Report on CMS50E Pulse Oximeter

jules · Post by **jules** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 6:36 pm

I had been looking for something reasonable and maybe this will fit the bill.

I ordered one on Sunday evening from echostore. By the time I went to bed that night I had a tracking number. It arrived today and installation was not trivial by any means. It did come with the CD. The price was $202.98 with shipping and I got to admit the shipping was FAST. It came priority mail with signature required (knew that in advance from the tracking info emailed to me on Sunday), so we were home in anticipation of its arrival today.

I had installed the files yesterday according to the Echostore site, in anticipation, and well that didn't go me any good. I read the read me - I read the original post on this thread and none of it worked for me as I could not get my PC (XP Media edition) and the COM ports to communicate correctly. I even tried to change the COM port, update the drivers, etc.

I did a few system restores, played with device manager, did some uninstalls and reinstalled, and pulled out any hair GumbyCT might have had via Yahoo, and finally got it to work.

Fixing dinner for someone and paying for a few beers would have been easier. I am not exactly technologically inept but this one had me wondering for a while if I was going to have to try to install it on the "hand me down" computer my spouse has.

I will see how it goes tonight. I did get a 10 min sample recording to download finally tonight.

sparky2 · Post by **sparky2** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 9:43 pm

jules wrote:I will see how it goes tonight. I did get a 10 min sample recording to download finally tonight.

You may want to give it a half an hour test to see if you will have the "23 minute error." That is where you record data all night, but it can only download 23 minutes.

My initial installation was fine, then developed the error after a week or so. I had to uninstall and re-install. I do not recall if I ended up installing the driver that is on the EchoStore site that says, "for the 23 minute problem" or not. I think I ended up doing so the second time.

In any case, it just takes a half an hour to test. I hope that either you don't need it or that you have not gone to bed yet.

Good luck.

Sparky2

jules · Post by **jules** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 9:53 pm

I downloaded those drivers too as I didn't have the old ones available on my PC - in fact that was a major part of my problem today was getting them to work and having the PO recognize the right USB connection and COM port through the UART bridge. I don't expect the 23 min error but if I get it I will deal with it tomorrow. I had enough playing with computer today to not want to do more.

I am also on the West Coast in WA so still up.

sparky2 · Post by **sparky2** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 10:12 pm

I hear you. I have a hate - hate relationship with my computer as well. The driver installation for this thing was 10 times more complicated than it needed to be.

Let us know what happens.

Sparky2

jules · Post by **jules** » Sat Mar 15, 2008 11:13 am

The install was not easy but was done. I really am not super technologically inept but also admit I am not an expert either.

The device is hard to switch on. I have to push the button repeatedly (15 times - guess I need to keep some statistics on it) for it to turn on. I think I get down the right pressure to use with my thumb nail and it doesn't work. I got down how to switch and access menus on Wednesday but this just getting this thing ON.

I am still trying to get an all night report. I find this device digs into my cuticle which makes it uncomfortable to wear all night. I wake up and find the pain such that I can't get back to sleep. Last night I switched fingers and it appears doing that lost the first half of the night as I only got 4 hr 3 min of data.

According to the PO I had a major desat last night that was long enough to concern me. There was one OA in the last half of the night which I assume is this event but I guess I want to be a little more precise on when and didn't get it.

I turned the PO off the last hour (thought I had 7 hours of data but only got 4) but I didn't write down what times everything happened (switch fingers this am and turn off PO this am)

It does not record more than one session but starts over even if you don't download data (tried that theory yesterday).

It doesn't seem to be the most accurate device (didn't expect it to be). I see a lot of "white noise" in the output. I see radical changes in pulse even sitting here and I know that isn't me but it takes the device a while to settle in.

Right now, I am leaning on the disappointed side. The on switch issue is a bear. The tearing my finger is not good.

I realize the price was low for this new "toy" but if I can't turn the blasted thing on, well, it will just hit the trash soon and will have been a waste.

Slinky · Post by **Slinky** » Sat Mar 15, 2008 11:24 am

Jules, if it makes you feel any better, I've found the rubber cup type finger sensor on my (more expensive) SPO 7500 is also uncomfortable as you say your CMS 50E's is. At least w/the SPO they eliminated that troublesome ON problem! That was a problem w/the early SPO 7500s as well. The SPO 7500's software was easy to install and is easy to use. Even "I" managed to install and use that software on my first attempt. I haven't had any problems w/the accuracy of the 7500. I've had my Nonin Onyx finger pulse ox to check it against (altho the Onyx is NOT a recording pulse ox I have checked it multiple times against the "professional" pulse ox's in Pulmonary Rehab and with those used at my pulmo's and sleep doc's).

