bi-levels...pro's & con's please share

[scrapper]

For those of you on bilevel machines, please share your pro's and con's...

I've seen a lot of info on re problems with the Resmed Auto VPAP....is that a reason not to consider purchasing resmed? Are there better models out there, and if so, why?

In advance, thanks for your help

[tschultz]

If you check a recent thread I started you will find the information you are looking for I think;
viewtopic/t58735/BiPAPVPAP-vs-APAP-with-EPR.html

If you search specifically for BiPAP or VPAP I am sure you will find more information.

[GumbyCT]

For those of you on bilevel machines, please share your pro's and con's...

I've seen a lot of info on re problems with the Resmed Auto VPAP....is that a reason not to consider purchasing resmed? Are there better models out there, and if so, why?

In advance, thanks for your help

Bi-level, when set up correctly is the Ultimate in exhale relief. You won't even think the machine is on. My AHI went from 3-6 to <.5 mostly because I am now able to control my leaks - which only get worse when you exhale against a high pressure.

Mine was 17 and set to go to 18 when I told the DME don't even bother. IF I couldn't exhale against 17cm how in the world did the doc think I was going to manage 18?

Cons - I would say price and the misconception that you need to be over 20cm before needing a Bi-level.

[robysue]

Back in late November and early December I was faced with making a choice between the Resmed VPAP S Auto 25 and the PR System One BiPAP Auto. Threads that I started at the time with relevant information include:

viewtopic/t58776/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=58 ... AP#p546886 (includes information on how I finally made the decision)

viewtopic/t58776/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=58 ... AP#p545930 (includes information on pros and cons of going to the Encore Viewer software from a ResScan user's point of view)

viewtopic/t58776/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=57 ... AP#p545813 (includes information I gathered early in the decision making process)

Good luck with your own research and final decisions.

And here's a short list of pros and cons now that I've been using the PR S1 BiPAP for two weeks. These pros and cons are based on the following settings: PR S1 BiPAP settings are IPAP=8cm; EPAP=6cm; Bi-Flex=OFF; RiseTime=3. (I tried the demo with Bi-Flex and found it UNCOMFORTABLE at all three settings because I could feel the increase in pressure during the second half of the exhalation stage of each breath and that's not for me. Your mileage may vary.) ResMed S9 AutoSet settings were Auto mode with pressure range 7--8cm. (95% pressure reading was typically around 7.. EPR=2.

Pros for the PR S1 BiPAP:
The BiPAP is much, much more comfortable to breathe out against than the Resmed S9.

I have much, much less aerophagia---in fact I'd say that I've had basically NO aerophagia in the last two weeks with the PR S1 BiPAP.

I no longer feel like I'm running a marathon in my sleep every night.

Now that I've finally figured out that the Classic settings for the humidifier suite my nose better, I'd say the nose is happier with the PR S1's humidifier set at C3 than any setting I could find for the S9's humidifer. But before I tried the Classic settings, I was really disliking the S1's humidifier.

The humidifier is much easier to clean.


Pros for the ResMed S9:
The S9 has much better data on the machine's LCD. The PR S1's on-board data is essentially useless.

The S9 and ResScan have much better leak data in general. While I can see the leak data in Encore Viewer and while I'm not at all bothered by the fact that PR gives the whole leak data including the intentional mask leak, it does bother me that I only get the "average" leak for the night. While I've seen screen shots of Encore Viewer data with 90% leak rates, my Encore Viewer data certainly does not contain such a number. And since the tick marks on the vertical axis are not drawn as horizontal lines across the entire width of the graph, all I can do is get gross eyeball estimates of what my max and 80th or 90th percentile leak rates are. I miss this data.

The S9 is much, much quieter. There have been some nights where the whine of the PR S1 has aided and abetted the insomnia monster that is raging through my bedroom and dreams these nights.

[Slinky]

RobySue, comparing an auto PAP to an auto bi-level, is comparing apples to oranges, regardless of the brands involved.

[Southernwind]

Greetings,
While I can't provide an experience based comparison of the two since I've only been using BIPAP for a whole 7 days now.....I can imagine that without the bilevel flows that breathing would not be as natural as I'm finding it with my machine (see info in signature). There's been times over the last week that I could hardly tell the machine was working. The software tells a different story, that it was consistently working, and mornings like this morning, feeling great!!!! have happened in two out of the seven days.
I have found no cons yet.

Carpe Diem
SW

[JohnBFisher]

For me, it came down to two simple words:

Better Sleep!!

It made as much of a difference for me as CPAP did when I started using it. Now mind you, my sleep doctor and I are now pretty certain that my need for bi-level was a progression of my neurological issues. I had LOTS of arousals that seemed to be linked to exhalation. The sleep tech spotted that tendency and tried bi-level. The change was dramatic. No statistical analysis needed. You could SEE the difference in the sleep state diagrams.

But regardless of the cause of your need to consider a bi-level machine, you should find it much easier to breathe with a bi-level comparted to a CPAP.

Here's hoping you can find some good sleep.