Adapt SV Setup aka Stupid RT Tricks (Somewhat Ranty)

[DrowzyDave]

I know I am probably preaching to the choir but thought I would share my recent experience with my RT. The RT came by to setup my Adapt SV on Tuesday and it was quite an interesting experience. It is a good thing that there is so much useful information on this board and I paid attention to the way the machine was set up at the sleep lab.

On the phone the morning of the setup, I asked her to bring a medium Quattro mask because that is what the tech used for my titration. She asked me why I wanted a new mask. I told her that from what I had read, the F&P 432 (which I was using) would not pass the Learn Circuit. She said yes it would, but brought the Quattro anyway. Umm, no it won't. I tried it the next day and it failed as has been documented in another thread here.

She tried to put the hose on backwards. She put the mask end (the one with the Y adapter) on the machine and then tried to put the pressure line on the O2 port of the mask. I pointed out to her that, if I remember correctly from my titration, the small hose goes on the small fitting on the machine and the end with the Y adapter goes on the mask.

After everything was hooked up and plugged in, she started pressing buttions and then asked if a light switch needed to be turned on to power the wall outlet. I told her no, but I believe that there is a power switch on the back of the machine, (just like my old machine which she set up and I am sure just like on every other Resmed machine she has set up).

After she got into the Clinical Menu, she says "I don't have a copy of your sleep study. Your pressure was 10, right?" I told her I did not know because I have not seen a copy of the sleep study yet. I seemed to remember the sleep tech said that everything went great once they set it to 8 but I figured too high was better than too low. She called the next morning to say she needed to come by that afternoon and change the setting because it was supposed to be 8. I resisted the urge to tell her that it was okay, I would change it myself since I know how to get into the Clinical Menu thanks to this forum.

She made a big deal of making sure that she took the Clinicians Guide with her. I can see the importance of not letting the patient have the Clinician's Manual. After all, the patient is not trained and might screw something up. (Tongue firmly in cheek.)

I shudder to think what could happen if she sets up a machine for someone who has not read the information on this forum and doesn't konw that they need to educate themselves for their own protection.

Thanks to all the posters on this board for their valuable, very possibly life-saving, information.

Dave

[j.a.taylor]

Dave,

Owwww!

That train came crashing down the tracks and right into your house.

Doesn't make you feel real secure when you realize that you probably have acquired more knowledge than this particular RT.

Wouldn't want to be the next patient, the one knowing next to nothing, on her watch.

Just a gentle reminder from your CPAPTalk partners, that you are the one in charge of your treatment. (Regardless of what the Clinicians Guide might say).

[Snoredog]

sounds like it was more important for the RT to have the Clinical manual, but having the manual doesn't assure you she has read it.

[ozij]

And what is worse, if she leaves it with the patient, the patient may (gasp!) read it.

O.

[dsm]

Downright scary

DSM

[DrowzyDave]

Just a gentle reminder from your CPAPTalk partners, that you are the one in charge of your treatment.

Amen to that, for sure. If my DME had their way, I would still be on the VPAP getting suboptimal treatment. To my RT's credit, she recommended the Adapt almost from the beginning but her area manager overruled her. At least she told me how to go about getting retitrated and prescribed for the Adapt. It is just a ahame she doesn't know more about setting one up.