S9 ASV clinicians manual & ASV help please!

[Bright Choice]

Is there such a thing as a clinicians manual for the S9 ASV? I double checked the link under UncleBob and that clinician manual does not mention the ASV. I hope to get the S9 ASV within the next week or so and want to be prepared to get the setup right because I have a feeling that the DME folks might not get it quite right and it is all new to me.

I have been using the S9 Autoset so I understand how to do those settings, but the settings and terminology of the ASV are foreign to me. I need to become familiar with all of the settings for the ASV. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Also, do you know if there are any specific identifying markings on the S9 ASV that identify it as such. I don't want to sign off on the wrong machine.

And... if you have one yourself, what has your experience been? There couln't be too many of you out there... yet.

Thanks!

[Breathe Jimbo]

You might be able to find the manual at http://s7.zetaboards.com/Apnea_Board/index/

You will need to register there.

[JohnBFisher]

Is there such a thing as a clinicians manual for the S9 ASV? I double checked the link under UncleBob and that clinician manual does not mention the ASV. I hope to get the S9 ASV within the next week or so and want to be prepared to get the setup right because I have a feeling that the DME folks might not get it quite right and it is all new to me. ...

Greetings Bright Choice!

I fear I can not help you with details on the S9 ASV unit. You can find additional information, perhaps identifying information, at:

http://www.resmed.com/us/products/s9_vp ... adapt.html

In particular see page 5 of the Welcome Guide:

http://www.resmed.com/us/assets/documen ... er_eng.pdf

It shows the unit, which has "VPAP Adapt" written on the top of it.

... I have been using the S9 Autoset so I understand how to do those settings, but the settings and terminology of the ASV are foreign to me. I need to become familiar with all of the settings for the ASV. Any help would be greatly appreciated! ...

I can provide you with some insight into use of an ASV unit. I have both a Resmed and Respironics ASV unit. I find breathing with the Resmed a bit more natural than the Respironics. But they essentially work the same.

What you can expect depends on the type of central sleep apnea you fight. If you have a lot of centrals when you go to sleep, it will take you some time (a few weeks) to get used to the machine. If you have the centrals when you are already asleep you may not notice much.

So, what's up with the centrals that happen when you fall asleep. During the transition from wakefulness to sleep, the transition includes a change of mechanism to drive breathing. During this transition, it is perfectly normal to have some central sleep apneas. However, sometimes they are frequent enough and a long enough duration that it makes it impossible to fall asleep.

If you have that, then as you fall asleep you either significantly slow your breathing or stop altogether. If that is the case (as it is for me), you will find the unit will start to REALLY ramp up the pressure. It is trying to sustain your breathing by acting as a ventilator (hence the adaptive servo-ventilation - or ASV - part of the name). This helps break the cycle that causes the central sleep apneas.

What's this cycle? Well, for what ever reason your body no longer properly regulates breathing during sleep. Instead you suffer from an undershoot / overshoot cycle. That is your breathing slows significantly, even stops. This is the undershoot part of the cycle. It is technically either hypoventilation or a central apnea. The CO2 in your blood continues to build up. (It is the CO2, not the O2, level that triggers breathing). It finally builds up to the point that your body overcompensates by breathing a little faster than normal. Technically this is hyperventilation. Eventually you breathe so much that you blow off excess CO2. This then drops the CO2 level to the point that you no longer have a drive to breathe. And suddenly we switch back to the undershoot side of the cycle. And round and round it goes.

By sustaining breathing (and gas exchange) during during the undershoot side of the cycle, it helps break the cycle that drives central sleep apnea.

As you can imagine, when your machine ramps up the pressure, your mask will tend to leak. You will get accustomed to it. But it does take time. Even more than a year and a half from starting the ASV therapy, I sometimes am startled when the machine ramps up the pressure as I fall asleep.

But I no longer see it as a struggle between myself and the machine. I give in and let it do its job. I trust it to breathe for me when I am no longer breathing. It is actually *very* reassuring that it is there. Without it I sleep terribly have have *HORRIBLE* headaches.

