Broke Respironics Algorithm Again?

NightHawkeye · Post by **NightHawkeye** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 1:13 pm

OK, so there I was, minding my own business in the middle of the night, just blowing air through my mouth again, when I woke up to find my Remstar Auto pulsing at the same rate as my breathing. Only thing was, it didn't matter whether I was breathing or not. The motor would wind itself up and the machine would provide a strong flow of air, then it would wind down to nothing and the airflow would stop.

Kinda strange to wake up to a runaway machine. At first I wondered whether it had max'ed out the pressure, but the Encore Pro data later showed that the pressure at that time was at my minimum of 5 cm. At one point I also wondered whether I was alive, but then decided I was. I figured that the machine was broken and was really looking forward to having to return another one (NOT). I finally reached over and turned the machine OFF and back ON, and after that it worked just fine.

All in all, about like a typical software problem, I suppose. Or then again, since it happened in the middle of the night, maybe I just dreamed the whole thing. Or maybe it's Respironic's last ditch resuscitation algorithm. (Just speculating, of course. I have no idea whether they put such a feature in or not.)

Anybody else have a similar experience?

Regards,
Bill

snorzalot · Post by **snorzalot** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 1:45 pm

Bill,

That kind of evening will certainly make your second guess your machine. I have noticed on a few occasions that my machine seems to be spitting air every so lightly. Since I'm in straight BiPAP at the moment, I have actually sat up in bed and looked at my machine and noted it's on 16 iPAP, but for whatever reason, it just seems to be on 4 or feels that way.

Perhaps I'm getting very used to the pressure now at 16, but I have wondered more then once now if the machine has some sort of flaw where it's not REALLY blowing 16 even though the readout reports it is. I can't wait to get out of this compliance testing and start following along on my own in auto mode. The wifey caught me snoring the other night at 16 cm H2O, but she said I had my chin shoved down into my chest and two pillows behind my head that she figured would block the air flow of a mechanic's gargage air compressor--lol.

I'm still looking forward to automated BiPAP and monitoring of my own therapy though.

Hopefully, you're machine will operate in standard parameters from now on Bill. What did your reporting software show?

Thanks!

NightHawkeye · Post by **NightHawkeye** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 2:43 pm

snorzalot wrote:Perhaps I'm getting very used to the pressure now at 16, but I have wondered more then once now if the machine has some sort of flaw where it's not REALLY blowing 16 even though the readout reports it is.

I had a similar thought early in my therapy, but came to realize that the machine was providing air pressure, not air flow. Presumably you could have zero air flow at a constant pressure. This also means that the amount of air the machine provides varies with every breath, the reason the motor speed can go up and down with every breath (although I thought I understood that the Remstar didn't do that).

snorzalot wrote:What did your reporting software show?

Encore Pro looked absolutely normal, as did MyEncore. No leak problems at all. The oximeter data looked just fine also. The only thing out of the ordinary is that last night was about as apnea free a night as I've had.

I've thought about what might have prompted the machine to behave in the way it did, but can only account for some of what happened. I'm not worried about it or anything. I kinda lump it into the same category as the ten minute gaps which show up sometimes just after the machine is turned on.

Regards,
Bill