Remstar auto-M aflex and encore-pro

RonS · Post by **RonS** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 5:07 am

Hi all;

First time poster who wants to say this looks like an INCREDIBLE forum. Thanks very much to all participants and the forum staff.

Quick background:
Had PSG; had AHI of 27.
Had titration study, have prescription for 15cm
Bought CPAP used immediately, about 1 week ago.
Set to 12, felt absolutely brutalized, felt sore in upper chest, couldn't exhale against pressure.
Set to 9, feel much better.
Bought humidifier; that has helped.
Getting comfortable with 9, looking to increase towards script, and/or get APAP.

I am thinking about getting a Remstar Auto M series with Aflex. It has a smart card in it.

What is everything I need to get great data from it?
I've seen Derek's MyEncore and it looks super, but I've also seen it needs Encore Pro 1.8 and I've also read that software is not available anymore???

I'm confused, and I don't like that!

Is the right Encore Pro software available anywhere?
Is the Encore Viewer software so bad as to be worthless or virtually worthless?
Where can I get all of this stuff?
Should I save my money and not move from my newish (to me) Remstar Plus basic CPAP to this newer apap with a-flex?

Normally I find it hard to ask for help, but help!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 6:37 am

I have the M series w/aflex auto and the encore viewer software. I find it is very user friendly and gives good data. I don't know where you got your negative ideas, but you can go with that setup from cpap.com very reasonable buying the reader and software as a pkg. lighten up. jim

RonS · Post by **RonS** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 6:53 am

Anonymous wrote: lighten up.

Heh. If I could lighten up I might not need the CPAP.

Just trying to figure out what to do, and to make sense of it all.

NightHawkeye · Post by **NightHawkeye** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 7:06 am

RonS wrote:What is everything I need to get great data from it?
I've seen Derek's MyEncore and it looks super, but I've also seen it needs Encore Pro 1.8 and I've also read that software is not available anymore???

I'd recommend not worrying too much about Encore add-ons, like MyEncore or jskinners version. They don't give you any additional information, they just reformat the data so you can look at it in different ways. Encore is a quite capable program which can help you through problems with your therapy.

RonS wrote:I'm confused, and I don't like that!

Is the right Encore Pro software available anywhere?

Don't think so. Respironics replaced it with Encore Viewer which has the same data-monitoring capabilities.

RonS wrote:Should I save my money and not move from my newish (to me) Remstar Plus basic CPAP to this newer apap with a-flex?

If you want to monitor your therapy, you need a different machine. Pick whichever one you think fits your needs and budget .

Oh, and welcome.

Regards,
Bill

RonS · Post by **RonS** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 7:33 am

NightHawkeye wrote:If you want to monitor your therapy, you need a different machine. Pick whichever one you think fits your needs and budget .

The needs is exactly the question! Budget, while always a consideration, isn't the most important issue.

Thanks for the welcome.

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 8:59 am

Hi Ron! Welcome to the message board.

RonS wrote:Quick background:
Had PSG; had AHI of 27.
Had titration study, have prescription for 15cm
Bought CPAP used immediately, about 1 week ago.
Set to 12, felt absolutely brutalized, felt sore in upper chest, couldn't exhale against pressure.
Set to 9, feel much better.
Bought humidifier; that has helped.
Getting comfortable with 9, looking to increase towards script, and/or get APAP.

A pressure of 15 is a pretty good chunk of incoming air for many people to try to exhale against. Especially when you were facing it without humidification at first.

I'm not a doctor, but I think you have the right attitude about doing whatever it takes for you to be able to do this kind of therapy. Even if it means using less pressure than prescribed while getting used to it.

RonS wrote:I am thinking about getting a Remstar Auto M series with Aflex. It has a smart card in it.

Excellent idea, imho. That machine gives wonderful relief when breathing out against pressure. If I were prescribed a pressure of 15, I'd set that auto to a range like 10 - 20, with A-Flex set at 3 (for the most pressure relief when breathing out.)

It might be that most of the night pressures considerably lower than "15" would keep the airway open just fine. The sleep study does, after all, look for the pressure than can take care of worst case scenario. For most people that would be on their back during REM sleep. A scenario in which those two things together might not happen all that often; and since REM comes in cycles, wouldn't be happening continuously all night long.

RonS wrote:What is everything I need to get great data from it?

The software called "Encore Viewer" and a DT3500 smart card reader.

RonS wrote:I've seen Derek's MyEncore and it looks super, but I've also seen it needs Encore Pro 1.8 and I've also read that software is not available anymore???

Derek stopped updating his supplemental program "MyEncore" quite some time ago. James Skinner then created a supplemental program called "Encore Pro Analyzer" -- EPA.

Respironics' Encore Pro software had to be installed first before either of those free supplemental programs could be used. Neither of the supplemental programs work with Encore Viewer.

Encore Viewer is a program Respironics created which can be sold to patients. Encore Viewer gives exactly the same data, same graphs, same charts, same info, that Encore Pro does. You'll be able to see your full data and monitor your treatment fine with Encore Viewer. I applaud Derek and then James for developing their programs as tools for another way to look at Encore Pro data. I've seen others' charts from them, but I've never used either of the supplemental programs (MyEncore or Encore Pro Analyzer.) Many people do like using them. I just never had a need to use them myself, since I can see what I want to know from Encore Pro or Encore Viewer alone.

RonS wrote:I'm confused, and I don't like that!

I know what you mean. There's a lot to try to digest and figure out at the beginning (and all along, for that matter) if a person wants to be very proactive in his/her own treatment. You've come to the right message board for that.

RonS wrote:Is the right Encore Pro software available anywhere?
Is the Encore Viewer software so bad as to be worthless or virtually worthless?
Where can I get all of this stuff?

Encore Viewer is very good. As I said, it gives the same info as Encore Pro. You can buy Encore Viewer from any online cpap store. It's sold by cpap.com, who will price-match (as far as I know) if you find it cheaper elsewhere.

RonS wrote:Should I save my money and not move from my newish (to me) Remstar Plus basic CPAP to this newer apap with a-flex?

If I had trouble exhaling against pressure and wanted to see full data, I'd definitely want the auto with A-flex and the Encore Viewer software.

RonS wrote:Normally I find it hard to ask for help, but help!

Ya done good, already, Ron! And you're poised to do even better. Good job.

Evan · Post by **Evan** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 1:16 pm

I have the Auto with A-flex. My 90% pressure is 15.5 right now in auto mode and a-flex is set in the middle. I find it very easy to breathe with and my AHI is around 1.8 (85 w/o treatment).

RonS · Post by **RonS** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 2:34 pm

Wow, that sounds wonderful!

For how long have you been on this regimen?

Evan · Post by **Evan** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 3:23 pm

Only for a week. I think I've been really lucky. PB Breeze mask has been just great. I'm getting a solid nine hours sleep/night.

Remstar auto-M aflex and encore-pro

Remstar auto-M aflex and encore-pro

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Re: Remstar auto-M aflex and encore-pro

Re: Remstar auto-M aflex and encore-pro