Some questions about the smartcard and Encore graphs.

dand · Post by **dand** » Sat Oct 20, 2007 6:33 am

I'm using the REMstar Auto C-Flex CPAP Machine, and I read the smartcard with Encore Viewer.

1. Can you take the card out as soon as you wake up and turn off the cpap? Or might you lose data that way? In other words, I'm wondering if the data is recorded on the card immediately or if perhaps there is a delay between the time the machine is turned off and when the data is recorded to the card. The reason I think there might be a delay is because I think I've noticed a delay between turning off the cpap and seeing the LCD data update itself. As a consequence, I've always waited at least half an hour before removing the card just as a precaution.

In looking at the graphs of the daily details from Encore Viewer, I have wondered about some things:

2. Does every tic mark (therapy flag) on the sleep disturbance graph correspond to a "single" instance of that sleep disturbance, be it apnea, hypopnea, etc. I really think not because when I add up those marks and divide by the time, I do not get the indexes that Encore calculates.

3. When I look at the bar graph of pressure vs time, sometimes you can see clearly where the pressure increases in response to sleep disturbance events. But sometimes there are no sleep disturbance events nor leak changes and still the pressure increases for a short time and then drops back to the min pressure. Is that a common occurrence? Anybody know what causes it?

4. Last night, just as I was going to bed, I looked at the LCD screen on the cpap and it said in the upper left hand corner, "auto off". Well, I hadn't turned it off, so I went into setup and the choice "cpap or auto" had auto selected. When I got back out of setup, the "auto off" indication was no longer there. Hmmm. Just a fluke?

Thanks!

Suz-E-Q · Post by **Suz-E-Q** » Sat Oct 20, 2007 8:51 am

I don't have a Auto C-Flex, but I do have a BiPAPA BiFlex....and the LCD doesn't show a read out for quite some time just in case you aren't done sleeping. It waits to do the averaging. I have a wake time from about 1 AM to 3AM almost everynight and I get up and wander around the house, get on the internet, read a book and when I go back to bed it shows that it is still the same night of sleep for averaging purposes the next day. I have also taken my card out right after turning off the machine and read it with no trouble.

As for your questions about Encore Pro....I did the math with the tick marks and it seemed fairly close. Maybe I should re-look. The other questions others may be able to help with.
Sleep well,
Suzanne

Wulfman · Post by **Wulfman** » Sat Oct 20, 2007 9:37 am

dand wrote:I'm using the REMstar Auto C-Flex CPAP Machine, and I read the smartcard with Encore Viewer.

1. Can you take the card out as soon as you wake up and turn off the cpap? YES. Or might you lose data that way? In other words, I'm wondering if the data is recorded on the card immediately or if perhaps there is a delay between the time the machine is turned off and when the data is recorded to the card. The reason I think there might be a delay is because I think I've noticed a delay between turning off the cpap and seeing the LCD data update itself. As a consequence, I've always waited at least half an hour before removing the card just as a precaution. What you see on the LCD screen and what you see on the Encore reports may vary to some degree. I think it takes a period of time for the LCD data to become available, but should already be recorded to your card.

In looking at the graphs of the daily details from Encore Viewer, I have wondered about some things:

2. Does every tic mark (therapy flag) on the sleep disturbance graph correspond to a "single" instance of that sleep disturbance, be it apnea, hypopnea, etc. I really think not because when I add up those marks and divide by the time, I do not get the indexes that Encore calculates.
Yes, but again, there may be some discrepancies. Not all tics may appear.

3. When I look at the bar graph of pressure vs time, sometimes you can see clearly where the pressure increases in response to sleep disturbance events. But sometimes there are no sleep disturbance events nor leak changes and still the pressure increases for a short time and then drops back to the min pressure. Is that a common occurrence? Anybody know what causes it?
Are you also looking at the Flow Limitation chart, the Snore chart and the Leak chart? There are more things that can affect pressure changes besides Hypopneas and Apneas.

4. Last night, just as I was going to bed, I looked at the LCD screen on the cpap and it said in the upper left hand corner, "auto off". Well, I hadn't turned it off, so I went into setup and the choice "cpap or auto" had auto selected. When I got back out of setup, the "auto off" indication was no longer there. Hmmm. Just a fluke?
I don't have an M Series machine (which it sounds like you have), so I can't answer that one.....I run all of mine in CPAP mode and it's been quite awhile since I've used one in Auto mode.

Thanks!

You wanna recheck your equipment to what is showing in your profile? Your profile is showing the Legacy/Classic/Tank REMstar Auto, but some of the things you're describing sound like you probably have the M Series Auto.

Do you have Encore Pro Analyzer? If not, I'd suggest getting it from James Skinner.

Den

NeedinZs · Post by **NeedinZs** » Sat Oct 20, 2007 10:14 am

dand,

I believe the "Auto Off" flashing in the upper left corner means that the CPAP is set to automatically discontinue therapy whenever the mask is removed. (shuts off)

That is according to my manual for the RemStar Auto M Series w' A-flex.

6PtStar · Post by **6PtStar** » Sat Oct 20, 2007 10:15 am

Wulfman

He has "Encore Viewer", I think james was still not sure Pro Analyser will work with the viewer.

Jerry

Wulfman · Post by **Wulfman** » Sat Oct 20, 2007 10:22 am

6PtStar wrote:Wulfman

He has "Encore Viewer", I think james was still not sure Pro Analyser will work with the viewer.

Jerry

Thanks, Jerry.

I missed that sentence that was sitting out there all by itself......that should have been easy enough to read.....

Den

dand · Post by **dand** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 8:00 am

Thanks for the replies!!

Suz-E-Q: I'm sure you're right about having to wait for the lcd info to update. That's definitely my experience, also.

Wulfman: Yep, I took my card out this morning after only about 10 minutes and all the data was there. So, you're probably right about the card being updated pretty quickly after the fan is turned off. I still don't know what causes those small spikes in the pressure graph. These seem to occur when none of the other graphs show any activity. Maybe what you're saying is that not all sleep disturbances are showing up. So, maybe there is an apnea or a hypopnea happening there that doesn't show up as a tic on the sleep disturbance graph. I guessing that has to be right. Thanks for the heads-up about my profile. I've fixed it.

NeedinZs: Yes, I think you're right about "auto off." I was interpreting it incorrectly.

6PtStar: I was on the verge of ordering Encore Pro from Australia, but then Encore Viewer came out. It works very well, and I have greatly benefited from the info it shows. Too bad though that I can't use Skinner's software with it.

Gumby CT · Post by **Gumby CT** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 8:27 am

dand wrote:4. Last night, just as I was going to bed, I looked at the LCD screen on the cpap and it said in the upper left hand corner, "auto off". Well, I hadn't turned it off, so I went into setup and the choice "cpap or auto" had auto selected. When I got back out of setup, the "auto off" indication was no longer there. Hmmm. Just a fluke?

I think that means that the machine shut itself off using the "Auto Off" Feature. see page 4-9

dand wrote:so I went into setup and the choice "cpap or auto" had auto selected.

That is the top of the Setup Menu and a choice for Therapy Mode. The auto off feature is further down the menu under "Auto Off".

HTH,
GumbyCT

Some questions about the smartcard and Encore graphs.

Some questions about the smartcard and Encore graphs.

Re: Some questions about the smartcard and Encore graphs.

Re: Some questions about the smartcard and Encore graphs.