Not satisfied with ResMed Air Mini

[JDM]

I desperately need a travel machine for my job. Also have to be able to submit compliance records to the Fed’s to keep my medical certificate. I thought the Air Mini would do the trick but unfortunately it’s been a terrible experience.

First of all it’s incredibly loud. Not the machine, it’s the airflow noise at the mask. I’ve tried the official Mini specific masks and also regular masks connected via the ZephAir adapter. All are loud when paired with the Mini. The same masks I use quietly with my Airsense10 sound like a wind tunnel when connected to the Air Mini!

Second problem is compliance data. I thought I would have access to my data via the app. My home unit app allows me to easily print a compliance sheet for submission to the FAA but not the Mini. Apparently a medical facility has to do this which is very inconvenient and unreliable.

Does anyone know a work around for the problems I’m having? Unfortunately I made the mistake of purchasing this unit from one of the only online retailers that doesn’t offer a return policy! Never again will I make that mistake.

Thank you.

[chunkyfrog]

Do you have mobility problems which would preclude carrying your Airsense 10?
Or did you purchase your airmini to make room for less essential things?
Or even to hide the fact that you use a cpap?
Travel machines cut corners--true fact. Live with it; or let it go.

[jsmit86]

Travel machines are inherently noisier than full size units. That said, there may be some things you can do to help a bit.
I have a Breas HDM Z2 Auto. It is allegedly a bit quieter than the Air Mini, but there is still some noise.
One of the biggest things I tried that helped reduce the noise in the mask, is using a collapsible travel hose.
It is available from the board sponsor.
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/innote ... -cpap-hose

I am not certain if you can use this hose on the Air Mini. The other thing that helps on my Z2 was to use the muffler.
You might be able to try the hose and muffler on your air mini. It will probably require some adapters.
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/human- ... be-muffler

Perhaps some other Air Mini users will weigh in on using these accessories.

I have used both of these, and it it fairly effective in reducing the noise.
I have also skipped using those parts at times, and I can get to sleep anyway. I often use just the muffler with a standard slimline hose.
Let us know how it works out for you .

[JDM]

A muffler is something I considered but I didn’t think about a collapsable hose. It’s certainly worth trying. Thank you!
I expected the smaller machine to be a bit louder but had no idea the mask itself would be louder. I don’t even understand why this is the case honestly. Guessing is has something to do with the smaller machine not relieving pressure during the exhale.
There’s a few reasons I want a small size CPAP to make my travels more convenient. I have to lug luggage up and down a lot of metal stairs. More bags are less safe. Also need the ability to take a quick nap or rest on the airplane or pilot lounge. Seemed easy to just pop out a little unit for a quick nap. Had no idea it’d annoy everyone around me due to the mask noise.
Also had no idea that size would prevent me from obtaining my required data. Lack of data reports is a show stopper for my job.
If I don’t get this figured out soon I’ll probably try the Z2. This time from one of the many reputable online distributors that allow a trial period.

[Laos Film Director]

Do you need humidification? I don't really need it. When I travel with my S10 or S11 I leave the humidifier chamber at home. I've purchased end cover units for both and that make the units smaller and easier to travel with. I always place the machine in my regular carry on.

[JDM]

I feel that that I can do without humidification but I haven’t tried it enough to know for sure. I’ve thought about the end plate mod. Definitely an option if I can’t get past my problems with this mini mess.

[JDM]

Here’s a follow up. It looks like I’ve solved half my problems. In talking with a lady at the cpap site we figured out that the machine was sent with an improper setting in the clinical section. The setting has to do with EPR be on during ramp up or continuous. This alone solved the majority of my noise complaint. Also my low pressure setting is an 8 - 20. An 8 on this Mini feels incredibly more powerful than an 8 on my home unit. So we dropped it down a bit. Not in accordance with my prescription but now the Mini feels closer to the setting of my home unit. I’m pleased now with the performance of the machine.
I still have one unanswered question in regards to noise. Does anyone know why the same mask used with my home unit is louder when used with the Mini? It’s definitely within the acceptable range now but it’s baffling why a mask’s exhaust would sound different from one machine to another.

My 2nd and perhaps largest problem is data collection. I need to be able to get a report from ResMed to send the FAA and to show my doctor. The doctor I use can’t access this information. Nor can the FAA. My doctor recommended contacting a local cpap provider to see if I can pay them to access my data. Crazy. No luck with this yet!