Arizona-Willie · Post by **Arizona-Willie** » Sat Mar 15, 2008 2:19 pm

I'm surprised and dismayed to hear people having problems with the software etc.

I am a computer geek but found the software installation to be no big deal.

Just stick the disk in and it installed in the default location and it was done.

I didn't have to install any USB driver or anything.

But I already have a lot of USB stuff connected so possibly the driver(s) for those things worked for the PO as well.

Very possibly the USB driver for my electronic book is the magic ticket.

I was just lucky I suppose ... no driver issues or installation at all.

It just worked.

I think all finger sensors are uncomfortable to some degree. They have to squeeze fairly well to try to stay on while people are sleeping and to make good contact with the skin etc.

It bugged me for a few nights and I finally settled on using it on my left index finger which is smaller in diameter than my middle finger. Seems to fit better there. After a few nights it didn't really bother me anymore.

It's possible his unit is defective because I have no problem with the button and turning it off and on at all.

Yesterday we went on a day trip and I stuck the CMS in my pocket only to discover later that apparently pressure against my leg must have activated the button and it went into the alarm section and changed the values for pulse and 02 alarms. So I had to set them to values that seemed reasonable cause I couldn't remember the default settings. Oh well ... stupid is as stupid does. Doh!!

I sometimes wonder about my unit though because it shows so many pulse and o2 events. Especially concerning is the high number of pulse event.

Some nights it goes over 200!!!

My cardiologist put a Holter monitor on me Wed and I turned it in Thur but haven't heard any results yet.

I've done a couple of daytime studies too and it makes me wonder about the CMS. I went for a 15 minute walk with the CMS on and recording and the SPO2 review showed that 36.2 % of the time my O2 sat was below 90 and one event below 88 but the chart showed 4 below the 88 line but I guess they didn't last long enough to qualify as an event. There were also 16 cardiac events with my low pulse being 45!! I'm curious to see if the Holter monitor reports anything unusual during the walk. Wonder if I will get to see the reports...hope so.

I wonder how we can calibrate these things if they need it. Wish I had access to a hospital PO to check it against.

sparky2 · Post by **sparky2** » Sat Mar 15, 2008 6:22 pm

My CMS-50E seems to work fine. The button works first time / every time. I suspect that there is something wrong with yours, Jules.

I also had a problem with pain on the cuticle of my left index finger. I use to move it to my middle finger when it hurt too much and things seemed to work out. After just over a week of doing this, it does not hurt anymore. I guess it toughened my finger up.

I checked the accuracy against PO in a hospital as I detailed in another post, and it matched the "professional" unit 97% and at 90%. We did not know how to give it a controlled test below that value, but I am very happy with the accuracy. That was a primary concern of mine, but not any longer.

That said, there is an issue with any of these in that movement, tissue compression, and muscle tension will cause a momentary loss of good readings. You can see the problem in the "analog pulse display" at the bottom of the screen. The pulse recording is only correct when there is a "pulse action" of decient amplitude in the center of its display range.

You can test this by putting the thing on your finger and then waiting for it to settle down (normally about 5 seconds) then press up very lightly on the bottom of the device. That is to say, pressing up on the bottom while you are looking at the readout on top. You will see the "pulsing action" on the display move to one extreme or the other. This is usually to the bottom on my device. If you continue the light force the electronics will compensate and the pulse action will appear again. When you remove the pressure, the pulse display will go to the other extreme and then slowly recover.

During those times when there is not a pulse in the display, the numbers may be wrong. The automatic gain and offset controls are a bit slow, but this should add to the accuracy under normal circumstances. This means, however, that if you thrash around in your bed for a while, you may have bad readings during that time.

It would have been nice if the software in the device would mark those readings as suspicious so that the Windows software would know not to display them. I am looking at ways to filter the data to remove the bad data.

jules · Post by **jules** » Sat Mar 15, 2008 7:14 pm

Willie - I have a handful of other USB things on my computer but no other USB - to UART hardware. I followed the directions at echostore.com on install. It was a total PITA install imho. I even went in and changed COM ports and settings to what they indicated. Again, I am not totally inept. I replaced the mother board in the other computer (the hand me down one my spouse now has) I added a DVD player to it salvaged from another computer, I rescued a hard drive before it finally went a few years back by transferring files making one drive master and one slave etc. I assume I am not a novice but I am also not an expert.

