AirSense Vs Dreamstation

[Snoozing Gonzo]

I have been a nearly 100% cpap/apap user for over 14 years. I have gone through several machines for home, travel, hiking/canoeing, etc. as well as many mask models. For a few years, I was a regular reader and occasional poster on this site. Cpap just became part of life and faded from importance for me so I haven't kept up with the folks here. My current home machine is an aging Respironics System One Apap which has served me well enough but is getting louder. Technology since that purchase time period has obviously changed a lot. I see that both the ResMed and Respironics leading machines have been deeply discounted recently. I have two questions and one comment.

First, from the current discounts, does anyone think the industry or those businesses are about to take a technological leap and offer a better machine to replace the AirSense and Dreamstation Apaps?

Second, if I were to buy one of those two machines, which is the better in terms of programming and recognition, consistency, and durability/longevity(it won't be moved much)?

My comment is that it took just a brief look at the site and found, like many years ago, people are still helping people get through this lifestyle transition. If you are new to Cpap, you are in good hands here.

Thanks for any guidance or advice you may have.

[Dog Slobber]

The favourite around here appears to be the ResMed over Respironics, though they're both good machines.

[zonker]

it's always difficult to predict when a new machine will come out. prolly right after i buy a new machine!

peruse the forum a bit. look at the signatures and see for yourself how most people feel.

for me, it's resmed all the way and i have used both.

my main attraction to my current machine is that i can raise my pressure by increments of .2. resperonics uses increments of .5 which, believe it or not, was too much of a leap for me when i was trying to get good therapy while staving off aerophagia.

[Okie bipap]

The most highly recommended machine is the ResMed Auto For Her. That being said, you may be happier with the Dream Station auto machine since you are used to how Respironics machines operate. The ResMed machines handle events slightly different from the Respironics machines.

[palerider]

The most highly recommended machine is the ResMed Auto For Her. That being said, you may be happier with the Dream Station auto machine since you are used to how Respironics machines operate. The ResMed machines handle events slightly different from the Respironics machines.

Or, like most (but not all (inserting standard disclaimer)) people that have tried both, they'll never look back at the Respironics.

[Snoozing Gonzo]

You guys are great! Thinks for your time. As far as familiarity, I can go between my old Everest Cpap at the lake place, my older Transcend Apap with no humidifier,, and the System One without noticing too much - except the Transcend sounds like a jet engine. It's fine tuning, relaxation, and habit.
Thanks again. This helps.

[DreamDiver]

Second, if I were to buy one of those two machines, which is the better in terms of programming and recognition, consistency, and durability/longevity(it won't be moved much)?

I started with Respironics with the M-Series Pro.
I then got a ResMed S9 and now have a ResMed AS10.
I'm a ResMed fanboy. Sorry, but ResMed's algorithm has it all over Respironics, at least for my instance. Respironics' algorithm is coarser in all respects.

That said:

• Yes, I agree that Respironics and Resmed are probably about to drop their latest machines, hence the desire to reduce the current inventory. Sale! It's likely because neither company has introduced anything in five/six years. < conspiracy theory > I wonder if they have intentionally coordinated drop cycles. < / conspiracy theory > The current models will probably be discontinued.
• Theorization - wild flights of fancy - speculation...
  
