New Respironics machines & mask

[WillSucceed]

I've just had about an hour, face-to-face with the Respironics rep. here in Toronto. This man was very helpful and willing to answer questions.

He has told me that the Bi-pap auto is coming and should be available within the next few months. It will be in two versions. One is a regular bi-pap auto and the other is bi-pap auto SV. The SV has a servo mechanism such that a rate can be set -this will be of significant value to those users who have central apneas.

He also talked about this SV unit being of value to those folks who have Chenyes-Stokes (sp?) breathing as, in addition to the rate, the unit will also have a feature that allows it to (I am paraphrasing here) 'determine minimum and maximum ventilation needs.' He made some comparisons to the ResMed "CS" machine that is used for Chenyes-Stokes patients.

I can't say that I understood all that he said as it was very techincal. I just wanted to pass on this bit that I understood.

The part about the mask is that he says Respironics has made changes in the Comfort-Lite headgear such that the hard, prone-to-break parts are gone. It will have a soft heargear that should be significantly more comfortable as well as forgiving of toss-and-turn sleepers. The existing nasal pillows WILL fit the new headgear. This should be available in late Nov. of this year.

[christinequilts]

It will be in two versions. One is a regular bi-pap auto and the other is bi-pap auto SV. The SV has a servo mechanism such that a rate can be set -this will be of significant value to those users who have central apneas.

That's music to my ears....I hope the SV will be able to stop more of my centrals then regular ST can. I would love to get the number of centrals under 10 per hour...the 30+ per hour I have now on BiPAP ST is getting really old- better then the 65/hr I have without it though. I take it from the FDA approval documents that only the regular autoBiPAP has been approved so far- I'll have to keep an eye out to see when the other one gets approved. Since I didn't do well with ResMed VPAP ST, I am really glad Respironics is coming out with their own...espeically since my main machine is a Respironics Synchrony & my back up is a Respironics BiPAP STD.

Glad to hear they are making improvements in the ComfortLite. I got one when they first came out- it was great until things started breaking after about 6 months. Any idea if they are going to use less breakable plastic on the pillow pieces? The part that locks it in place break off way too easy- luckily a small piece of electrical tape made the connection tight without the hook piece.

[WillSucceed]

I was thinking of you, Christinequilts, when I asked him about these new machines. The Rep. was very enthusiastic and believes that these new machines are going to be a significant improvement for people that have centrals. I hope he is right.

You asked if I have any idea if they are going to use less breakable plastic on the pillow pieces?

Don't know the answer to this one, but given that he said the existing nasal pillows will fit the new headgear, I suspect that the bit of hard plastic to which the soft silicone pillow attaches will stay the same. He did mention that the headgear will be out of soft fabric material and the hard plastic tubing that attaches to the headgear will be made of different materials that are softer/more tolerant of rocking & rolling during the night. He also mentioned that the swivel connectors will be made of materials that will swivel very easily/smoothly so that there is less torque applied to the headgear when the wearer moves/rolls.

Over the last year I've purchased 2 Comfort-Lites, like them alot, but find that they are too prone to breakage. I'm really looking forward to the new setup. He said he would call me and let me trial one as soon as they are released here in Ontario -I'll post a review after a few nights use.

[rested gal]

Wow, you got a lot of inside scoop, Will! Good job!

[SickAndTired]

Great information Will!!!

About the "should be available within the next few months." part... any feel for if we might see it before or after the end of the year? Thanks!

[dsm]

Yup Will, great intelligence gathering. Thanks for passing it on.

DSM