ASV Help needed - Low Pressure Support

[Ogeo]

I haven't been on here in a long time because my PR ASV was working great. I was averaging about .3 AHI all the time. My machine will be 5 yrs old in Sept and has 10426 blower hours.

The machine started sounding the alarm every hour or so for "Low Pressure Support" until I have to take it off to get any sleep. I sent it to an authorized repair service and she told me she could see the error report of low pressure but couldn't duplicate the problem or find anything that would cause it. So I get it back and it is still sounding that loud alarm. My AHI is now running around 8 to 9 instead of .2 or .3. And the leakage is super high at 29%.

I should say that since the end of Sept last year I have lost 70 lbs. I use a P10 nasal pillow and tried changing from a medium pillow to a small. My pressure starts very high at 21. When I first started, after trying 8 masks, it was the only thing that worked.

Does anyone have any suggestions? We are now full time RVers. We will be back where we originally purchased the machine in a week so plan to go to the dme there. My guess is they will not have any idea!

[Pugsy]

My guess is one of the sensors on the motherboard is going bad. Time for a new machine.
I had that happen with my PR S1 ASV machines and no one could figure out the problem but the repair facility replaced the entire motherboard as a safety measure since it was still under warranty..... and I never got that low pressure warning again.
A machine out of warranty with that many hours....I doubt that it would be cost effective to replace the motherboard just on a whim since they couldn't duplicate the problem.

[Ogeo]

My guess is one of the sensors on the motherboard is going bad. Time for a new machine.
I had that happen with my PR S1 ASV machines and no one could figure out the problem but the repair facility replaced the entire motherboard as a safety measure since it was still under warranty..... and I never got that low pressure warning again.
A machine out of warranty with that many hours....I doubt that it would be cost effective to replace the motherboard just on a whim since they couldn't duplicate the problem.

Thanks for the quick reply.
So to get a new machine, will I have to redo a sleep study especially since I lost so much weight and plan on loosing another 26 lbs plus it being less than 5 yrs old. With us Full Time RVing, I don't currently have a doc and the sleep doc I had before has retired.

[Pugsy]

I don't know what requirements might need to be met.
Whomever supplied the machine should be able to tell you but I would also make a call directly to my insurance company and see what they say.
Often what the insurance says isn't the same as what the DME says because DMEs often come up with their own in house rules and blame the insurance company when they are the culprits.

ASV is usually for people with central apneas primarily....weight loss or gain usually isn't the cause for centrals happening.
Obstructive apnea....a maybe but not central apneas. A lot will depend on why you were put on ASV in the first place.

What insurance do you use?
If Medicare....there is no need for anything else...they should have all your prior information from 4 or 5 years ago.
Now the DME might tell that Medicare might want something else...but call Medicare...Medicare won't need anything else.
Other insurance that isn't Medicare....I don't know what they might want or need so that's why I say call them and ask them.

[Ogeo]

I don't know what requirements might need to be met.
Whomever supplied the machine should be able to tell you but I would also make a call directly to my insurance company and see what they say.
Often what the insurance says isn't the same as what the DME says because DMEs often come up with their own in house rules and blame the insurance company when they are the culprits.

ASV is usually for people with central apneas primarily....weight loss or gain usually isn't the cause for centrals happening.
Obstructive apnea....a maybe but not central apneas. A lot will depend on why you were put on ASV in the first place.

What insurance do you use?
If Medicare....there is no need for anything else...they should have all your prior information from 4 or 5 years ago.
Now the DME might tell that Medicare might want something else...but call Medicare...Medicare won't need anything else.
Other insurance that isn't Medicare....I don't know what they might want or need so that's why I say call them and ask them.

I have Blue Cross/Blue Shield. I will call them to see what they say. I do have central apnea, bummer. What machine are you currently using? I tested the ASV Dream Station before they came out with it and liked it but haven't looked to see what is out there for quite awhile.

[Pugsy]

I am not using ASV at this time. I never had a problem with central apneas...I just bought one privately for grins just to try it out.
I play with different kinds of machines just for fun.

If I were in the market and needing ASV....I would look seriously at the ResMed AirCurve 10 ASV....I have played with both brands ASV and I like ResMed the best...quieter for one thing....and another thing I think it's algorithm or way of doing things is a little better IMO.

[Ogeo]

I am not using ASV at this time. I never had a problem with central apneas...I just bought one privately for grins just to try it out.
I play with different kinds of machines just for fun.

If I were in the market and needing ASV....I would look seriously at the ResMed AirCurve 10 ASV....I have played with both brands ASV and I like ResMed the best...quieter for one thing....and another thing I think it's algorithm or way of doing things is a little better IMO.

Thanks for all your help. My insurance said if they bill it as a replacement machine and my original RX was for lifetime, I will not need to do anything else.