S9 - SD Card Reader Concerns Entirely Mitigated

[DreamDiver]

So - I took a nap this afternoon. A really great nap. After the nap, we had dinner, and I went back upstairs and decided to try reading the data from my nap off the SD card.

I had some trouble bringing it up on my laptop SD card reader. Intermittently it would recognize the reader or not. At one point, I figured out the way to get my laptop internal reader to see the card was to follow these steps:

1. Open my patient view.
2. Click the 'Settings' button. A new dialog box comes up.
3. Click 'Select Device'. Another dialog box comes up.
4. Select S9 Autoset all the way down at the bottom of the next dialog box.
5. Click 'Ok'. At this point a warning comes up and says you're about to erase the card.
6. Click 'Cancel'. I didn't want to erase my data.
7. However, now the machine could see my card and I could click 'Download' - either one.
8. It brings up another dialog box and allows me to select S9, and the download begins. In a few seconds all the data is avaiable.

However, this seems like a pretty dumb thing to have to do every time I wanted to view data. I figured, what have I got to lose by trying my external card reader? I pulled it out and stuck the SD card in that, plugged it into the USB port and got a slightly different set of options. Better options. Here is my list for good ResScan download hygiene.

This is the SD card reader I used:

• Navigate to your patient view.
• Stick the SD card reader in your USB slot. Wait. It could take 20 seconds, maybe longer.
• A new dialog box comes up:
  
• Select 'Yes'. This goes away and another dialog box comes up:
  
• The Serial Number of your machine should appear in the Search field. If your name does not appear in the bottom, search on your name instead. When your name appears, select it and click 'View Data'
• You'll then see something like this:
  
• It may ask you if you want to use the serial number for this patient. If so, say yes. Sorry, I didn't make an image of this step. Next time you stick the card in, it will automatically assume you want this patient.
• If you've already downloaded once the same day, it may ask you this:
  
• If you've taken a nap and then another nap, or slept again through that night, you'll want to overwrite. If it's just putting the card in a second time but no new data has been written to the card you can safely discard the data downloaded for duplicate sessions. Either way, it's unlikely you'll actually lose data.

The results...
Here's my nap data. Central apneas again. Ugh.


Here's a look at breath-by-breath view. Wow. I'm impressed again. This software is incredible.
Notice the two centrals, with durations. The vertical lines in blue in the upper split-view denote the enlarged time section in the lower split-view - a five minute interval. I've circled the equivalent items in red.


The card works fine in my card reader I bought from the local Office Max for $9 last year so my old laptop could read SDHD cards like new machines. No proprietary card reader is necessary.

All is well. We have data and the world is good. I'm going to sleep well tonight.

As a sidenote, a readme that installs when you install Rescan 3.10 says this:

ResScan 3.10 Release Notes
==========================

This version of ResScan software contains some minor issues that are currently being resolved for the next release.
There are no known issues that affect safety or usage.

I've also found some interesting outcomes regarding manometer measurement on this machine. It's a little late to post about it tonight, but tomorrow, I'm going to do a full comparison of manometer measurements between my M-Series Pro and the S9. ResMed has some 'splainin' to do. [EDIT: I need to look at the accuracy of my manometer before I can be sure I've got good readings. The pressure comparison will need to wait. Sorry.]

Good night!

[AirBreather]

Thanks for taking time to post the S9 ResScan data plots. It is unfortunate that the S8 does doesn't provide breath-by-breath air flow data like that via its Smart Card. I assume that the S9 also provides detailed air pressure data and that the pressure plot was just scrolled down out-of-view when you captured that screen image.

[ozij]

The problem with the S8's reporting is the machine. It doesn't record the data, and therefore can't report it.

[AirBreather]

The problem with the S8's reporting is the machine. It doesn't record the data, and therefore can't report it.

I thought the S8 recorded air flow data, but that there isn't enough space on the Smart Card to save it. Isn't S8 air flow data available via ResLink?

[ozij]

The problem with the S8's reporting is the machine. It doesn't record the data, and therefore can't report it.

I thought the S8 recorded air flow data, but that there isn't enough space on the Smart Card to save it. Isn't S8 air flow data available via ResLink?

The Reslink does the recording, as far as I know. You can't get that data from an S8 even when you connect the flow generator directly to the computer -- I know, because I've read data directly from the machine via cable, and requested a download of all possible data -- and got no flow info.

O.

[Tefan]

Where did you get the software ? I just bought a S9 (first machine) and would like to understand more of what is hapenning but my provider doesn't sell the software nor seem interested in helping me get it (good guy otherwise . Also, can you point me to some documentation that explains the vocabulary of the measurement (like central AI, total AI, etc) ? I've been looking for a while but can only find the basic definition. Thanks !

[ozij]

Where did you get the software ? I just bought a S9 (first machine) and would like to understand more of what is hapenning but my provider doesn't sell the software nor seem interested in helping me get it (good guy otherwise . Also, can you point me to some documentation that explains the vocabulary of the measurement (like central AI, total AI, etc) ? I've been looking for a while but can only find the basic definition. Thanks !

You can find lots of information about the basic vocabulary (and them some) in the CPAP Wiki -- click on the yellow lightbulb top center. Resmed's site (http://www.resmed.com) also has a lot to offer.

[DreamDiver]

Thanks for taking time to post the S9 ResScan data plots. It is unfortunate that the S8 does doesn't provide breath-by-breath air flow data like that via its Smart Card. I assume that the S9 also provides detailed air pressure data and that the pressure plot was just scrolled down out-of-view when you captured that screen image.

