Recommendations for a recording oximeter

I'm looking for an oximeter that will record the entire night and allow me to download it on to the computer in the morning - my computer is a mac so it would be preferable that it were mac compatible but i realize that is probably not going to be the case and I'm going to need to purchase a PC ( for a lot of sleep related reason - not just the oximeter)

I'd also like to able to scan the night on the oximeter itself without downloading if possible

And one that stays on during the night would also be a plus

johnthomasmacdonald wrote:
I'd also like to able to scan the night on the oximeter itself without downloading if possible

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TFT-Touch-Scree ... 2311c98476

This one has a bigger screen. See if you could find a PDF instruction to see if you could review while recording.

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll ... OC:US:3160
CMS-50F
I think this one, you can connect USB to a PC and record in real time. You can review it on a laptop or netbook if you wake up in the night.

http://www.pulseoxstore.com/Downloadable-Pulse-Ox.html = check out the top two on the page. And Kevin (owner) will work with you... definitely a good guy .

About a year ago I bought a pulse oximeter model CMS50E for about $100, used it for two nights on my finger, and put it in a draw, never to be used again. IMO, it's
useless for us to check our Oxygen Desaturation b/c no Sleep Doc would consider your phone call that your Oxygen Desaturation dropped below an "acceptable level". Only a sleep study in a clinic could measure it reliably during sleep. Your Desaturation is synchronised with your sleep architecture for which you need an EEG machine.

What can you tell from this pulse oximeter's chart of my?



To get a decent pulse oximeter to work together with my Resmed machine and be synchronised with ResScan graphs, costs more than a $1,000.

It is possible to merge data from the CMS 50D Plus. See this wiki for directions: http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.ph ... SleepyHead

I give a thumbs up for the CMS50D+ Oximeter. I have one and have used it a few times just to see what is happening while I sleep.

It records all night, allows you to download the results to a PC (MAC compatibility unknown), will display real time data on the unit, I don't think you can review the previous night's data on the unit itself, and I have to use a piece of surgical tape to keep it on my finger all night. Your mileage may vary.

I would use it to get an idea of what is happening while you sleep. If you see multiple events where you level dips below 90%, go see your doctor and inform them of your findings and concern. If they believe the issue to be severe they will order further testing with better equipment.

Chris

johnthomasmacdonald wrote:I'm looking for an oximeter that will record the entire night and allow me to download it on to the computer in the morning - my computer is a mac so it would be preferable that it were mac compatible but i realize that is probably not going to be the case and I'm going to need to purchase a PC ( for a lot of sleep related reason - not just the oximeter)

I'd also like to able to scan the night on the oximeter itself without downloading if possible

And one that stays on during the night would also be a plus

You're right about there being no Mac compatible oximetry software. The options are to get a PC or to use software that lets you run Windows on a Mac. I looked into buying Parallels but it's not cheap and then you'd also have to buy Windows. Cheaper to buy an inexpensive PC, especially if you'll only be using it for your sleep data.

FWIW, the CMS 50F is nice, the display window is a pretty good size and it's worn on the wrist (of course with a finger probe too). I don't believe it can stay on overnight though.

avi123 wrote:About year ago I bought a pulse oximeter model CMS50E for about $100, used it for two nights on my finger, and put it in a draw, never to be used again. IMO, it's
useless for us to check our Oxygen Desaturation b/c no Sleep Doc would consider your phone call that your Oxygen Desaturation dropped below an "acceptable level". Only a sleep study in a clinic could measure it reliably during sleep. Your Desaturation is synchronised with your sleep architecture for which you need an EEG machine.

What can you tell from this pulse oximeter's chart of my?



To get a decent pulse oximeter to work together with my Resmed machine and be synchronised with ResScan graphs, costs more than a $1,000.

I merge mine with sleepy head works great and can see a correlation between events, cause and effect.

The most cost effective recording pulse oximeter out there now seems to be the CMS-50D Plus.

http://www.pulseoxstore.com/Downloadabl ... anchor_107

I have the CMS-50E. I used it regularly for two months before getting "officially" diagnosed with sleep apnea and getting an auto-CPAP machine. Since getting on CPAP, the results from the pulse oximeter have been boring, so I use it about once a month just to see that my SpO2 levels are still staying comfortably above 90%.

As far as running on the Mac - you MAY be able to get the data into Sleepyhead on the Mac. I tried a couple of times but gave up. I run VMware Fusion on my Mac, and have a Windows 7 virtual machine where I run Encore Basic to view data from my PR System One Series 60 machine, along with the CMS-50E software.

VMware Fusion 5 (the current version) is under $50 at Amazon. The larger cost will be Windows, unless you already have a copy around you could use.

http://www.amazon.com/VMware-Inc-FUS5-E ... B008YTAGIK

If you don't want to spend money for a virtualization solution, you could try Virtual Box from Oracle. I've been meaning to give it a shot, just to confirm it'll work with my applications. You will still need a copy of Windows.

https://www.virtualbox.org

John

Most B&M DMEs provide a professional oximetry study and a copy of the study results free of charge. (Your doctor has to order it.)