So, what do I do to battle the leaks. First of all, I use a full face mask. 25 to 30cm H2O would cause me to loose pressure through my mouth in no time flat. I had already started to have problems with that without the wild pressure swings. With CPAP and BiPAP you just barely "float" the mask on the face. It does not take much pressure at all. Well, with the high pressure from this machine and the wild swings, I find I have to tighten my mask more than I would without it.

By the way, I used a Medium Quattro Full Face Mask. I now use a Large Quattro FX Full Face Mask. I have a large head. The one size fits all hats are too small for me, even extended to the last notch. So, I requested the XL head gear to hold the mask. As it is, it moves about a bit more than I would like.

And yes, I would love to say there is more stuff of substance in my skull. But I fear it's just loaded with rocks. I tend to be a bit hard headed! 8^)

All of that took me a few weeks to tweak and get right. It probably will take you a while to adjust as well. But you will feel much more rested with this unit than without it.

I hope that helps explain what you might expect.

[Bandnuts]

Is there such a thing as a clinicians manual for the S9 ASV? I double checked the link under UncleBob and that clinician manual does not mention the ASV. I hope to get the S9 ASV within the next week or so and want to be prepared to get the setup right because I have a feeling that the DME folks might not get it quite right and it is all new to me.

I have been using the S9 Autoset so I understand how to do those settings, but the settings and terminology of the ASV are foreign to me. I need to become familiar with all of the settings for the ASV. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Also, do you know if there are any specific identifying markings on the S9 ASV that identify it as such. I don't want to sign off on the wrong machine.

And... if you have one yourself, what has your experience been? There couln't be too many of you out there... yet.

Thanks!

I'd like to get the manual as well. Mine has arrived and the DME has already called for delivery, but I'm so darn busy we can't get together until next weekend (darn it). I suspect that the setting theory is going to be like the current VPAP Adapt SV system.

I can't image that...

1) The access to the clinic menu is going to be different than your Autoset
2) The adjustable items will me much different than the current VPAP Adapt SV

Either way, if anyone gets their hands on a clinics manual, please share......

[Bright Choice]

I hope that helps explain what you might expect.

That helps tremendously! I have read many of your threads and never thought that the "ASV" info you have shared would pertain to me. I have now gone straight from 'mild osa in the form of uars" to "CompSA. So, thanks for all the time and effort you put into sharing.

I am awaiting my new S9 ASV - hope to get it in the next week or so. Sorry to be so long in responding to your nice post but the "ASV" approval with Medicare was sketchy there for a while so I didn't want to get my hopes up. Things are looking good now so I am getting excited.

[JeffH]

OK, I'll give this one a shot. There isn't that much to change on this machine as far as I can tell. Everything is based on the EPAP pressure and the machine is "unlocked" by holding down the big center button (with the dial around it) and the setup button. My DME is good about leaving all the manuals with the machine. I don't think it came with one. She showed me how to unlock it.

I've only changed a couple of settings on mine. I went from an EPAP of 5 to 6 and dropped the min PS from 5 to 4. I've left everything else alone and things seem to be working out pretty good. My only complaint so far is waking up more times than I'd like to. I think the S9 does a lot of things on its own without needing a bunch of tweaking like past machines.

I could be wrong.


JeffH

[JohnBFisher]

... I have read many of your threads and never thought that the "ASV" info you have shared would pertain to me. I have now gone straight from 'mild osa in the form of uars" to "CompSA. So, thanks for all the time and effort you put into sharing. ...

Sorry you are now in this situation. But it's GREAT that you have the ASV machine. Without it getting CompSA under control would be dicey at best. It will still take some time to adjust, but you will now have a machine that will work with you to mange your situation.

... I am awaiting my new S9 ASV - hope to get it in the next week or so. ... the "ASV" approval with Medicare was sketchy there for a while so I didn't want to get my hopes up. Things are looking good now so I am getting excited. ...

