Pulse oximeter: CMS-50E vs. CMS-50H?

[sawinglogz]

I'm planning on buying one of the two of these, but I'd like some advice:

First, has anybody used both, and if so, do you have a preference?

Second, I've seen recommendations of pulseoxstore.com and semedicalsupply.com (currently one carries the E and the other carries the H); are they still recommended? Is there anybody else I should consider or avoid?


Finally, if anyone is feeling particularly generous, I also have some more specific questions (Ah, paralysis by analysis...):

The two differences that everyone seems to agree on are: the CMS-50H is newer, and the CMS-50H adds perfusion index. That's where the unanimity ends.

I've seen comments that the CMS-50E is being superseded by the CMS-50H, but some (reputable) stores sell only the E (EW, specifically) and not the H. So are they both still being actively manufactured and/or receiving firmware revisions?

Also, I've seen statements that the CMS-50E appears is FDA-certified (K090671). Is that true? Is the CMS-50H FDA certified yet? (cpap-supply.com said it was pending about 20 months ago). Does it matter?

Are all CMS-50Es now the CMS-50EW with Bluetooth? Do all CMS-50Hs have Bluetooth?

I saw some complaints when the CSM-50H first came out that the firmware was buggy. Is the CMS-50H firmware stable at this point? Is it upgradeable?

Are they both supported by SleepyHead at this point?

Thanks for any thoughts!

[edm_msu]

I suggest that you consider the CMS-50F. It costs $95 with free shipping from China: http://www.door2doorshop.com/wholesale/ ... 0F-36.html
They shipped right away but it took 2 to 3 weeks for me to receive it. It was held up at the Chinese post office.

The reason that I like this is because it is a wrist oximeter. Most of the bulk is on your wrist, not the end of your finger. It has a nice color display.

To load into SleepyHead: 1. Upload data into software included with oximeter. A file is automatically created. 2. Load this file into Sleepyhead.

Ed M.

[JohnO]

Are they both supported by SleepyHead at this point?

I have the CMS-50EW. It was sold to me as the CMS-50E, and the sticker on the unit shows CMS-50E. It is the EW as it has Bluetooth.

It is not supported by SleepyHead. My unit uses the (newer) SpO2 Assistant software. My guess is that units with this software are all not yet supported by SleepyHead, but that is just a guess.

John

[Lizistired]

I have a 50H and a 50F. I don't know anything about the 50E except what JohnO posted about the file format.

The 50H perfusion index does not record. It is just onscreen. The display auto-rotates to which ever way you are viewing it.
Easy to press the button with an adjacent finger when you want to spot check or cancel the alarm.
The clock is a pain to set but if you are using SH, you don't set it. You just start it at the same time you start your cpap.
50H has auto off when your finger is out. When in alarm mode but not recording, I can take it off, hit the button and I'm done.
I did get the 50H to serial upload to Sleepyhead the other day.

To me the 50F is more comfortable. I tend to wear the wristband slipped over my fingers though, so I can hit the button to spot check without reaching over with the other hand.
The 50F maintains the time so you don't have to set it everytime you want to record. This is important to me to sync with ResScan.
The 50F stays on until you turn it off. When in alarm mode but not recording, I have to hit the button, scroll thru the menu to turn it or the alarm off.
The 50F data can be uploaded to SH from the .Spor data file.

I just checked them both, and the Perfusion/Plethy can be recorded, saved and displayed in the Daily data using the "live" method. I don't really want to sleep with a hose AND a usb cable though.

Anyone else notice the O2 and HR are reversed when viewing live on the SH screen?

I use them both, just depends on what I'm doing.

[The Sheikh]

Very good info, Liz and Ed M - thanks.

I have a CMS-50H also and have some questions about getting it to work with SH...

The tiny discette they send with it - is this for a laptop? I only have a larger desktop PC and need a bigger sized discette. Is this CMS tiny discette software available for download on the web?

Also, for the serial data input - can I use the USB input plug with supplied cable or do I need to have a special adapter to input into the (9 pin?) computer (serial?) input for this serial connection?

So far I've uploaded into SPO2 Assistant, but no joy with SH.

Tom

[edm_msu]

Sheikh,
The tiny diskette will work in a standard CD disk drive. There is a pocket in the CD drawer that the disk fits into. Try it.

With the CMS-50F, a .spor file is created when data is uploaded into the supplied program. You need to find the location of this file so you can load it into SleepyHead.

