Upgrade Time: REMstar Series 60 vs Pro?

[rschneidvol]

Greetings:

Started CPAP Therapy in 2008. Lurked around this site for a few months to solve problems, i.e. condensation problems, travel tips, etc. All was solved quickly and whatever settings my Doc gave me in 2008 worked because I am happy with my sleep. As such, I didn't stay active as member on cpaptalk.com. I do not recall my O2 stats, my pressure settings (maybe a 7), etc. I have a Respironics M Series w/ w/ smartcard, CFlex, Ramp up (do not EVER use). Full face ResMed Quattro MAsk, 8' hose, etc. I am sure this group could analyze my data and tell me 1million things to do better, but I am generally happy. i use it every night, only take it off for bathroom breaks and put it on when come back to bed. I damn near cried when I left my mask at parents house on a trip...luckily I had a back up unit but no back-up hose. That will never happen again.

Soooo...
In May I was traveling and forgot to dump my H20 reservoir. A mess in my suitcase, but since then the automatic on/off stopped working. Not a big deal because it means I press a button for on/off. Big whoop. But now the power cord is acting up and needs to be in a certain "position" to stay powered on. My reservoir is due for replacement as well. After doing the math on the replacement parts and considering how much cheaper CPAP machines are from 5 years ago (and the multitude of on-line sellers) I am considering an upgrade.

A few things:
1) I am on a high-deductible health care plan so this is MY CASH...not a co-pay, MY CASH.
2) I no not need a ramp-up nor the auto-flex--just C-Flex.
3) I have been looking at the Respironics REMstar Series 60 vs. REMstar Plus. The 60 is $450 plus reservoir = $700. The plus is $369 & includes reservoir. My observation: $320 just for heating tube? I must be misisng something...
3a) I travel so portability and the battery pack intrigues me, but the battery is not a must,
3b) I am confused about the heated tubing feature replacement? Is it the same tube w/ a heating element that you snap on add on or is it a custom tube? If a special tube, how much to replace and how often?
4) Good humidity is a must for me. I tend to get tube rain out and mask condensation w/ my current unit, so good humid air w/ minimal H2O is a goal.

I am leaning toward the REMstar plus model, as the key selling points on the Pro don't seem to be anything to meet my specific needs. What Am I missing to justify the extra expense for the Pro? What are your thoughts in general? Your experience...

[rschneidvol]

Also, I forgot to ask: How do get the settings & my M Series SmartCard over to the New Machine's SD card? Do I need a sleep theripist DEM employee to do this?

[ClayL]

One thing the Pro offers that many of us consider essential is the ability to see our our data - AHI, pressure, leakage rate, etc.
From what you say it may not be important to you.

[tetragon]

Which machines are you comparing? A Series 60 Pro (460) and a System One Plus (250)? The heated tube option involves a special hose with the heating coil and sensors built into it, along with a more powerful power supply and a special top to the humidifier with the necessary connectors for the heating coil and sensors.

Differences that I noticed between my Series 60 and pre-Series-60 (but still new enough to have pre-heat on the humidifier) System One Pros (a 460 and a 450):

• Heated tube option (heated tube is also thinner than the standard tube)
• Displayed numbers now have a 1-day value in addition to 7- and 30-day
• A time-limited auto mode exists
• In CPAP-Check mode, it reviews your logged numbers for the past thirty hours, and can slightly tweak the pressure
• It's a darker shade of grey

Differences between the System One Pro and the System One Plus (450 and 250):

• Logs more than compliance data (leak, AHI, and waveform data can be read in Encore and SleepyHead)
• Can display a limited amount of logged data on-screen
• Has C-Flex+

Differences between newer System One and older (same model number):

• Humidifier pre-heat
• Display has backlight
• Silent mode (doesn't beep as often)

Heated tubes prevent rainout within the hose itself. Even with the heated tube, I still get condensation that forms within my nasal pillows. The night I tried non-nasal-pillows masks with the heated tube, I didn't notice any condensation in the nasal masks.

[archangle]

Assume you're getting a PRS1 60 series machine.

The Plus, Pro, and Auto all have the same heated hose options. The heated hose is optional. There are two different types of humidifier. One will power the heated hose, one will not.

Absolutely, positively get the Pro or Auto instead of the Plus. The Plus does not record any therapy data. It only records when you used the machine, but doesn't tell you how well it's working. The Pro or Auto will tell you how many apneas you have, what type, and records a graph of every breath you take during the night. It's like a mini sleep study every night.

If you have any trouble, the Pro or Auto will give you info you or your doctor can use to figure out your problems and fix them.

The Auto can be set to do anything the Pro (or plus) will do, but it also has the option of auto CPAP. The price difference is small, and you'll be using the machine for many years.

PRS1 60 Auto is best.
PRS1 60 pro is OK
PRS1 60 Plus is bad in my opinion.

You can get the clinician manuals online for both the old and new machine and read and set the pressure setting on both machines yourself. Look here for the manuals you need.

[Pugsy]

Also, I forgot to ask: How do get the settings & my M Series SmartCard over to the New Machine's SD card? Do I need a sleep theripist DEM employee to do this?

This part is easy to do yourself as long as you know your M series settings. Just a matter of going into the clinical setup menu area.
How to is described here with pictures.
http://www.apneaboard.com/pr-system-one ... structions
If you are buying online from cpap.com they will include the provider manual which includes the same instructions.

3) I have been looking at the Respironics REMstar Series 60 vs. REMstar Plus. The 60 is $450 plus reservoir = $700. The plus is $369 & includes reservoir. My observation: $320 just for heating tube? I must be misisng something...

Is that $700 price from cpap.com for the PR System One Pro 60 series machine (model 460)? The reason I ask is that the APAP model 560 costs around $650 with the heated hose humidifier option so the Pro 460 model should be less. Did you call them and get the discounted price?

The $369 machine and humidifier price is for the model 250....doesn't have the heated hose option (which is kinda nice but maybe not critical) so a discontinued model. The reason it is cheaper is because it has been discontinued and replaced by the 260 model with the heated hose humidifier option. The newer model 260 in the PR System One Plus model line...a little more money but more importantly it offers zero data beyond how many hours you use it. Lack of data would be a deal breaker for me but it may or may not matter to you.

The PR System One Pro model 460...has more features than the Plus model 260. Along with offering full efficacy data it has some other options that might be of benefit down the road.
Software is free and easily available to monitor the data the machine gathers.