?? For Those Using The SPO 7500

Slinky · Post by **Slinky** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 7:12 am

I haven't had this 7500 long but have recorded and reported 12 full nights of data.

This morning - FRUSTRATION - I assume last night's data has been totally lost.

When I tried to download last night's data to the Scheduled Study I got a message: "The Patient ID on the PulseOx does not match the one in the Study".

Okay. This is NOT the way to start my morning!! Go make the bed, wash the face, brush the teeth, etc.

Let's try again. Same results. Accept the fact, that data is lost and is NOT going to be retrieved. (Yes, I'm the ONLY patient and the ONLY Scheduled Study).

So. Set up a new Scheduled Study - except NOW we get a message: "Could not update time on PulseOx". GRRRRRRRR!

I can't find anything in the Help section to tell me how to reset the time on the PulseOx. The battery indicater shows full battery. The time display is 00-17.

Any suggestions?

Slinky · Post by **Slinky** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 7:37 am

The time on the SPO 7500 at 8:30 AM today is 00:37. Its showing the 02 sats and HR accurately according to my non-recording Nonin Onyx. I e-mailed support at SPO yesterday morning. No response yet and I will call them today. There has to be a way to reset the time and to set up a new scheduled study but I can't find it at the website or anywhere in the literature that came with it. Have any of you SPO 7500 users run into this?

The On/Off and Mode buttons are somewhat difficult to use and I assume that I probably messed up night before last's data by turning it on, then turning it off not realizing it was starting, then turning it on again. EXCEPT, where would that mess up the time??

Slinky · Post by **Slinky** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 1:24 pm

I have got to say, these SPO people are GREAT to work with!!! I spoke to their support today and they say it sounds like a communication problem and that it quite likely is the communications cable and they are putting a new one in the mail to me today. PLUS the software tech wants to speak w/the engineering techs and he'll get back to me tomorrow. They are certainly bending over backwards to keep their customers happy!!! It sure made ME feel much better that they are pretty sure that it is NOT me and my lack of 'puter savvy that is the problem. I was so SURE it was something "I" did wrong!

Slinky · Post by **Slinky** » Thu Jan 18, 2007 10:46 am

SPO called Tuesday but I wasn't home. They called again last night. After the software tech talked to the engineers the engineers suggested that rather than it being the cable its a matter of the battery being drained enough it can't handle the surge generated w/the download and are sending me TWO batteries, I assume instead of the cable. I reminded them that the battery icon registers full yet but they said whilst it still had enough ooooomph for recording data, after that many nights of continuous use, it was more likely the surge when downloading. Anyway two batteries are being shipped and we shall see. You sure can't say they aren't bending over backwards to keep their customers happy.

paleolith · Post by **paleolith** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 8:06 pm

Well, I see it's been a few months since you posted this, but no one else responded.

I just got a SPO Medical PulseOx 7500 a couple of days ago. Paid the full $499 from Pro Therapy Supplies, but their proximity to my home meant that the free ground shipping got it to me overnight. Turner, DH, and others had slightly lower prices but no option to upgrade to overnight.

I tried to set it up Thursday evening, but the battery was dead! Checked on a volt meter, only 1.5V. That combined with the fingerprints on the software CD makes me suspect it may be a refurb. I have no problem with that other than the fact that Friday morning I had to go out to Radio Shack (nearby luckily) and spend $15 on a new battery. SPO hasn't yet responded to my email on those issues. Pro Therapy verified that from their point of view it was new. (And Pro Therapy responded to my email at 1:00 in the morning. Never got that from any customer service before!)

So Friday I got it set up and took a long nap (not a normal thing for me but my schedule had been disrupted) with the oximeter running. Got up from the nap and tried to retrieve the data, and got that dreaded "patient ID does not match". Puzzled on it for a bit and tried again, and it worked. Filed it as a fluke and set up for the night.

Friday night I slept for 8-1/2 hours, and had the oximeter set for 1-second recording, so naturally it had shut off by the time I got up. Got the "patient ID does not match" again, and this time trying repeatedly did not help. Like Slinky, I was the only patient and I had only one study scheduled.

Waited until after 11:00 and called SPO Medical support (I'm Eastern time, they are Pacific). They are open on Saturday -- except for the 7500, for which they have to pass the message to someone else. This rather surprises me since in other respects they seem to be marketing the 7500 to clinical practices, who would need support far more on Saturday morning than on Monday morning. They said I might get a call back on Saturday but probably it would be Monday.

