1st Night With New REMstar Auto

I thought I'd give my evaluation of my first night on Auto CPAP therapy, as well as my thoughts on the build of the machine vs. say against the M series which I had prior.

* First of all the order and delivery process from CPAP. Com was first rate. fast and efficient. It all came in a factory sealed unopened box as I requested. It came with the Healthcare provider booklet in addition to the standard user manuals...nice

* Assembly and setup was pretty much a "no brainer" for anyone who has done this before (as I have). The instructions were explicit so even a noobie would have no issues. I also got the heated humidifier in the package.

* The unit itself did not seem appreciably heavier thant he M series I returned to the DME. It is a different profile to be sure but not cumbersome as I feared. Indeed it takes on a bit more bulk when docked to the humidifier unit, but still not that big a deal. Under close examination my personal take on the M vs. this machine is that the REMstar auto (and + since they are essentially the same body and motor) are more built like and geared toward a "commercial" application and therefore are designed for the continual use by both DME's and Sleep Study locations. IMHO the M is designed for the frequent traveler and as such is flatter, but it is more an issue of being a different profile. In the end they are not that different in overall square inch size. One being longer and taller, the other being wider and flatter. The M has one thing about it I preferred. The heated humidifer system, being enclosed, as well as the nice thicker and more easily dissassembled water chamber. Otherwise the REMstar Auto seems to be a bit more of a durable build overall.

* Sound: I was a bit surprised, after assessing that the M series unit I had was quiet indeed, that the REMstar auto I'm using (presures between 6 and 14) is in fact a bit quieter. I didn't think that was possible. Either way both machines are plenty whisper quiet.

*Functionality: The M is pretty basic in it's setup and didn't really offer much in the way of custom settings. The Auto, of course does. I especially LOVE the fact that you can set the Auto to have the lights OUT when in operation. It really bugged my wife about having the lights lit when my machine was working, and I had to cover them as best I could to darken the room. Once familiar with the controls of the Auto it easily equals or bests the M in it's overall ease of use.

Portability: Here is what really surprised me. Even though, the profile of the Auto would lead one to believe in the clear advantage of portability of the M, once in wonderfully supplied bag the difference is slight at best. I put all of the items in the bag and slung it over my shoulder to see how it would be. Frankly, as a frequent traveler, it is so close to the overall size when carried in the newer designed bag, that it's nearly a moot point. I was more surprised it didn't seem heavier enough to even comment on. One can easily put both the hose AND the mask, manuals, accessories and have room, whereas on the M bag putting the hose in the expandable top part of the bag made it significantly thicker. All around it's closer to a draw then an argument about which is better for travel. Now with that said IF (and I do mean IF) one were to forsake the humidifier units on both the M, with it's optional carry bag designed for non humidifier travel, would be smaller....no question. Once again it's a personal and tough choice in that regard. Still I'm glad I went this route and not with an additional $150 for what I now feel would be a very slight difference indeed.

* Now for the good stuff....the performance last night. I got it all hooked up with no issued, got the humidifier pre heated and fired things up. It started up on a pressure of 6 (the low limit) and stayed there till after I fell asleep. When I had an awakening midway through the night I did notice it had increased the pressure (intuitively I'd say from 6 to in the region of around 9-10) No doubt it had detected an apnea event and cranked things up to take care of that. Needless to say I never knew it.....it just did it's thing. With Cflex engaged at 1 I had NO issues breathing out at either pressure. This is a PRIMARY reason I went with this machine, Cflex AND APAP. My wife said she barely noticed it was even on and didn't hear the typical upward and downward breathing sound my M produced. I awoke refreshed with NO issues once again. All in all I feel it was a great move for both the machine and vendor. Thanks to all of you for your thumbs up on recommending I consider this. I agree, I feel that auto adjustment has it's advantages, and at least I won't worry now if I'm correctly titrated. I'm planning on the EncorePro software as soon as I am employed. I should be hearing about that later today so let's hope...

Thanks for your update and assessment. You're happy, wife's happy and I'm happy for you - all's well in la-la land.
Kathy

Great news, roadwarrior!

Hope you get more "great news" by days end!

it is the best machine out there in my opinion.

After you use one a few years you realize those hidden humidifier tanks are just a PIA. Your equipment will last longer if you don't remove that humidifier tank every night to fill it. Get yourself a small 3" funnel and fill it right on the machine, just be careful not to get any water down on the hotplate.

Tank/Machine coupler: Keep an eye on that round silicone tank-machine coupler, it can get pushed in too far into the machine where can leak. The machine will be noisier and rev up as a result. You will go through a lot of water, I use about 1/2" water per night with no leaks. I like using distilled water in mine so it doesn't leave water spots and doesn't require the tank to be cleaned as often.

I would buy a spare machine for any travel, if you go camping and get campfire smoke inside your main cpap machine your pretty much hosed until you can clean it out... that is if you can clean it out at all. Even if that happened, I know when I got home my main machine was sitting there smoke free and ready to go.

If I go for only a night or two, I don't bother with the humidifier, I take the aussie hose and use that if additional heat is needed.

That's interesting snoredog. I can see how removing the humidifier tank could get old. It is a rather tight fit I have to admit. As for the coupler I noticed that right away that it could potentially get pushed in or crimped. So I've taken precautions to make sure it doesn't happen. I think tonight I'll give the Swift a road test to see how that mask works. Now that I know the Activa works fine.

[quote="Anonymous"]That's interesting snoredog. I can see how removing the humidifier tank could get old. It is a rather tight fit I have to admit. As for the coupler I noticed that right away that it could potentially get pushed in or crimped. So I've taken precautions to make sure it doesn't happen. I think tonight I'll give the Swift a road test to see how that mask works. Now that I know the Activa works fine.

RoadWarrior, I'm so happy for you and glad you love your machine.

I've never, ever had the gasket move, and I've had two different Remstar Autos over 3 years. The only time I had noise at the gasket was when I didn't have the apap seated correctly.

I seldom remove my humidifier from the base - maybe once a year. I just remove the apap from the humidifier, and dump excess distilled water when I'm traveling. If I think about it, which is seldom, I will carefully rinse the water chamber with tap water and swish it around. I've never had any scum or odor in the chamber.

I also never remove the metal plate from the water chamber. Taking into consideration that I'm probably the forum scuzzball, I'm just letting you know another side of this gear cleaning business. You can be as diligent as you want to be.

By the way, the package was mailed today.

_________________

CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): humidifier, APAP