  • It's possible the next version of both or either will be without any SD card. This would mean either Bluetooth (or preferably WiFi) compatibility would allow us to connect directly to OSCAR from our machines, or unfortunately, they'll try to remove all OSCAR compatibility from the equation, putting the power back into the hands of the DME's. We'll be stuck with apps like myAir that don't give a full story or allow for facilitated self-titration. Ideally, they would be working with OSCAR devs to streamline and insure OSCAR compatibility. Of course OSCAR devs aren't going to tell us if this is the case because ResMed and Respironics both want control over their respective drop dates.
  • There may be trade-offs. If the new machines use Artificial Intelligence (AI), it may not be as easy to change settings because the machine is learning your specific needs and remembering and adapting them night after night. Neural networks are unfortunately a little like black box coding, in that even those who programmed them cannot always say exactly why or how the code works. It just does. Neural networks that allow safe external control through a clinician's menu may be more difficult to program safely than simply allowing the AI to take full control of your therapy. AI might require a fast internet connection if the computer at the heart of the machine isn't robust enough to do it alone. (For instance when you use google speech to text, it always works better when you're connected to the internet.) If AI is not part of the new crop of machines, then not allowing SD cards and destroying compatibility with OSCAR would just be a stab at getting patients to go once more through the DME tunnel of suffering.
  • An AI machine could also allow for better on-the-fly diagnosis and resultant ideal proper therapy. Unfortunately, they could also set up some whackadoo business model where they make you pay for the special 2-month AI period, then lock your machine into a specific algorithm from the internet, rather than having AI continually monitor and control your settings for the same actual cost. I would not be in favor of this business model.
  • I'm hoping if AI is part of the new therapy that they'll offer a machine similar to the AS10 Autoset that allows all the old settings like straight CPAP, Auto, and the new "Auto AI", which can be controlled from the clinician menu, or maybe the patient menu. If they intend to shut patients out of their own therapy, it may backfire, causing a boom in the Open CPAP open source community. It seems to have stalled for now because the current crop of machines are pretty incredible as they are. But intentionally taking control of therapy out of the hands of the patient may cause the open source hardware community to do with CPAP machines what OSCAR has done for the open source CPAP software community.
• ResMed works for me. It may not work for you. Respironics may be better for you.
• Under ideal circumstances, the DME's would rent you a loaner machine, switching out between ResMed and Respironics every week or two for a couple months. From there, you could decide which machine works best for you and buy the one that fits your specific requirements. With most DME's it really is more like buying shoes or pants where they throw you a pair that you have to wear regardless of fit. Kind of senseless.
• While I'm not placing bets, it's entirely possible Respironics could eclipse ResMed's capabilities with the next iteration of cpap. We'll have to wait and see.

If you're thinking about the ResMed Auto for Her, it is a highly recommended machine only in that it offers a softer algorithm if you want that extra option. It may not work for you. I'm still testing it for myself. The evidence is not yet conclusive, though using identical settings from my S9, the For Her settings do not work as well for me. I'm exploring whether it's worth trying alternative settings in the For Her mode, but for now, I'm just wanting to lower/stabilize my AHI.

Others may have very some good reasons why they prefer Respironics.

[Aretino]

Diagnosed and prescribed a CPAP in 2005. Still using my original Reperonics Remstar 1018547 and humidifier 1005792.

[DreamDiver]

Diagnosed and prescribed a CPAP in 2005. Still using my original Reperonics Remstar 1018547 and humidifier 1005792.

Wow! Straight CPAP since 2005... That machine must be amazingly robust to still be going strong! Newer machines are designed to be replaced about every five years.

[Dog Slobber]

Wow! Straight CPAP since 2005... That machine must be amazingly robust to still be going strong! Newer machines are designed to be replaced about every five years.

Drawing the conclusion that CPAPs are *designed* to be replaced every five years, because insurance will pay for a new one every five years; would be like stating cars are *designed* to be replaced every three years because that's the standard time frame for most leases.

[DreamDiver]

Wow! Straight CPAP since 2005... That machine must be amazingly robust to still be going strong! Newer machines are designed to be replaced about every five years.

Drawing the conclusion that CPAPs are *designed* to be replaced every five years, because insurance will pay for a new one every five years; would be like stating cars are *designed* to be replaced every three years because that's the standard time frame for most leases.

I know, right? After twenty years, my truck is still going strong, but my wife's newer car is now saying "Motor Life Exceeded" after five years. So we have to get her a new car because it was clearly designed that way.

[palerider]

Diagnosed and prescribed a CPAP in 2005. Still using my original Reperonics Remstar 1018547 and humidifier 1005792.

Wow! Straight CPAP since 2005... That machine must be amazingly robust to still be going strong! Newer machines are designed to be replaced about every five years.

No they're not, no more than filters are *designed to be replaced" after 2 weeks, or nasal cushions are "designed to be replaced" every 2 weeks, or water reservoirs are "designed to be replaced" every 6 months.

[DreamDiver]

Diagnosed and prescribed a CPAP in 2005. Still using my original Reperonics Remstar 1018547 and humidifier 1005792.

Wow! Straight CPAP since 2005... That machine must be amazingly robust to still be going strong! Newer machines are designed to be replaced about every five years.

No they're not, no more than filters are *designed to be replaced" after 2 weeks, or nasal cushions are "designed to be replaced" every 2 weeks, or water reservoirs are "designed to be replaced" every 6 months.

Thanks, palerider

[Aretino]

tried to update my profile, Machine selections are incomplete. Respiromics Remstar.

[Pugsy]

tried to update my profile, Machine selections are incomplete. Respiromics Remstar.

If you don't see your model machine in the equipment menu just manually add it to the comments section of your equipment profile.
The choices available in the menu are tied to current inventory at cpap.com and if the machine is an older discontinued model then you won't see it. No big deal. Just add it to the comments section.