New APAP user without sleep study looking for advice

[Pugsy]

I know you seem to prefer the Respironics machine over the ResMed ....
just wanted to alert you

https://www.usa.philips.com/healthcare/ ... src-update

Apparently a worldwide recall.

This is really all I know at the moment....woke up to this news and I am sure more information will be forthcoming.

[gadgetmaniah]

I know you seem to prefer the Respironics machine over the ResMed ....
just wanted to alert you

https://www.usa.philips.com/healthcare/ ... src-update

Apparently a worldwide recall.

This is really all I know at the moment....woke up to this news and I am sure more information will be forthcoming.

Thanks. I woke up to this news too. Sounds bad. They say that patients should discontinue use of their CPAP and ask their physician about the risks and benefits of continuing treatment with the affected CPAP(s). It seems to me that the risk is small though, and I think they said in their statement that they haven't yet received a report of serious harm from their machines. Most concerning though is the potential of inhaling carcinogens from the broken down foam.

I'll see what I can do. Perhaps I'll continue using my machine until I am able to buy another one, probably a Resmed. I doubt that I'll be able to get my machine repaired here in Pakistan (Philips is planning to offer repairs - they'll replace the foam with another foam that won't disintegrate), especially since I bought it second hand. I could ask my dealer to change it for a Resmed (but I've already exchanged machines twice so he'll be probably be annoyed).

[Pugsy]

If/when you can get the money together....look at secondwindcpap.com for a machine.
They do international sales.
The DreamStation 2 models are exempt but of course they cost a lot more since they are the newest model and not readily available yet in some markets.

This recall may be overkill but when it comes to medical devices everyone is scared to death of any potential legal risk so they will do overkill just as a safety net. Cover your ass kind of thing.
In my mind...where there is smoke there is fire and even though they say no one has reported confirmed problem...why are they doing this?

[gadgetmaniah]

If/when you can get the money together....look at secondwindcpap.com for a machine.
They do international sales.
The DreamStation 2 models are exempt but of course they cost a lot more since they are the newest model and not readily available yet in some markets.

This recall may be overkill but when it comes to medical devices everyone is scared to death of any potential legal risk so they will do overkill just as a safety net. Cover your ass kind of thing.
In my mind...where there is smoke there is fire and even though they say no one has reported confirmed problem...why are they doing this?

Thanks for the secondwindcpap.com recommendation.

True, perhaps it's the risk of cancer and/or other potential dangerous health problems that they're doing a recall. They could lose millions if a court finds them liable. So yeah I think you're right that this is probably an overkill, just as a safety net. But it is better safe than sorry for both Philips and for people using their CPAPs. In a Reddit thread about the recall, someone commented about their brother developing thyroid cancer after having used the Dreamstation for a while. They're wondering whether the cancer could have been caused by the machine (through the carcinogens released by the broken foam). Now it's not necessary that the machine caused the cancer, but after Philips' warning today we can't really be too sure.

[ChicagoGranny]

Now it's not necessary that the machine caused the cancer, but after Philips' warning today we can't really be too sure.

---------------------->

Every year (in the US), about 12,000 men and 33,000 women get thyroid cancer, and about 900 men and 1,000 women die from the disease.
https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/thyroid/index.htm

[gadgetmaniah]

Now it's not necessary that the machine caused the cancer, but after Philips' warning today we can't really be too sure.

---------------------->

Every year (in the US), about 12,000 men and 33,000 women get thyroid cancer, and about 900 men and 1,000 women die from the disease.
https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/thyroid/index.htm

I see.

[gadgetmaniah]

Ok I have asked my dealer if I can change my machine and get Resmed Auto. He's a nice dealer so I'm hoping that he will be accommodating.

Edit: I am so indecisive. Now I'm thinking that I'll just continue using my Dreamstation until I order a new Resmed Autoset 10 from the US. The reason is that my supplier uses ozone to clean the devices he receives. So even if he gives me an Autoset, I might still be ingesting foam. Also, you can't be sure with second hand devices whether the previous user used ozone or not. Perhaps would be better to just purchase a new machine. And once Philips starts replacing the foams in the affected machines, perhaps I can get the foam in my Dreamstation exchanged as well.

[gadgetmaniah]

So I was still experiencing a lot of sleep deprivation at my current pressure settings of 6.5-12 and I tried to spot what was off in my data. The only thing that seemed to me that could be causing trouble was the number of hypopneas I was experiencing. Even though my AHI usually hovers around 2 (it's usually above 2), I experience around 10 hypopneas daily.

Since I had already tried higher pressures of 7, 8, and 9, I thought of trying 10 last night. It did make a significant difference and I experienced only 1 hypopnea in my sleep. Also woke up feeling much better. I'm going to continue with these settings for a week or so to see if the improvement stays.

[zonker]

So I was still experiencing a lot of sleep deprivation at my current pressure settings of 6.5-12 and I tried to spot what was off in my data. The only thing that seemed to me that could be causing trouble was the number of hypopneas I was experiencing. Even though my AHI usually hovers around 2 (it's usually above 2), I experience around 10 hypopneas daily.

Since I had already tried higher pressures of 7, 8, and 9, I thought of trying 10 last night. It did make a significant difference and I experienced only 1 hypopnea in my sleep. Also woke up feeling much better. I'm going to continue with these settings for a week or so to see if the improvement stays.

good job on the detective work!

let us know how it goes.

[gadgetmaniah]

Thanks haha. Yes, I'll keep the thread updated.

[gadgetmaniah]

So I am feeling better on my current pressure settings of 10-14 cm and the feeling of sleep deprivation has reduced. Hypopnea have not been completely eliminated but the ones that do occur are only about a second or two long so I guess nothing to worry about.

I did experience some periodic breathing today which is unusual for me.

Edit: Also, I'm struggling a bit with air escaping from the sides of my mask. There were no issues at lower pressures of 6-8 but at a pressure of 10 air leaks out from the sides of my nose into my eyes, which is pretty annoying. I've tried tightening it but it doesn't work. I'll see what else I can do though, perhaps I need to try a hybrid mask like the F30i.

[gadgetmaniah]

Another thing that I have noticed using the CPAP - and I am not sure if others relate - is that now when I wake up I expect a lot of time to have passed since I fell asleep but in reality only a little time actually passes. I think this could be attributed to better quality of sleep. Before starting CPAP, I would fall asleep and then wake up thinking that I must have slept only for a bit but in reality I would have slept for many hours.

[Pugsy]

I wouldn't worry about the PB flagged breathing.
First of all...very brief in duration and secondly I am not so sure you were sound asleep when it got flagged. The flow rate prior to the first flagged FL and then the CAs....looks very much like awake breathing especially around the FL.

[gadgetmaniah]

Ah, that's what I suspected too. Thanks.

[gadgetmaniah]

I wanted to ask, would it be worth buying the S9 Auto instead of the Airsense 10 Auto? I have a relative coming from the US soon and I thought I should order a replacement CPAP. I'm looking to order from secondwindcpap.com but even there the used Autoset 10 is selling for more than $650, while the S9 Auto is selling for $420. Is the S9 a good machine? If it uses the same algorithm as the Airsense 10 and is supported by OSCAR, I wouldn't mind buying it.