Replacement Options for 5 yr Old PR System One REMstar APAP?

My CPAP machine (PR System One REMstar Auto CPAP Machine with A-Flex) is croaking, so after 5.5 years, i need to get a new one. I have been happy with this machine (used as APAP). I have not been following information on machines lately and am just wondering what the preferred options are for replacement of the type of CPAP machine I have. I am seeing a sleep specialist dr. on Thursday and want to know what to ask about--the same brand/ model or whether there is another brand / model that gets better results.

The current model that compares with your existing one is the Respironics 560 Auto.
If you have been having good results and your feel comfortable with how it provides therapy, then you will continue to get good therapy with the newer model 560. At five and a half years old, your insurance will be ready to pick up their part of the cost.

Changing to a different manufacturer may be just fine but each manufacturer has different algorithms on how to handle the changes from IPAP to EPAP, etc. and some folks are sensitive to the differences. Staying with the same manufacturer eliminates that possibility - most folks won't notice but some will.

what I would do is since you are use to the PR System One Remstar APAP you may want to consider sticking with the same brand, as there are other brands out there as well but if it has been working for you that long period of time please stay with the same.

Thank you for the replies. I just found out from the DME that they no longer provide Respironics System One machines. They said there has been problems with the humidifier and they have stopped supplying them. A year ago, when I started with this DME, the System One machine was the one they provided. I had to switch DMEs a year ago because I started on Medicare and my original DME was not Medicare approved.

My current DME says they now would provide a ResMed Airsense 10 Auto Set, after they get a dr.'s prescription with an APAP range. I am going to the sleep dr. tomorrow. I looked up the Airsense and wonder if the prescription needs to specify to include a humidifier (which I currently use) and software (which I see people here like on the S9 machine, the predecessor machine.

Several people have also suggested getting a FOR HER version of the ResMed machine, since it has additional options, including an additional adjustable self-titration method.

Since Medicare only pays for one CPAP machine every 5 years, I want to get it "right" this time. Thank you for any additional suggestions, etc. I see a sleep specialist dr. tomorrow (Thursday) and hope he can prescribe a machine using data from previous compliance reports and the current SD card data. I had 2 sleep studies last week that were failures, because I couldn't sleep without CPAP at all and only got 2 hours sleep the next night with CPAP, not enough for an APAP titration. The dr. is affiliated with the sleep center that did the sleep studies.

The humidifier is usually included in the RX...like cpap at so and so pressure, heated humidifier, mask of patient's choice.

The new ResMed AirSense machines already have the humidifier integrated so they aren't separated like the other older models are.

Software...they won't likely give you the software. Usually never included in the RX but if it was and the DME would do it they would charge you for it. SleepyHead software the docs or DMEs probably won't know anything about it anyway...besides it's free.
ResScan which is ResMed's official software is not usually offered to patients but that doesn't stop us.
We can help you get ResScan if you want it but it's Windows only software so if you are using a Mac it won't work unless you put Windows on the Mac. SleepyHead has both Windows and Mac versions available.

Make sure the doc writes a range of pressures so that the DME has to dispense an apap machine. Otherwise they will likely try to dispense a cpap mode only machine.

I'm not really familiar with Resmed's product line but if I recall correctly, don't they also have an auto-escape machine that only provides compliance info? That's a machine to stay away from. Make sure you get the
"autoset" machine.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

Hose_Head wrote:I'm not really familiar with Resmed's product line but if I recall correctly, don't they also have an auto-escape machine that only provides compliance info? That's a machine to stay away from. Make sure you get the
"autoset" machine.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

With the S9 line they had the S9 Escape Auto which had extremely limited data.
With the new AirSense model line they don't seem to have brought the Escape Auto. They seem to have omitted the "Escape" models.
What they offer now in the AirSense model line as the most basic machine is the AirSense 10 CPAP machine.
Mainly compliance hours of use data but I think they added generic AHI like the Escape Auto offered. Nothing else useful though...no event category breakdown and no leak numbers or graphs. Just the AHI in total.

For what it's worth, I recently went from a very basic System One cpap to a ResMed S9 apap and I totally prefer the response and "feel" of the S9, A LOT. I went with the older model due to concerns I had about the Airsense 10 reports of glitches occurring. I suspect that those have been ironed out by now, though. If your old machine still works, I suggest you keep it around for an emergency back-up. Good luck !