Resmed is refusing to fix my broken auto-pap machine

[jwerley]

Maybe someone else has a problem similar to mine. I have been sleep apnea patient for six years now. It is hard enough to have this condition with all of the problems that go with it....then to have a problem with your machine and have Resmed (the company I purchased it from) respond to your problem by calling you a liar. My machine overheats my humidifier. Resmed has replaced my humidifier three times. I have told them that it is not the humidifier that is not working, it is the machine. It will not heat at all on the #1 setting, it overheats on the #2 setting and gets super hot on #3, #4 and #5, to the point that you think smoke is going to start coming out of it. It is impossible to use the humidifier at all with the machine. It has been sent back to them twice now and they are telling me that this is how it is supposed to work. This is behond frustrating. My medical supply company, (purchased through them) has witnessed this problem and agrees with me that there is definitely a problem with the machine, but they cannot get Resmed to admit this. Resmed wants to return the machine to me with another new humidifier (#3) and is telling me to just use it. Does anyone have any suggestions for me. Right now I am using a loaner from my medical supply company which is not as nice as my machine. My machine is a little over 2 years old, so I cannot get Medicare to pay for a new one for almost 3 years.

[GumbyCT]

Resmed has replaced my humidifier three times. I have told them that it is not the humidifier that is not working, it is the machine. It will not heat at all on the #1 setting, it overheats on the #2 setting and gets super hot on #3, #4 and #5, to the point that you think smoke is going to start coming out of it.

. Resmed wants to return the machine to me with another new humidifier (#3) and is telling me to just use it. Does anyone have any suggestions for me. Right now I am using a loaner from my medical supply company which is not as nice as my machine. My machine is a little over 2 years old, so I cannot get Medicare to pay for a new one for almost 3 years.

How about contacting a consumer product safety group? Look at the bottom of the machine to see which group approved this device.

Keep us posted.

[ems]

If I found myself in this situation, especially after going through several humidifiers, I'd contact Medicare... and ask to speak with a supervisor. You certainly have nothing to lose.

[robysue]

There is a way to report problems with faulty medical equipment to the FDA---just like there are ways to report significant side effects of drugs. Since you have tried several times to remedy the problem with the machine AND since your DME has witnessed the problem and agrees with you, I'd suggest that you and the DME report the problem to the FDA. You can find out more about what you need to do in order to report this incident by going to http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/Safet ... efault.htm and following the instructions carefully.

I would urge you and your DME to report this incident to the FDA since you believe that the Resmed equipment is faulty.

[NateS]

jwerley,

You don't mention what machine you have or any of the accompanying equipment attached to it. It might be helpful to list this information in your profile (text not pictures) so that others with the same equipment might be able to relate to your problem in some way.

You might also want to run down your model and number etc. with:

http://www.recalls.gov/

and

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prerel.html

Also, if you have received a written reply back from the manufacturer, you might wish to consider sharing it here by scanning it and do an IMG reference to a photo bucket upload. Seeing and reading their reply might enable forum members here to gain and provide further insight into resolving the problem.

Respectfully,

Nate

[Goofproof]

Do you fill the HH with distilled water to the correct level, if so what happens to the water. Jim

[jwerley]

Yes Goof I do use Distilled H20 and the water level drops during the night, but never goes dry.

[mindy]

Jewelry,

Why do you think it's not the humidifier? Without the humidifier you would not have this problem.

Mindy

[jwerley]

Mindy....Resmed has sent me two new humidifiers and they both reacted the same way....That is why I came to the conclusion that it had to be coming from the machine itself....?????? Idon't know what is going on. I just know that I am having the problems stated, which I did not have up until a couple of months ago. Thank you for responding!

[avi123]

jwerley, I agree with Nate. You need to specify here in this forum all the details of your machine, name of the provider, etc. And if you have a letter then post it here too. IMO, for you to contact the FDR and see results would take lots of time. Even if your lawyer does it.

I don't understand the technical problem that you have. Could you focus on it instead of the number of times that you have contacted Resmed? Does the humidifier and the water in it heat up and you have verified it by inserting your finger inside? You should be able to insert your finger into the water even if you set the Heat on max.

Has anyone checked the humidifier's heat control electrical circuit inside the flow generator body?

I have checked the air temprature coming out from the mask , with a thermometer, when I set the humidifier on max. It is 81 F. My bedroom temp is 75 F.

[jwerley]

First of all thank you to all who have responded to my problem...and I will on Monday report this problem. What happens is the plate on the humidifier gets way too hot and so does the water. The heat from this comes through the hose and I feel like I am suffocating...the air coming in also gets very very hot. I know there is a problem with the equipment because I now have a loner which is working properly.....this awful heat happens when I turn the humidifer up to the #2 setting and behond....getting hotter and hotter with each setting up to #5. When I first got this humidifer I would use the #4 setting at times and it worked just fine...now if I did that I would not be able to breath. Also the humidifer does not heat at all on the #1 setting, it just stays cold. With each and every new humidifier they send to me I have the same problem. I am new to this site and did not have my equipment listed..... it is now listed. I hope this is a better explanation of what is going on.....and thank you all again....I am so happy to be a part of this group....I felt so alone before I found you all!!

[chunkyfrog]

You need to use a thermometer and record the temperature, along with settings in effect at that time.
You need proper documentation.
Subjective statements like "too hot", and "can't breathe" are not very useful.
It is too easy to dismiss them.
You need NUMBERS. Numbers have power.
It is a little more work--but completely necessary.

[ozze_dollar]

I would just go out and buy a new machine.Its just not worth the hassle. They are so cheap in the US anyway.

[mindy]

I would just go out and buy a new machine.Its just not worth the hassle. They are so cheap in the US anyway.

Hmmm, ozzze_dollar - not all of us would call them cheap in the US!

Jwerely, one other thought. When you said they replaced the humidifier twice, do you mean they replaced just the water tank or also the part of the device where the tank fits in? The whole thing is what is really called the humidifier. If they only replaced the water tank, it wouldn't be surprising that it didn't fix the problem. I've found that I often have to explain utterly simply and clearly what the problem is or I get the wrong thing.

Good luck!
Mindy

[BigTex]

Dealing with technical issues using emotional terms usually does not get the desired results.

You should document the temperatures using a thermometer.
For each setting measure the temp in the tank and coming out of the tube.

Report the settings back to the manufacture and see what they say.