Resmed Airsense 10 Autoset first impressions vs Philips Dreamstation

[Buddy0329]

I used the Resmed last night for the first time after 4.5 years with the Philips Dreamstation. I thought these notes may be useful to Dreamstation owners who may be on the fence with waiting out Philip's plans to repair affected units or replace them with the Dreamstation 2 units. I decided I wasn't going to wait and I had the means to take immediate action. I also purchased an AirMini to replace the Dreamstation Go; the AirMini will get its first use this weekend and then again next month on a week-long trip. I'll try to share my thoughts on that as well.

Here are my thoughts:

1. Resmed Airsense 10 is much quieter than the Dreamstation. The Dreamstation was never loud per se but it was always there in a white noise kind of way. I noted the difference as did my wife right away. Love it. Huge difference when you’re just going to bed.
2. The Climateline heated hose feels heavier and less flexible than the Philips heated hose. Not sure how important this will be but I think I prefer the latter. The engagement on the Dreamstation hose is also easier to engage.
3. DreamMapper has more data available as to the types of events I had versus what is available on MyAir. I always found DreamMapper useful to view quick snapshots on my treatment.
4. My AHI last night was 0.3. So far so good. I’ll need to check the data in Oscar later today but I’m happy with that result. With the Philips I routinely averaged 0.5 to 1.5 AHI, with a few 0 to 0.3’s also here and there. Mask selection is huge determiner of AHI based on my experiences with various masks.
5. Impressed with the auto start feature on the Resmed; it was defaulted to be On so I just left it there last night. I never bothered to use it on the Dreamstation or the Go travel machine.
6. Automatic cool down feature when I woke up this morning. What is the purpose of this? Is it to dry out the hose or something else? How long does it stay on?
7. Humidification. I left the Resmed on a setting of 4 and temperature at Automatic. Felt like it was perfect. Air was nice and cool, had enough humidity but not too much. Extremely comfortable and was very satisfied with it this morning. With the Dreamstation I was ALWAYS fiddling with settings to get it just right, often I felt like the air would be too warm or I would have too much humidity which would result in a soaking wet nose. So far so good with the Resmed.
8. Menu system on the the Resmed is more intuitive and easier to navigate than the Dreamstation.
9. Both power supplies are 90 watt units but the Resmed’s is smaller and lighter. I wonder if that is because of its 24V power delivery.
10. The north-south (longer) orientation of the Dreamstation fit my nightstand better than the Resmed’s east-west (wider) orientation. I’ll have to move some things off or around my nightstand. The flat top of the Dreamstation also made for a handy “shelf” for small items.
11. Water chamber: I felt the Dreamstation’s chamber easier to fill (also easier to spill) than the Resmed’s. In the morning when I would empty the Dreamstation chamber I would place it back in the humidifier tray with the lid open for it to dry out. The inner chamber of the Philips humidifier heating plate area would always fill with dust and crap that would be impossible to clean out due to all the nooks and crannies. I went so far as to use alcohol swabs and Q-tips but still could not get completely clean which was frustrating. Thinking back on it now, using a can of compressed air probably would have helped. This won’t be an issue with the Resmed since it clicks into the side of the main unit. I did find it a little bit difficult to gauge how much water to pour into the Resmed's chamber last night but I’m sure I’ll adjust to that.

[BlueDragon]

That's a nice comparison.

I have not seen any statement from ResMed about the "cool down" feature, but I assume it is to remove excess heat from the humidifier heater from the machine. Without the cool-down, the heat would saturate the machine and its electronics, plastic parts etc. -- which would not do the machine any good.

When I fill the water chamber, I just set it on a level surface and fill it until the water just touches the back edge of the large opening and there is no air between the plastic and the water. The water will then be at the Max line.

[Dog Slobber]

According to the ResMed AirSense 10 User Guide:

I have stopped therapy, but the device is still blowing air

Device is cooling down.

Device blows a small amount of air in order to avoid
condensation in the air tubing. It will stop automatically after
30 minutes.

[Buddy0329]

That's a nice comparison.

I have not seen any statement from ResMed about the "cool down" feature, but I assume it is to remove excess heat from the humidifier heater from the machine. Without the cool-down, the heat would saturate the machine and its electronics, plastic parts etc. -- which would not do the machine any good.

I just looked it up in the Resmed pdf manual: "Device blows a small amount of air in order to avoid condensation in the air tubing. It will stop automatically after 30 minutes."

I guess this is a reason to leave the hose connected to the machine in the morning while I'm getting ready.

[EJW372]

I too started off with a Philips Dreamstation issued by my DME to me on February 1 of this year. I grew tired of their poor service and communication and decided to buy my own machine out of pocket and not use a DME any longer and I sent the Philips back to the DME and bought a ResMed AirSense 10 AutoSet from CPAP.com in May.