Well, Saturday evening has come and no call. I had to decide between letting the New Toy sit until Monday with only a chance of retrieving the Friday night data, or forging ahead and erasing it to experiment and possibly getting two nights of data. I chose the latter. I started, recorded, stopped, and retrieved about five times with no errors. So now I'm set up to record tonight, at 2-second intervals just in case the "full" shutoff was the problem.

So I'll find out in the morning if I still have a problem, but in my case it's certainly NOT a weak battery.

I do like the unit. The Vitabase software was a bit confusing until I read the work flow section of the help file, and then it made a lot more sense -- you have to think like a clinician handling a number of patients every night. I haven't figured out the Vitascore program at all, and I'm not sure I'll need that level of detail. The whole system is easy to use, and the three pages of basic reports look very useful. I'm in the stage of following up on a sleep study and deciding what direction I need to go, and I expect the information from the 7500 to be a critical part of the process.

Well, I hope I have as good an experience with SPO support as Slinky did.

Edward

Slinky · Post by **Slinky** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 3:43 am

Paleolith, I wish you well w/your SPO 7500 and good luck w/it too. Since the above the only problem I've had has been the darn ole On/Off button and my creaky ole fingers.

By the way, they have updated the SPO 7500 a bit w/a new finger sensor. The SP0 7500 now automatically turns On and Off and you need the buttons only to use Connection.

If you have a Batteries Plus in your area, the batteries are one heck of a whole lot cheaper. I've forgotten now, but like $7 or $8.

I've never tried the one second intervals. I've always selected the 2 second interval since the Medicare overnight oximetry for supplemental 02 was an every 2 second recording.

paleolith · Post by **paleolith** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 8:38 am

Thanks! I'm glad to hear the problem isn't persistent. My gamble paid off -- I was able to retrieve data for last night, so I've already come out even for giving up on Friday night's data and with any luck I'll get Sunday night also.

I saw the pictures of the new finger boot, but the one I received was the old style. The new features would be nice, but this one is working fine for me. The velcro strap holds the sensor on my finger well even at a comfortably loose tension. And so far I've remembered to turn it on.

No Batteries Plus in my area, and I can't find the exact item on their web site. Next week I'll be traveling where there's a Batteries Plus, and I might look in. OTOH, I found the real Tadiran battery at zbattery.com for $5.50. Shipping is more than the battery, but I could get four for under $29, less than half the price of the local Radio Shack. So I might stock up. Of course I have no complaint about the local price, since they had it when I needed it the same day.

I don't see any need for one-second either. Certainly I'm sticking with what works until I can communicate with SPO support.

Edward

paleolith · Post by **paleolith** » Tue Jun 05, 2007 6:35 pm

I did talk with Eric today about 1) the limited number of events on the DeSat report, and 2) the "patient ID does not match" problem.

For the report limit, he says that it's standard practice in this area to just report the first 32 events. He didn't defend it, just said it's standard, and of course I have no knowledge one way or the other. He pointed out that Vitascore can show all the events graphically, and I discovered later that the event tab of the Study Explorer toolbar lists all the DeSat events -- although there's no way to print them.

He didn't have a good answer on the "patient ID does not match", but said that he has seen it happen when the connection between the USB cable and the wrist unit isn't completely tight. He suggests making sure it's tight and if necessary wiggling it a bit. Of course he also said they'd replace the unit if the problem persisted.

Edward

Slinky · Post by **Slinky** » Tue Jun 05, 2007 7:54 pm

I assume you have Excel??? Export that data to Excel. I'm pretty sure the common delineators are there. Try it and see if that gives you the data for the desats beyond the first 32. I'm pretty sure it will.

If the need for replacement does arise, I assure you that SPO Medical has been great about that.

paleolith · Post by **paleolith** » Tue Jun 05, 2007 9:30 pm

So have I gone blind or just lost my mind? I find a reference in the help files for Viatscore that "in the menu's [sic] you can ... export selected raw or analyzed channels". Which sounds great, but I'll be darned if I can find it in the program!

Earlier I had looked to see if the database files were JET files, which would mean I could read them with MS Access, but that does not appear to be the case. Anything that lets me get at the raw data to report it myself would be a major boon.

Edward

Slinky · Post by **Slinky** » Wed Jun 06, 2007 5:56 am

Hmmmm. Dang! I installed this new version of Vitascore. I don't have an Export option w/it. Seems to me this new version is compatible w/ProFox or somehow has a tie to ProFox. Just vague memories of what I read somewhere when exploring ProFox and Nonin and Nelcor.

The old version of Vitascore you could Export. Try e-mailing that particular report. The desats used to come up complete as best I remember it.

I think I still have the old version Vitascore here but mebbe it wouldn't work w/this newer model SPO 7500.