████¯\(º_º)/¯████ !!! Taming the Respironics ASV

[4betterO2]

...Hang in there, help is coming!
Do you have a Respironics Advanced ASV and are throwing your hands off in the air?
Do you sometimes get those overshoots of pressure which feel like, if you were wearing a cap, it would fly off?
Or does the machine sometimes stop inspiration on you, forcing you to exhale when you were not ready?
My machine has this oh, so soothing ocean breeze, wavy rhythmic soft sound, and when it behaves, it is so gentle that I can forget it's on, but it has serious problems too, and needs to be tweaked and tamed.

This topic concerns the current model DHS950.
This machine is so obscurely documented, and so problematic for some of its users, we need a reference thread for its users.
Description/sale here:
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/PR-Sys ... anced.html

Does anyone have a link to the provider manual that is exactly for that machine?
so far I've only found a manual to an earlier model of the advanced ASV, and it is different enough, to not be very useful.
There are some of us who do their own settings, (lucky ones!! ) accessing the clinical mode on their machines.
Others, like me, still under the capped rental from a DME, are not 'allowed' to do that, and can't get around that, for fear of problems with the insurance coverage, until the machine is paid up; but however, we need to know as much as possible, in order to better choose-and-plead our requests to our doctor!
If you can get to the clinical mode, please list ***all*** the settings that can be set on this machine, and their value ranges (ex.: PS min= as low as 0, PS Max= up to [25 minus Max EPAP], Ti= 0.0-3.0, Max pressure= up to 25. (etc.)
This would be very helpful!
It seems that Respironics prefers to be evasive on their product specifics, maybe because of the proprietary nature of their design?
Reading the Respironics literature online, you really feel there is a whole lot left out, and that is actually, the practical stuff that we users, need to know.
Basically, users need to know the nuts and bolts of the machine and its therapy delivery: what can it do, what settings achieve that?
Some of this knowledge is gathered from personal experiences, and maybe someone has contacts with Respironics and could enlighten some points that are not clear?
For instance, I have heard that the machine settings selections and operations are quite different when Bi-Flex is turned off, but as yet I could not get that detailed. Also, can it be set to work like a BiPAP ST, etc.

Back to the problems which can hopefully be solved by tweaking proper settings on the machine (?)
__ inspiratory time: my Ti was set too short at first, later corrected to 3.0: it seems the very short inspirations (0.5secs )have disappeared, but I'm getting usually only about 2.0 secs, and getting 3 secs almost only with machine-triggered breaths I believe. So it is not clear to me if the Ti works only for machine-triggered breaths or for all breaths;
__ sudden overshoots of pressure: there is another topic where this is mentioned, by Grand-PAP. Like he did, I had to turn off my machine when this happened, to make it restart its algorithm! In my case, overshoots were sudden and almost unique, but I'm sure they were not the short pulses that the machine triggers to find out if there is a clear airway, because those are not supposed to be high pressure.
__what problem do you have with your PR ASV machine, and how did you solve it?
This machine is so special, we need experiences and help from all its users, many thanks!

[Pugsy]

Does anyone have a link to the provider manual

Check your PM box in a couple of minutes. I will get you a link for the manual.

[4betterO2]

How do most users who can, set their own Max Pressure, when they set the machine pressure settings manually, (EPAP, IPAP, PS, Max), not on full auto?

I'm concerned about this because I don't trust the machine 100%, I feel that sometimes it is overreacting or unable to sense my breathing correctly. Thus I would prefer not allowing it to go to the max.
My doctor feels that if I don't keep the Max Pressure set as the max the machine itself can do, (25), the insurance might think I don't need this machine, I only need a BiPAP, and they will stop covering the ASV. This thinking implies that centrals need to use the max pressure. But do you think that can be true, when the max IPAP I usually use when I am healthy, is only about 13? (when I have a cold or a sinus problem, it would be different, but then it is not recommended to use the machine at all).

