Spirit vs. Remstar Did I make a mistake?

Having second thoughts. Was able to get a scrip for my apap without much hassle, since it was on my own dime (Kaiser will only provide a CPAP). I conceded to getting a Spirit instead of the Remstar as my tech and Doctor support this product and do not have the software for Respironics. Since I want them to have as much data as possible in my therapy this concession made sense. Another consideration was I already have the heated humidifier from my S7 which will fit on my new Spirit.

Is there a significant enough difference between the two machines for me to go back and get a scrip for the Remstar? I have not been having any problem breathing agaisnt the CPAP so I don't think I need C-Flex so are there any other advantages to this machine? Is this realy a Ford Chevy kind of thing?

Mikemoran,

Do you have the S7 lightweight or the S7 Elite? If you had the S7 Elite, you could have bought a software upgrade for $289 to change the S7 into a Spirit auto.

If you don't feel you need C-flex then as long as the Spirit algorithm is compatable with your breathing paterns and is addressing and preventing your OSA then you'll just fine with the Spirit. Don't feel you are missing out on anything.

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): C-FLEX, auto

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): C-FLEX, auto

Wading,

Had to laugh a little its Kaiser. They not only give you the volkswagon versus the cadillac, but consider the radio a luxury

mikemoran wrote:Wading,

Had to laugh a little its Kaiser. They not only give you the volkswagon versus the cadillac, but consider the radio a luxury

You had the lightweight... right?

I was in the same situation Kaiser would not pay for an auto CPAP. Kaiser did let me borrow the Sprint Auto CPAP for a few days that the results and how I was felt were so compelling I need to get it. I did not give the Remstar Auto CPAP C-flex a second thought. The spirits really open my eyes to the difference between feeling good and great. Not all people will do better on an Auto CPAP. Some would have a bit improvement and some will do great on an Auto CPAP. The last sleep test using the Remstar Plus with C-flex indicated that 10cm water was probably enough but that did not turn out to be the case. Due to heavy work demands I was getting tired and by Friday night I was waking up gasping for breath in a middle of a dream.
The point that I am trying to make is that even work demands can cause the pressure needed on a CPAP to vary. The main thing about the Remstar Auto is the C-flex. I believe that the Spirit can adjust to pressure requirements faster than the Remstar. I have heard on this board that the Remstar takes about 2mins to increase the pressure by 1cm since it ramps up the pressure in small steps. However this means squat unless the auto programming on any Auto CPAP meet your breathing needs. The spirit uses a mechanical knob to adjust the heat level on the humidifier and the display will light up to make adjustments without having to use a flashlight in the middle of the night. The spirit uses a stainless steel heater core and the Remstar uses aluminum for the same. The Spirit has a built in carrying handle and the Remstar uses finger grips. The spirit seems to start up faster and the auto shut off seems to work fine. There is also the Goodknight 420E which is the smallest of the three.

I also have Kaiser insurance, and do not have DME coverage, so I bought my own setup. I ended up doing 2 different week long trials where they loan the equipment, and they always recommend and loan the Resmed Spirits. In 1:1 conversations with the sleep docs they believe the spirit algorithm for adjusting pressure is the most accurate, which is why they recommend it. However since it was my dime it was up to me what I bought.

I went with the REMstar, so I now have experience with both. For me, the spirit was much louder, which is a big deal to me as I'm very sensitive to sounds while sleeping. My REMstar is almost silent, most nights I hardly notice it. It is also a better shape and size than the spirit (smaller rectangle vs larger ovoid shape). However, after using both I do believe they were right about the spirit software having the better auto set smarts. On auto mode my remstar always just runs up to the highest pressure in the range I set, the spirit did not. It seems the spirit did a better job of zeroeing in on my optimum pressure setting instead of running to the upper rail. After enough data analysis I've been able to tweak my remstar settings to optimize my AHI, and it's exactly the setting my sleep doc said I should use on a straight CPAP. If I had listened to them I would have spent less money and achieved optimum treatment sooner, but I also would know less about how I react to the treatment and how to tweak the adjustments. All in all given the remstar is quieter I'm glad I went with it.


Ron


Ron

Ron,

I did not think about noise level of the different machines since I was born with hearing loss and pretty much stone deaf sleeping without hearing aids. The last sleep study using Respironics "star dust" equipment connected to the Remstar plus indcated a pressure of 10cm is fine but with the Spirit the machine indicated a pressure setting of 11 for a fixed pressure CPAP machine and it turn out that the Spirit gave a better answer. That one cm difference made all the difference in using my Remstar Plus. However my Remstar Plus is now in the closet as a backup and I am using the Spirit as my main machine. One characteristic of me with the Spirit is that I have a very wide pressure range being used all night long.
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Thanks for all your input. Feel better about going with the Spirit now. a good algorythm and the stainless humidifier make it worth it. all that on top of my Doctor beiong able to review the data sold me. Besides it will save me enough for another mask for my collection.