Resmed AirSense AutIoset

[howkim6]

I think that's the name of this thing that I just got. My APAP of 7 years (PRS1) died two weeks ago. Since that model as well as the mask I've worn from the beginning have been discontinued I get the fun (NOT!) of adjusting to two things at once. My PCP (who probably knows nothing of sleep therapy) ordered a CPAP originally, but at my request changed it to an APAP, but the pressures were 4-20. My backup CPAP had been set at 9.5 some time ago. When I was configuring it last week, that pressure was too low. I changed the AirSense minimum to 10.

OK. That's the situation in a nutshell. My question is whether the MyAir app is any good at monitoring therapy. My expectation is that the answer is no, so please feel free to say so or to surprise me. My computer now is a ChromeBook, so Oscar is not (yet) compatible.

Also, any suggestions for optimizing my experience with this new machine are welcome. I can't find a profile to fill out yet, so please bear with me.

[LSAT]

There is lots of data available on your CPAP screen. It requires a setting change. Go into settings and look for ESSENTIALS. Change it to PLUS. Now when you go into the screen Sleep Report there is lots of good information...Not as good as Oscar, but not bad either. MyAir is nothing but a report card..not good data.

[Pugsy]

MyAir online reporting will be essentially showing you the same data that is available on the LCD machine in terms of results with a few extra sophomoric incentives to praise how "good" you are doing.
It's good enough in a general level as long as you don't need details beyond what it is showing.
Leak numbers are a 95% number which means at OR BELOW that number for 95% of the time.
ResMed machines report excess leak only which is different from your Respironics total leak number. So any leak number you see is excess....24 L/min is ResMed's line in the sand for large leak territory. It's actually rather conservative and the machine won't really start running into much trouble until you hit 35 L/min or there abouts.

You can turn on the on screen data availability by changing a setting in the setup menu.....Essentials has to be changed from "On" to "Plus" and then you get more data on your sleep report. All explained in the provider manual...link below in case you don't have it.
https://www.respshop.com/manuals/ResMed ... %20her.pdf

As long as your numbers look good, you are sleeping good and feeling good during the day....MyAir or simply the onscreen data is probably good enough to keep you going along. That detailed data is only really need when there is a potential problem and further investigation is needed. I rarely look at my detailed data because there simply isn't a need. It's there if I need it and as long as you have a SD card in your machine...yours will be as well. If your machine didn't come with a SD card...any generic SD card will work but it must be in the machine during the night when in use to get the detailed files. Otherwise the only data stored on the machine's internal memory will be the generic summary numbers...the same numbers you see on the LCD screen sleep report.

Oh...the default for the summary numbers is a 30 day summary...there is a choice to make it a one day report...explained in the manual. Anytime the machine loses power it will reset to the 30 day default if you change to 1 day or some other reporting parameter.
I keep forgetting that and in thunderstorm season and power outages I don't always remember to reset the parameter to 1 day.

As to your pressure settings....hard to hazard a guess...I don't know if you used Flex exhale relief or not or if you are using EPR or not....and that will impact things but what I would do is use what is comfortable and start there. I have used a Respironics apap and a ResMed apap...I found I needed less minimum to get better results with the ResMed because of the different algorithms but I didn't have a problem using lower ...meaning I found lower with EPR as comfortable if not more comfortable than the Respironics machine.
YMMV though and that's fine.
We have to factor your own personal comfort using the machine into things and not just therapy results. With a starting minimum of 10 and not knowing if you are using EPR or not and not knowing any of the reported results as to where it is going or wanting to go....best I can tell you is go on how you feel. I suspect you are using probably more minimum than is technically needed to get good therapy but no way to prove it and if you aren't comfortable with less you won't sleep so great and without sleep it doesn't matter does it?
It hurts nothing to maybe use a little more pressure than maybe technically necessary as long as you are feeling good and sleeping good.

You have to start somewhere so start with what feels good to you and go from there. Let your body be your guide. It will let you know if you screw up.

[howkim6]

Hi, Pugsy.

Thanks for taking the time to post your extensive reply. I want to let you know how I’m doing.

At 11 days, my 90% pressures are running between about 13.5 and about 16.5. EPR is set at 3. Using it more than 4 hours is no problem. My AHI is running around 1.7. The i20 mask is very different from what I had been using. It’s so light and is almost like wearing no mask at all, which is nice. Overall, I think I’m doing very well.

My big question is what to do with a dead APAP. I cringe at the idea of trashing such an expensive machine, but I don’t currently have the finances to fix it. Any suggestions?

[Pugsy]

Call acbio.com.
They repair machines. We know you don't want it back but tell them you would like to donate it and ifthey can fix it and do whatever they want with it. They do help an association that dispenses machines to the needy.
It will cost about 20 bucks to send it to them. You can think of that as a donation to the needy if you wish.
See if they want it or not. If not...you might post it on the forum as for free and you might be surprised ...someone who likes to tinker with things or wants it for parts might just pay you to ship it to them.