[chunkyfrog]

I take it you are a pilot or controller.
Go back to the FAA, and pester them until they give you a solution.
Bring your attorney.
Federal law prohibits discrimination related to your health as long as it does not
interfere with your job performance.

[JDM]

Ha, I prefer a less expensive and easier option. All I want is a simple printout of my data. Surly this isn’t that complicated!

I’ve learned a ton with this new machine. Most importantly were not to purchase. I recommend using one of the many online retailers who offer a return policy.

[robysue1]

JDM.

From what I've been able to put together, just about everything with the AirMini is done through the ResMed AirMini app for smart phones running iOS or Android. Do you have the AirMini app installed on your smart phone? If not, that might be the starting point for trying to figure out a way to make a printout showing your usage hours.

It's not clear to me if the AirMini only shows the data for the last 24 hours in a format similar to MyAir or if you can get to some kind of a screen that shows you usage over a time period that would be useful to you. But if you can get to such a screen, then taking a screen shot on the phone and sending that to a computer so that it could be printed might be an option.

[happy5]

Ha, I prefer a less expensive and easier option. All I want is a simple printout of my data. Surly this isn’t that complicated!

I’ve learned a ton with this new machine. Most importantly were not to purchase. I recommend using one of the many online retailers who offer a return policy.

Hello,

I'm new here, and new to CPAP machines, and the solution is to have your clinician use the AirView App from ResMed https://www.resmed.com/en-us/healthcare ... t/airview/

Basically, it's for healthcare professionals and I'm assuming that from there, it's easier to sync and download a report.

[Janknitz]

I take it you are a pilot or controller.
Go back to the FAA, and pester them until they give you a solution.
Bring your attorney.
Federal law prohibits discrimination related to your health as long as it does not
interfere with your job performance.

I don't know what's discriminatory about requiring CPAP compliance data for people who are responsible for hundreds of lives in the transportation industry. The alternative is to deny pilot's licenses to anyone with an OSA diagnosis, and to deny commercial licenses to long haul truckers. Use of CPAP with required compliance documentation is a reasonable accommodation.

The burden is on the CPAP user to provide compliance data, not on the FAA to excuse the requirement. If this person wants the privilege of a license, then this comes along with it.

The OP might have a suit against ResMed for failing to provide access to his own health data under federal law. But the FAA is not going to bend because the OP bought a CPAP machine without checking to see if it could provide the required compliance data. Does the travel version hold much data or must it upload regularly to the cloud? What happens if you are stuck somewhere with no reliable way for the machine to upload the data?

If you don't have to check your luggage, it might be simpler to carry the main unit of your regular machine in your suitcase and the peripherals in a second, lightweight bac.

[JDM]

Excellent post. Thanks. Yes, the burden is absolutely on me to provide the FAA with compliance data. They can’t take my commercial pilots license, but they can deny my 1st class medical certificate without the data. Without a 1st class medical I’m legally prohibited from exercising my privileges. Fortunately I’ve been 100% compliant thus far and don’t plan to to change going forward.

Update to my Mini data situation. Today I visited a DME provider that my sleep doctor recommended. The technician there was awesome. He logged onto the ResMed clinical site and registered my Mini along with my personal data. He then printed out a sample report. They offered to help me going forward and don’t even charge for a standard printout or PDF email.

So here’s the deal. A number of the online retailers sell a machine and register it to the customer. They also provide free data on demand through ResMed’s ridiculous proprietary site that only an official medical facility (who pays for the software) can access. It’s a total racket! Some online businesses have become aware of this and are charging inflated prices for pilots and other regulated professionals to obtain their data. Horrible! CPAP.com is where I purchased the Machine. They do not register anything. They simply sell the unit. They don’t provide any services afterwards either. They also don’t offer any returns on equipment like most other online retailers. They do however offer excellent customer service and I’m a repeat customer because of this.

Hopefully I’m all set now. Many thanks to everyone who’s helped me with this!

Happy turkey day:)

[ChicagoGranny]

Hopefully I’m all set now.

[lazarus]

Hopefully I’m all set now.

We need all the pilots we can get--especially ones getting good sleep!

Personally, I'd trust a diagnosed pilot with optimized PAP more than I would trust the average pilot.