to my DS2. I used it a few weeks to make sure it worked OK. It's therapy was more aggressive than the DS2 for the same settings, had a tendency to blow out the FF mask which would wake me, but did get similar AHI numbers as the DS2. Had not noticed either being quieter than the other. I would/could use either, but prefer the DS2.

[chunkyfrog]

If I were accumulating significant air miles, I would invest in an AirMini.
Since all our travel is by car, my Airsense 10 Autoset for Her is more than sufficient.
After the recall nightmare created by Respironics--never on MY shopping list.
We should all be able to learn from the experience of others.
If not, evolution will skip over our twisted, painful corpses.

[cpvtnh]

Got the Resmed Airsense 10 today, auto set and heated tube and all. From the little bit I tried it, it seems quite comfortable. Pressure is set to range between 5 and 20.; Turns out I had 21 events per hour in the night of my at home sleep test — more than I would have guessed. Psyched to use this.