[Lizistired]

Very good info, Liz and Ed M - thanks.

I have a CMS-50H also and have some questions about getting it to work with SH...

The tiny discette they send with it - is this for a laptop? I only have a larger desktop PC and need a bigger sized discette. Is this CMS tiny discette software available for download on the web?

Also, for the serial data input - can I use the USB input plug with supplied cable or do I need to have a special adapter to input into the (9 pin?) computer (serial?) input for this serial connection?

So far I've uploaded into SPO2 Assistant, but no joy with SH.

Tom

Don't you have the new .spo2 file format? That won't work.
Where did you get your Assistant?
You might check the pulseoxstore.com website and see if there is another version of the Spo2 software available for download. It would be worth a try to see what the file extension is.

[Pugsy]

One of the reasons I bought my CMS 50 DPlus from the pulseoximeter store was Kevin. I had already read about the people getting the slightly cheaper same model from China or wherever and seems like sometimes the stuff that was sent with the oximeter didn't always go with the oximeter that was shipped. I knew that I would get support from him if I ran into trouble.
When I placed my order he also sent me an email telling me exactly which software to use with my computer and even included a download bundle link of everything I needed along with very plain and easy to follow instructions. Everything was clearly explained and I knew if I ran into trouble I would have the support. I didn't have any trouble with his instructions. I didn't even use the software disc that came with the machine.
His instructions are at his website and he offers them freely. Don't have to buy from him.

I have not seen the CMS 50E at his store though. Don't know why.

[Lizistired]

Pugsy, I can't even get to his store! It tries to load and then I get an error message. Are you able to?

[Pugsy]

Pugsy, I can't even get to his store! It tries to load and then I get an error message. Are you able to?

Yep, this one loaded promptly for me just now.http://www.pulseoxstore.com/Manuals-Downloads.html
So does his main home page as well as the page for the overnight recording pulse oximeters.

[sawinglogz]

@edm_msu: How comfortable is the fingertip sensor on the 50F? It seems awfully wide for my fingers. Does the 50F have bluetooth? Does the 50I? The Contec web site suggests there's a 50FW and 50IW, but I have no idea stores in the U.S. are selling (since apparently the 50E is sometimes a 50EW).

@JohnO: May I ask where you bought your 50EW?

@Lizistired or @Sheikh/Tom: Does the 50H have bluetooth? I just noticed that many of the places that sell both the 50E and 50H list bluetooth for the 50E, but not the 50H. (Wouldn't bluetooth let you record the perfusion index in live mode without a wire?)

My other big lingering questions are firmware/bugginess/reliability and whether FDA approval matters (or has been withheld). Any thoughts?

[Lizistired]

Thanks Pugsy, It must be a setting on my other computer. I can get there on this one.

@Lizistired or @Sheikh/Tom: Does the 50H have bluetooth? I just noticed that many of the places that sell both the 50E and 50H list bluetooth for the 50E, but not the 50H. (Wouldn't bluetooth let you record the perfusion index in live mode without a wire?)

My 50H does not. I can't claim to know what they have done since I bought mine 18 months ago. My firmware is version 1.0, software is 1.2.
I think JohnO said the wireless is just for upload. I don't know.

[JohnO]

Also, for the serial data input - can I use the USB input plug with supplied cable or do I need to have a special adapter to input into the (9 pin?) computer (serial?) input for this serial connection?

Yes, you can use the supplied cable. it has a built in serial to USB converter in it.

So far I've uploaded into SPO2 Assistant, but no joy with SH.

If you are getting the data into SpO2 Assistant, that shows the cable is working for you.

[JohnO]

@JohnO: May I ask where you bought your 50EW?

I got it here: http://www.clinicalguard.com/oximeters- ... -p-89.html

[JohnO]

I think JohnO said the wireless is just for upload. I don't know.

I -think- the wireless can be used for live monitoring. I never really got it to work for me, as I run Windows in a virtual machine on my Macintosh. The Mac can see the device and can make a Bluetooth connection, but of course there is no Mac version of the Contec software. While the Mac VM software is supposed to be able to pass the Bluetooth through to Windows, I never got it to work successfully, since I was able to get it to upload via cable, and since Sleepyhead didn't get communicate to the SpO2 Assistant-created files, I stopped trying to get it to work via Bluetooth. I have software version 1.4W on my CMS-50E.