I agree it does seem quieter and just better in most ways overall. I like the beefier heated tube on the ResMed, I always thought the Philips one was thin and flimsy feeling.

I think ResMed is thanking their lucky stars for this Philips fiasco and they are going to make a ton of money making and selling machines over the next year or longer.

[booksfan]

I found your comparison interesting. Before I started on CPAP, I researched machines and told my sleep doc I wanted a DreamStation. There were several things I liked about it: the shape (I agree, it would fit better on my nightstand), the humidifier chamber was dishwasher-safe, the decibel levels were comparable (a difference of one or less, I believe), can't remember the rest.

The first DME who called me to come said NO, regardless of what my doctor said, I could not have that machine, EVERYONE got the SAME machine and that wasn't it! Needless to say, I did NOT go to THAT DME! Six weeks later, when I saw the other DME my doctor found who was much more accomodating, he had the DreamStation for me. He proceeded to ask why I wanted it and I went through my all reasons. He set it up for me, let me try it. Nice and quiet. Then he said, "You know, I have this machine too. A lot of people feel like it's quieter; it has a humidifier chamber that is dishwasher-safe and if you like the machine, I will give it to you; and it has a third treatment mode that some people prefer. Would you like to try it while you are here?" So I did, and it was DEAD SILENT!! So, thank goodness, I ended up with an AirSense 10 AutoSet for Her! And I am STILL using my local DME, who actually provides great service, a rarity in the industry.

[aks007]

I got my new Resmed Airsense 10 Autoset yesterday. My venerable Philips Remstar Auto was 7 years old, and it was time to get a new CPAP anyways.

I've been consistently getting 6.5 hours of sleep for years with the Philips, but my first night with the new Resmed I got 7.28 hours of sleep and a 99 rating from myAir.
I would attribute that more to replacing my old Nuance mask with a new Dreamwear Silicone Pillows mask, because the CPAP/APAPs pretty much just pump air into the nose and are pretty much interchangeable in my opinion.

The heated hose does feel a bit heavy, compared to the old Philips hose, and is a little cumbersome at the interface. That might be attributable to the hose being a Resmed design, and the mask being a Philips design.
I know the Resmid Airfit masks look a bit heftier and probably work better with Resmed hose. But the DME talked me into the Dreamwear mask, and he was probably not wrong.

It's probably more reasonable to travel with the Resmed, because it is a lot smaller and lighter than the old Philips. That one was too big and heavy, and I refused to travel with it, opting to take my old beater Resmed S9 instead.

[happypappy]

Buddy, thank you so much for taking the time to post your observations.

I'm going through the same thing...recalled Dream Station, bought an Airsense 10 Auto to replace. I also have an older Philips Bipap ST but never did like it, so abrupt with the way it breathes no matter the settings. The Dream Station was worlds better, and the Resmed is better still. It reads my mind and breathes with me, never fighting how I want to breathe...so comfortable.

I do have one odd problem, though...humidity. I'm getting dry mouth, which I never did before. The dry mouth remains throughout the day. I'm using the Dreamwear nasal cushion mask, BTW, and a regular tube, not heated, same as I have used for a couple years. I live in a hot, moist climate and dislike warm air coming from the machine, the cooler the better. Each night I upped the humidity level until I got all the way up to 8. Still getting dry mouth, and water in the tube at 8! At 7 or 8, the machine uses maybe double the volume of water I was accustomed to with the Dream Station. I find this very perplexing.

I started using Biotene yesterday and this is very comforting. Last night's numbers were encouraging, AHI 2.2, I used humidity at 6, mask fit perfect, and less dry mouth. Maybe the Biotene will break the cycle, but I sure am curious how I'm getting dry mouth while using so much water???

[Pugsy]

I sure am curious how I'm getting dry mouth while using so much water???

Dreamwear nasal cushion mask,

First thought is mouth breathing of course since you are using a nasal mask. So you need to rule that out. Taping the mouth shut for one night will give you a quick answer to that question as long as the tape remains stuck.

Second thought is moisturized air going up your nose and down the airway isn't going to make it to the oral cavity very much anyway. You would be needing to use a full face mask to expect the moisturized air to help with any mouth dryness.
Expectation of much added moisture to help with mouth issues when using a nasal mask is an unrealistic expectation.

Third thought since you say the dry mouth persists throughout the day...maybe its related to something else.
Medication side effects is one possibility and another is some other health issue cropping up. Diabetes comes to my mind first of all (but there are other health issues where mouth dryness is a symptom).
How are your blood sugar levels?
Any new meds (even OTC stuff) or change in dosages lately?

Don't assume that a new complaint is related solely to the new machine....it wouldn't be impossible for it to be a coincidence that it popped up now or you just noticed it more now.