Yes - there's too much data on two axes for one screen, but the data provided include:
Leak, Minute Ventilation, Flow, AHI, Events (Unknown, Obstructive, Central, Hypopnea), Snore Index, Flow Limitation, and Flow. You're entirely free as to the order and style in which you arrange the data on your screen.

[preemiern]

Where did you get the software ? I just bought a S9 (first machine) and would like to understand more of what is hapenning but my provider doesn't sell the software nor seem interested in helping me get it (good guy otherwise . Also, can you point me to some documentation that explains the vocabulary of the measurement (like central AI, total AI, etc) ? I've been looking for a while but can only find the basic definition. Thanks !

You can find lots of information about the basic vocabulary (and them some) in the CPAP Wiki -- click on the yellow lightbulb top center. Resmed's site (http://www.resmed.com) also has a lot to offer.

Good answer Ozji!!!

[DreamDiver]

Last night's data
Here are a few more thoughts and considerations on the ResScan 3.1 system.

You don't have to wait until noon for anything. If the card is in the machine, you can probably take it out after you've brushed your teeth or gone to the bathroom. I think it uploads data to the card immediately upon turning off the machine. Each period is called a 'mask session'. When you put the mask back on after the bathroom break, you are staring a new mask session. Mask sessions don't get recorded if they are less than five minutes long, I think. I tested my machine with a manometer and did not see any event data for it. It was only for about 2 minutes. If someone knows better, please elucidate.

bdwalters asked me to test the oscillatory algorithm to find out whether I could actually sense it and whether it might wake me. Just before I turned off the machine this morning, I gave it a shot. Holding my breath and closing off my windpipe, I intentionally caused an 'obstructive' apnea as a test. The below image shows that the oscillations happen at about five per second at a very low amplitude - a pressure wave of maybe 3cm above and below your current pressure. It is barely noticeable when awake, though I could see and feel the mask pulsing a very little. It was actually comfortable. This is in the theta/alpha range of sleep, on the low end, so I imagine if it does wake you up, you probably needed to be woken up so you start breathing again. I slept through every one of the centrals and did not wake up. My apneas tend to cluster towards the end of a sleep session anyway, so I am not inclined to believe I was woken by the oscillations, but rather by normal activity. EDIT: This edit is more for my sanity than anything. The oscillatory algorithm seems to be referred to as FOT -- Forced Oscillation Technique. Here's another thread about the concerns others have had about FOT.


I thought it might be nice to take a picture of a normal sleep cycle breathing pattern for me. I notice that when I'm really asleep the pattern tends to be very regular, at about 11.5 breaths per minute.


AHI of 1.1 for the last day, including my nap, of which .1 was an intentional obstructive apnea, .6 was central apnea and .3 was hypopnea. The numbers don't add up to 1.1, but that's probably a rounding error.

I'm having all central apneas. I think I'll keep taking data for a few more days before going to apap, but so far so good.

One thing I would like to do is be able to select and group adjacent sleep events, excluding naps so I can check the AHI for a night not including the nap from the afternoon before. If anyone sees a way of doing this, please let me know.

[DreamOn]

Great information, DreamDiver! Thanks so much for posting all the details.

I'm just curious....did you have central apneas during your sleep study, or is this something new that you're discovering via the S9?

[DreamDiver]

Great information, DreamDiver! Thanks so much for posting all the details.

I'm just curious....did you have central apneas during your sleep study, or is this something new that you're discovering via the S9?

I suspected even at my first sleep lab. I don't snore. I never have. I asked my sleep doc about it the possibility about my apneas being more central than obstructive at my last sleep lab. He blew me off saying it wasn't unusual to see a few central apneas, and the lab is not a normal sleeping space, etc. But it's the only thing left that explains why I would still have headaches every morning, even with migraine medicine like petadolex. It's also the only reason that explains my seemingly worsening cheese-brained-ness. Since my last lab, I'd been considering getting a machine that is supposed to be able to detect centrals, but none of them met my requirements. This is the first machine that actually includes a standard SD card. It's the quietest on the market and has answered all the problematic concerns I had on my checklist. I figured, if I don't have centrals, this machine will still give me quiet and 'easy-breathe'.

If centrals are my main problem, I suspect I may need an entirely different machine. I don't know how my insurance will react, but it's cheaper than another lab. The S9 is lightyears better than the M-Series Pro, and I don't know if there is a ResMed machine made for centrals in the S9 series or any other home machine that will record and detect as much as this one does. If just for the quiet and breathing technology alone, I feel like I'm sleeping better.

[DreamOn]

That's very interesting. At least this machine will be able to give you the data that you need in order to determine whether a different type of machine may treat your sleep apnea more effectively.

[preemiern]

Hi Chris-How did you get flow on your detailed graphs screen? In my detailed graphs options box, flow is not listed as one of the parameters I can view. Am I missing something or is flow a measurement that is available only in CPAP mode? I don't understand why that would be.
Cindy

[unadog]

Quick suggestion from a former serious digital photographer:

I **always** copy all of the data from my cards to a standard location on the computer hard drive before trying to access the files. Something like D:\RAW DATA\03-07-10. You can automate that as a "default" on a PC with a number of programs.

Then, eject the SD card. Always access A copy of the data files on the hard drive.

Then if any new software hangs, or crashes, etc. it won't trash your SD card or files.

If it is easier to always go back to the same folder, you can set up the process to only copy "incremental" files to that directory.

Sorry, I know a lot of you know this! I also don't have that software to test, and describe the specifics in more detail. And am missing subtelties of the ResMed software...... Also a PITA newbie! J

It is just that I see a lot of quetions about files, cards, readers, etc. here. At least they are getting over proprietary cards and readers!

Over 12 years, with 50,000 photos per year, I have been "burned" many times in many different ways. At least you won't have clients mad at you!

Cheers!
Michael