[Mary Z]

My system one ASV is set as follows EPAP 8 min & max 8, PS min 4, max 12, max pressure 20, Ti 2.5, BPM auto. I get along fine with it- none of the preessure surges you describe. I have plenty of time for inhalation and exhalation.

[4betterO2]

My system one ASV is set as follows

Thanks for your reply. I'm glad it works well for you.
I envy the regularity of your EPAP settings, I don't like it to be variable. Do you set your machine yourself, or does the DME do it?
Please tell me, how does it feel for you, when you get a machine-triggered breath (hopefully you got some before falling asleep and can tell)?

[4betterO2]

Still trying to make sense of what's happening with the settings I have... but now, I can't load data past 02/15 neither in SleepyHead nor in Encore Basic.

I can see in Explorer, that the data files thru 02/20 are where they should be, but when looking at the calendar in either SleepyHead or Encore Basic, these days are greyed out.
What happened?
Please help me unlock this data, I really need to see it... Thanks!

[Pugsy]

Still trying to make sense of what's happening with the settings I have... but now, I can't load data past 02/15 neither in SleepyHead nor in Encore Basic.

I can see in Explorer, that the data files thru 02/20 are where they should be, but when looking at the calendar in either SleepyHead or Encore Basic, these days are greyed out.
What happened?
Please help me unlock this data, I really need to see it... Thanks!

Get a blank (new or old but blank different) SD card. Insert it into your machine and let the machine write to the blank SD card.
Then try the software again. You won't have waveform but maybe you will have the other data.

[4betterO2]

Get a blank (new or old but blank different) SD card. Insert it into your machine and let the machine write to the blank SD card.
Then try the software again. You won't have waveform but maybe you will have the other data.

1__ I'm still under modem compliance surveillance and some interaction incidents have clearly indicated to me, that neither my DME nor my Dr. want me to have any interaction with the machine, so I don't tell them I'm reading the card. If I do what you told me, then re-insert the original card before I replug the machine, is there any way the machine will indicate to them what has happened?

2__ Also, since the greyed out days do have files that look like the other days, in Explorer, what could cause them not to import into the viewing software?
Do you know what role these files play, ending in:
.001
.002
.005
?
3__ I normally turn off the machine when I get up at night, restart it when getting back in bed, so I have several sets of the above files for the same day. Is that a problem for the viewing software?
4__ Are there other files on the SD card that direct whether and which files in the [p0] directory can import successfully?

[Pugsy]

Looking at your data via the SD card ......no way the DME will know unless you tell them.
Just looking doesn't change anything anywhere.

You could put a dozen blank SD cards into your machine and the machine will write the data that is stored on the machine (wave form is NOT stored on the machine) and then put your regular SD card back in the machine and the DME doesn't have any way to know what you did. None.

.001
.002
.005

These are the actual data files. Get a new grouping each time you turn the machine off and back on again.
The .005 files are the wave form data files. When you use a blank SD card and have the machine write the data to the card...you won't get wave form but you get everything else.
The other 2 file types...I don't know what each one does...only that you need both to get the data on the reports.

I have no idea why Encore won't show your most recent night's data and the days are greyed out and not available.
For some reason it isn't importing properly. I don't know what steps you are doing during the download. Are you seeing the message that the import was successful?

I normally turn off the machine when I get up at night, restart it when getting back in bed, so I have several sets of the above files for the same day. Is that a problem for the viewing software?

Not normally a problem. People do that all the time...just shows up as a little break in the therapy line...no big deal.
So I don't think that is related at all.

Are there other files on the SD card that direct whether and which files in the [p0] directory can import successfully?

I don't know the answer to this question. I do know that there are a whole bunch of other files on the SD card that are needed besides the P0 folder files.
If you have accidentally removed, damaged any of those files then the software doesn't know what to do but damaging those files would be highly unlikely.
But that is why I suggested trying a blank card...the machine will put everything back onto a blank SD card (except the .005 file) that is needed for a successful download.