Resmed Autoset II software, recommended interface?

[GaryGarland]

Hi All,
Newbie here. Planning on getting the ResScan software - I believe with the Autoset II i need version 3.5 or so - and some sort of hardware interface.
I'm biased against the card reader as I don't want to keep using the card, which i think also doesn't store prior readings? (though i believe the machine does?) - so i'm inclined to go with a USB interface and hook my notebook to the machine -- unless someone has a better suggestion?
my goal, aside from loving bells and whistles and wondering what's going on, is to view how many events i'm having a night, the pressures, etc.
Also, I'm hoping someone will know this - when the machine indicates events, AI, HI, etc. - does it mean that's the real story, or that's the beginning of an event the machine helped compesnate for?
I guess other than increasing pressure there's no way to reduce events, right?
thanks so much!!!!!
-- a tired apneatic newbie

[GuyK]

My AutoSet II was delivered with the card module -- the DME is supposed to periodically send me a card on which to download the data.

So, I went the card reader route, and also bought a data card. All in all, though, I would imagine the direct USB interface is easier to deal with.

Guy

[sleepyangler]

The difference between the card reader and direct USB interface is basically one of convenience and/or price. As for the AI and HI values reported by the machine and software, they are indeed real events and not prevented ones. The apneas will have a time associated with them and if the software says 15sec, rest assured that the machine picked up on your not breathing for 15sec. The HI values are a little trickier to interpret and there's no time reported for them. Also keep in mind that your apap can only make the AI & HI calls based on changes it senses in the pressure of the hose. That's certainly not the exact same thing as the AI & HI values one would get from a legit sleep study which has a lot more data available to base the decisions on. Just consider the data from you machine and the software readouts to be relative to you and your machine and don't attempt to necessarily compare them to your sleep study data. You simply want to make sure that they are low and that any changes you may make to your setup result in better numbers then previously recorded.

[Snoredog]

My opinion:

1. Software, card readers, running reports is a hassle, you can burn up a lot of time and paper
running reports to see a AHI consistently under 5. Nice to keep an eye on leak but

2. Machine you have gives very good individual data as it is from the LCD screen. If you know how to use
it you don't need the software. Your machine gives you daily, weekly, monthly and 6 month averages
for AI, HI, 95% pressure and leak results.

3. If you punch those numbers into a spreadsheet and produce a line graph you will have better reports
than what you can buy. If you setup the report for AI and/or AHI vs Pressure you have the ideal
report. Can be done on a Mac with Pages and Numbers or with Excel.

While the Resmed reports give you that info it doesn't really report details that you can use, seems they want
to still keep you in the blind with what is happening. Meaning you can't really see what lead up to an
event and/or make a decision from it as to what needs to be changed. You can get
that information right off the LCD with AI. On that machine the only thing that really matters
is AI indice and Leak indice. It does NOT report snore without the Reslink module, it does
not report Flow Limitation. About all it reports is a timeline with little flags that pop-up
with either a hypopnea and/or apnea. If your pressure is already at 10 cm or higher,
you won't learn anything new, you won't see okay here is an apnea that showed up at 2 AM,
but pressure stayed the same at 10 why? Well because machine doesn't respond to Apnea
above 10 cm pressure. Okay, next you look at 2AM and you see pressure go to 11 cm or 14 cm
and there is no Apnea/Hypopnea flag shown, just the pressure increase, what does that tell you?

It only tells you pressure increased for some reason but it doesn't tell you the reason, you have to know
that it only responds to Flow Limitation or Snore above that pressure, so you have to "assume" it increased
pressure in response to one of those two events but you don't know which. So the price
you pay for the software, card reader, time spent generating reports it is simply not worth
it on this machine as it doesn't give you any new data than what you already get from the LCD.

Unless you just like running reports.

[billbolton]

I'm biased against the card reader as I don't want to keep using the card, which i think also doesn't store prior readings?

The card stores the last set of data that was downloaded from the S8 (the previous 180 days of summary data and previous 5 days of detailed data) until you donwload the next set of data (the previous 180 days of summary data and previous 5 days of detailed data). I don't know what else you expect in terms of storage?!?

(though i believe the machine does?)

The S8 holds the previous 360 days of summary data and previous 5 days of detailed data. There is basically no prtactical difference between the data you get via the ResScan card interface and the data you get via the USB interface if you are monitoring the data on a regular basis.

I guess other than increasing pressure there's no way to reduce events, right?

There are numerous things that can impact your score including:

• Consistently observing good sleep practice/hygene (Lots of sub points could go here, but are covered in the "Our Wisdom" section here)
  Keeping leaks under control
  Setting humdification appropriately

Cheers,

Bill

[jnk]

I use the USB interface instead of the card interface, myself. But like billbolton says, the only way the USB interface would be an advantage storage-wise is if you like to wait more than 180 days between summary-data downloads. Some consider it inconvenient to have to move a card around. Others consider in inconvenient to have to get their computer and machine close to each other for the download. So that's your call.

I agree with Snoredog's assessment that the most important data is given to you very well by the screen on the ResMed. That fact makes getting software less of a jump up in data collection compared to a Respironics user. However, I personally find the software useful to me. Seeing the leak graph helps me know whether it was a one-time event that my leak went up or several times, and whether my leak line was constant or varied, for example. And I can see when my auto increased pressure and what impact that had on the number of flow limitations. So, if I had it to do over again, I would still get the software.

Hope that helps.

[MusicMan]

Seeing the leak graph helps me know whether it was a one-time event that my leak went up or several times, and whether my leak line was constant or varied, for example.

Didn't I warn you what would happen if you express your opinion here again? Are you going to make us get out the eggs and tomatoes again?

Shut up already!!!