It's GREAT news! Here's hoping everything goes smoothly. Best wishes!!

[Bandnuts]

I am awaiting my new S9 ASV - hope to get it in the next week or so. Sorry to be so long in responding to your nice post but the "ASV" approval with Medicare was sketchy there for a while so I didn't want to get my hopes up. Things are looking good now so I am getting excited.

I got my new S9 VPAP Adapt machine Sunday. While the menu set-up is different than the previous VPAP machines, I can confirm that the terms used are the same. If you get the S8 version of the manuals, you should be able to navigate the S9 version even easier.

As reference, I thought I'd list the notable differences (from a user's point of view) between the previous ResMed VPAP Adapt SV machine and the new S9 VPAP Adapt machine:

• Size and shape. That's pretty obvious and does not matter except it will be much easier to travel with.
  It's a little quieter. My wife thought the Adapt SV was quiet, so that's not really an issue
  You do not have to put a new mask through the "Learn" process. Not a big deal, it's easy to do but makes mask compatibility much better.
  You can use a nasal pillow set-up. This was a huge upgrade for me as I like pillows more than masks.
  It uses the smaller S9 tubes. This is also nice as it takes a small diameter single hose rather than the larger hose and tube of the older machine
  Uses an SD memory card for data exchange rather than computer cables to connect direct. This process is easier and a lot faster than the serial cables.

Actual breathing and the feel of the air flow seems identical. Both machines seem to work identical and address the Cheyne-Stokes respiration issues I was having.

[StillAnotherGuess]

My DME is good about leaving all the manuals with the machine. I don't think it came with one. She showed me how to unlock it.

The cinician's manual would be on a CD. Look for the CD she may have given you.

[Bandnuts]

The cinician's manual would be on a CD. Look for the CD she may have given you.

I checked the info and books I got... No disk...

I guess they didn't want me to have it or they wanted to keep it for their reference.

[JeffH]

My DME is good about leaving all the manuals with the machine. I don't think it came with one. She showed me how to unlock it.

The cinician's manual would be on a CD. Look for the CD she may have given you.

Thanks. I'll ask her about that.

[JeffH]

OK, the hunt is on. Asked my DME about the CD and she said she didn't get it. Not real sure I believe her. She said it would take a week to get so why didn't I just try to find one on my own. (Sounds fishy to me...LOL)

Anyway, who's gonna be the first to score the CD and then share it with those in need?


JeffH

[avi123]

Is there such a thing as a clinicians manual for the S9 ASV? I double checked the link under UncleBob and that clinician manual does not mention the ASV. I hope to get the S9 ASV within the next week or so and want to be prepared to get the setup right because I have a feeling that the DME folks might not get it quite right and it is all new to me.

I have been using the S9 Autoset so I understand how to do those settings, but the settings and terminology of the ASV are foreign to me. I need to become familiar with all of the settings for the ASV. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Also, do you know if there are any specific identifying markings on the S9 ASV that identify it as such. I don't want to sign off on the wrong machine.

And... if you have one yourself, what has your experience been? There couln't be too many of you out there... yet.

Thanks!

This seems to give some details (but it is not the clinician manual):

http://www.resmed.com/us/assets/documen ... er_eng.pdf

As to data output, the following S9 Series machines can report with a ResScan thru USB Adapter or SD Card as many of us do now with the S9 Autoset:

All S9 series:

VPAP Auto
VPAP ST
VPAP S
VPAP Adapt= CPAP or ASV mode
AutoSet CS =CPAP or ASV mode

See it here:


http://www.resmed.com/us/assets/documen ... lo_eng.pdf

[StillAnotherGuess]

Asked my DME about the CD and she said she didn't get it. (Sounds fishy to me...LOL)

That's rich.. one clinician's manual CD is packed in every box.

[wolewyck]

*Bump* - just wondering if anyone managed to track down an actual copy of the manual?