1. If the study shows your ox levels are OK, why do you need to buy your own oximeter?

2. If the study shows significant desats, then you need to find out why and make corrections. Why do you need to buy your own oximeter?

My CPAPing husband bought an oximeter some years ago based on recommendations from the forum. Later I also used his oximeter.

Both of us think it was money thrown away (see 1. and 2. above).

Well, let's see now...

Have you ever waken up in the morning felling "less that fully energized?"

Perhaps some of the problem had to do with your overnight oxygen levels.

One data point is a conversion piece.

However, if you use your pulse oximeter once a month for a year, you may have enough data to see a trend.

It is a choice to let a doctor monitor your vital signs and share that with you. It is another choice to monitor your own data and learn how to interpret it.

A pulse oximeter is simply a tool to monitor two aspects of your overall health. If your heart and lungs are in perfect condition, there may not be interest in monitoring their function. On the other hand as we age heart rhythms can fluctuate a little and then environment can compromise our lung function a little.

When it was suggested that I have a sleep study the first thing I did was pick up a pulse oximeter. I have several weeks of nightly data that show me what things look like prior to xPAP therapy. I wore my pulse oximeter during my sleep study and compared my data with the data from the study. I now use my pulse oximeter to monitor my therapy. I don't use it every night, but try to get 1 or 2 nights a month using it.

When I wake up in the morning and feel "less than fully energized" I can review my data and know that the problem is not because of a lack of quality sleep.

HoseCrusher wrote:Well, let's see now...

Have you ever waken up in the morning felling "less that fully energized?"

Perhaps some of the problem had to do with your overnight oxygen levels.

One data point is a conversion piece.

However, if you use your pulse oximeter once a month for a year, you may have enough data to see a trend.

It is a choice to let a doctor monitor your vital signs and share that with you. It is another choice to monitor your own data and learn how to interpret it.

A pulse oximeter is simply a tool to monitor two aspects of your overall health. If your heart and lungs are in perfect condition, there may not be interest in monitoring their function. On the other hand as we age heart rhythms can fluctuate a little and then environment can compromise our lung function a little.

When it was suggested that I have a sleep study the first thing I did was pick up a pulse oximeter. I have several weeks of nightly data that show me what things look like prior to xPAP therapy. I wore my pulse oximeter during my sleep study and compared my data with the data from the study. I now use my pulse oximeter to monitor my therapy. I don't use it every night, but try to get 1 or 2 nights a month using it.

When I wake up in the morning and feel "less than fully energized" I can review my data and know that the problem is not because of a lack of quality sleep.

Reply,

Hose Crusher, imo, you are full of it. None of my Sleep MDs agree that I should deal with testing of my Oxygen Desats. What about checking your heart on a Holter Monitor?

ChicagoGranny wrote: "Most B&M DMEs provide a professional oximetry study and a copy of the study results free of charge. (Your doctor has to order it.)1. If the study shows your ox levels are OK, why do you need to buy your own oximeter?
2. If the study shows significant desats, then you need to find out why and make corrections. Why do you need to buy your own oximeter?
My CPAPing husband bought an oximeter some years ago based on recommendations from the forum. Later I also used his oximeter.
Both of us think it was money thrown away (see 1. and 2. above)."

1.My insurance company refused to pay for a sleep test saying it was "diagnostic" and that I had already exhausted my "diagnostic" benefits with my colonoscopy this year ( i paid around $10,000 a year for my insurance which i have discovered is like having no insurance at all)

2. Since they wouldn't pay for a sleep test I ordered an in home test ( my eyeglass optometrist discovered one of my optic nerves is deteriorating and he suggested i may have sleep apnea since my glaucoma scores were normal) from 1.800cpap.com which diagnosed OSA with an ahi of 21 and desaturation of 88%

3. 1.800.cpap then wrote me a prescription and sold me a respironics system one apap machine which did a really poor job of controlling my apnea - my ahi was all over the place from a high of 21 to a low of 2 with the average around 10

4. I made an appointment with a board certified sleep physician who supposedly won some award as sleep doctor of the year - she couldn't even read the sd card ( luckily pugsy could) and made no recommendations at all except to say i needed a sleep test in clinic.

5. Once again my insurance company rejected the test as " diagnostic" even though in reality it is treatment now and then refused to pay the physician her fee of $283 because now I HAD A PRE-EXISTING CONDITION OF SLEEP APNEA ( their chutzpah is impressive)

6. So basically i am having to treat myself with as much information as i can get - i've already read the text cover to cover that is used to become a polysomnography technician and have switched to a bilevel machine with a dental appliance which has brought my ahi down to around 1-2

7. Ultimately the critical factor determining whether your sleep apnea is under control or not is your oxygen saturation levels and i need to know that i have that under control and that i am not doing damage - I need to manage this on my own until i can get back to the United Kingdom and its "socialized" medicine

8. this year i've increased my insurance to $24,000 per year since $10,000 was utterly useless but, in general, I'd only use american medicine in emergencies. I trust my gubmint doctors in the UK far more than i trust anyone in the american health care system

Small sample of what an oximeter was able to tell me.

Thanks Cosmo - that is EXACTLY what i was looking for - and what oximeter was that again?