I emailed echostore and cced it to contecjames with the serial number and will see if I get a response.

My recent tries at turning this on are "mode" of 8, with extremes of 3 and 42. 8 is too many times to have to push the on switch to get the device on; 42 is absurd and does not appear to be that much of an outlier.

Arizona-Willie · Post by **Arizona-Willie** » Sat Mar 15, 2008 11:38 pm

looks like you might have a bad one in the batch.

Sorry to hear that.

Hope they stand behind it and replace your unit quickly because there is surely something wrong with the button.

It should work easily and on the first press.

Having to keep fighting the button is definitely something that should not be.

jules · Post by **jules** » Sun Mar 16, 2008 11:34 am

I will wait and see if someone emails me back. It is a weekend.

This "toy" is acting more like a dollar store item over what it was supposed to be.

Last night to set it to record was 15 pushes. This morning to upload it was 6 pushes then in writing that down, it switched off so it was another 14 pushes on the switch. Once the device is on and stays on, I can switch menus easily.

The PO get disengaged this morning during a really nice dream and the alarm sounded. I had to find the device in the middle of my covers. I did get just over 6 hours of data. The data except for the first 10 minutes looks pretty good.

I switched to my right hand middle finger for last night and it didn't hurt the cuticle as much. The left fingers are pretty irritated right now.

wbcook · Post by **wbcook** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 3:02 pm

The CMS-50F should be available for direct purchase in about 3 months and at the very earliest 2 months from now. This is the information I just received after calling Contec. They have a local number in Florida but the call gets piped over to China - I woke up some poor gal on her cell phone in the middle of the night over there.

I am fairly new to the CPAP forum, and I am looking at alternate dental treatments for S.A. My CPAP machine has not been useful to me yet. I have started looking at recording oximeters for self monitoring and trending to help validate other treatments. The small clamp around the finger looks much more comfortable for sleeping and seems less likely to fall off during the night.

jules · Post by **jules** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 1:55 pm

I emailed echostore again this am - this time to service - I had replied before to the email about my order.

I got a positive response -

We forwarded your email to the manufacturer, and will get the response tomorrow. so please wait for another day. If the manufacturer does not give us any solution, we will issue a RMA# for the return and we will send you a new one .

I now have a 77 pushes to turn the thing on once and a few 2's also.

choice49 · Post by **choice49** » Sat Mar 22, 2008 3:42 am

Here's a source for CMS-50E or 60C (both of these use the same software as discussed in this thread) for $150:
http://www.body-phishing.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=23

Don't know anything else about them. Their website is amusingly under construction, looks like either one month old or they never got around to upgrading it. They claim to be located in Israel; the entire site is in English and the prices are US$ only.

I've emailed the president for shipping charge to USA, will report here if/when I get a reply.

They have other cool "consumer priced" stuff, like CMS-80A Hand-Held Single Channel ECG for $300! These prices remind me of Black Friday shopping after Thansgiving, and the latest $150 price point for low-end car nav GPS. Looks like a CMS-50E is in my future...

eldadwasserman · Post by **eldadwasserman** » Sat Mar 22, 2008 4:11 pm

Hi,

I am the owner of Body-Phishing.com. My Name is Eldad Wasserman and I am a close friend of the owner of Contec in China, Mr. James Hu. You can check about me - just google "eldad wasserman" or check http://www.ChinaMediator.com

I am sure that you can buy any kind of Contec product via us with lower price than others.

This site (http://www.Body-Phishing.com) is a new site and we will update it this comming week.

Now I am in NY and Washington and back to Israel on the 24TH.

My Mobile here is: 9176840901 - you can call me only untill tomorrow 11:30.

Eldad

choice49 wrote:Here's a source for CMS-50E or 60C (both of these use the same software as discussed in this thread) for $150:
http://www.body-phishing.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=23

Don't know anything else about them. Their website is amusingly under construction, looks like either one month old or they never got around to upgrading it. They claim to be located in Israel; the entire site is in English and the prices are US$ only.

I've emailed the president for shipping charge to USA, will report here if/when I get a reply.

They have other cool "consumer priced" stuff, like CMS-80A Hand-Held Single Channel ECG for $300! These prices remind me of Black Friday shopping after Thansgiving, and the latest $150 price point for low-end car nav GPS. Looks like a CMS-50E is in my future...

Report on CMS50E Pulse Oximeter

Surprised

Bummer

CMS-50F

CMS-50E or 60C for $150

Re: CMS-50E or 60C for $150