BIG UPDATE: NEW RESPIRONICS PR Series Auto CPAP Released!

Interesting picture on the front cover... for a machine without a software option for the patient!

Okay, check this out... the guy on the front cover is suppose to be the Respiratory Therapist!



Oh no! This is NOT a good sign.

Why would they show that on the front cover of the brochure (sitting at a computer)? Taunting us with it's data capabilities!!

If I'm reading that correctly....
All that data is meant for the doc......not the patient.

They refer to the doc in the first person,
and the patient in the third person.

NO data for the patient.

"making patient management easier"

"it's been created to deliver precisely what you need to manage
your patients-and your practice."

"Our new devices now include on-board data memory.
Putting more patient intelligence in your hands is a key
component of effective patient therapy and compliance mgt."

"..new report enables you to view on a weekly basis every
breath your patient takes."

"....our improved reporting, the entire care team can more effectively
manage sleep therapy patients' needs."

It doesn't appear to me that the data is meant for the patient.
Those "you and your"s are not referring to us.

Thank you SocialMonkey for taking the time to get us those images of the brochure.

I would love to try the machine but no software is a deal breaker for me. I do use my machine in auto mode and I sometimes have some pretty steep pressure spikes because my OSA is significantly worse in REM staged sleep.

You have the lure of The Mask, I guess I can have the lure of the machine.

This machine looks like the needed step forward Respironics *had* to take after releasing the M series.

The pre M machines were just the best (certainly had a quality advantage over the Resmed S7 series), but when Resmed released the S8 they jumped a little ahead, then Respironics came out with the M series & took a step back then Resmed hit the floor with the S8 II models & leapt way ahead.

It was only a matter of time before Respironics looked to improve.

There was never any question in my mind about how good the Respironics algorithms are. I think many of us agree that their Auto approach works very well & for lots of folk - the 'chair' sensing part of the algorithm (seeking out apneas with pressure steps) seems the only bit where the approach helps some but bothers others. Where Respironics had a problem with the M, was that they introduced a new blower assembly & it was not free from whine whereas, Resmed had been through that agony with their whiny S7 shaped machines (whiny is being kind).

The only further improvement Respironics appear to need is to further improve the noise output of the blower but if it manages to be more 'white noise' that probably won't be an issue but if there is any hi-pitch to the noise, it may be an issue.

As for the brick power pack. That is a design issue & in many respects simplifies the international aspects of the power supply & ability of the machine to run easily on 12VDC for travel (airplanes & camping etc: ) more people seem to be traveling with cpaps these days. The Bipap machines have always had a power brick & those of us with them (such as The Bipap Auto SV) don't have an issue as long as the machine is doing its job well.

Good for Respironics BUT as for rushing out to buy one just because it is new ! wellll wise words say make sure any machine you come to depend on works for you before you believe that just being new will make it the best

As for myself, I like it, but, unlike the M (which was clearly a problem line when it got released) this one is a machine I would happily try out given the opportunity.

DSM

That new one sounds interesting. But I have a question ----did they make the water chamber EASIER to get in to clean??????

Another interesting aspect of the reported data from the new machine (that should help those folk stumbling through what Variable Breathing might have meant on the previous Respironics models. VB is defined as 'erratic' breathing in the Respironics patent an on page 25 of the Auto patent tries to explain how erratic breathing was detected & calculated (My analysis is that the machine compares the 1st half of a breathing cycle with the second & tracks this as apattern looking for 'erratic' patterns - this is different from 'predictatble' patterns such as meant by 'periodic breathing' or PB.

The Variable Breathing title has gone & in its place is Periodic Breathing which is a better understood term. Periodic breathing in its best known form is Cheynes-Stokes Respiration CSR which is a cycling pattern of shallow breathing followed by deeper breathing followed by shallow etc etc, typically, well within a 3 minute window of respiration cycles. The Bipap AutoSV in its various forms has been tracking PB for many years as it is part of the process of dealing with CSR.

The new machine says it can detect clear airway apneas. That means it can take a very educated guess that a central is occuring. As with past cpaps & autos, it won't try to fix them just note that it detected them & that is a great help datawise.

The Auto & Bipap versions of the machines do add something very interesting in detecting RERAS & responding to them. That is helpful data for analysis.

To those folk getting upset because Encore Pro 2.1 isn't for sale to the public, move on when was that *really* ever a problem in the past !!!. We determined types have *always* found a way around that issue no matter what vendor says they won't sell their data analysis (in the USA) to the public - just allow them leeway in dealing with their problems with the US hydra-headed monster called the FDA.

Datawise this machine looks excellent & because of their (Respironics) apparent painstaking research, I believe the data capture aspects of this model machine may set a new standard for useful and helpful data.

DSM

How does the machine identify the arousal part of an RERA?

Hose_Head wrote:uses proprietary smart card > change to SD card instead of USB. NOT an improvement

Would you really want to have to carry your CPAP to the computer to plug it in via USB? An SD card was the right choice, IMHO. Now if they would add WiFi data transfer to the PC that would be cool. I wonder what format the data on the SD card is in?

Hose_Head wrote: improved data collection > addressed? But, new software is unavailable to user

I see no reason to beleive that Encore Pro Viewer won't be updated to work with the PR1?

socalmonkey wrote:Pictures....




I love the placement of the hose outlet! This is a BIG improvement!!!

And it's got something new called C-Flex Plus (C-Flex+).

Also A-Flex... I WANT ONE!

Am I the only one who sees some amazing similarities in the design of the new Respironics? It looks as if it has been designed as a rectangle inspired by an S8 ResMed. It is complete with a detachable humidifier, hose connection on the top, and the additions of a power brick and a few other humidity and algorithm/analysis software bells and whistles. That doesn't mean it is bad; just interesting!

socalmonkey wrote:Okay, check this out... the guy on the front cover is suppose to be the Respiratory Therapist!



Oh no! This is NOT a good sign.

Why would they show that on the front cover of the brochure? Taunt us with it's data capabilities!!

What really got me was the picture of the (I assumed) RT showing the machine to (I again assumed) a patient. It is sans humidifier and looks pretty small. That is the same "trick" used by the RT who introduced me to CPAP. I saw the machine and thought, "Gee, that isn't too big," but then...he brought out the humidifier. Wait a minute, that effectively DOUBLED the size!

I hope that this Respironics version is a huge success without some of the problems shown by the M-series. I do think it is a bit of a bummer that there is so little information available via software for patients. The whole "informed consumer" of medical knowledge about ourselves is suffering from this kind of thinking.

Karen,
Who just may have to try a Respironics for a night (or two)

I think the change to an SD card is a major improvement over the current proprietary card and I too, would not want to have to move the machine to a computer in order to use a USB setup. Most all newer computers have a built in card reader and for those without, it is much cheaper to purchase a universal card reader, instead of a proprietary one. I also firmly believe that the software will be available within weeks, both the Pro and the Home versions, just as they are now. This is a major step in the right direction, but there is still room for improvement.

Even though I am a ResMed user, this machine does look interesting. I think it was a smart move to go to a standard SD memory card since a lot of computers these days come with card readers built into them, and SD memory card readers aren't that expensive and hook up via USB anyway.

Don't forget, just because the card is a standard type, the data on it is almost certainly in a proprietary format (as opposed to something like XML).

I think that the folks talking about a USB connection are not thinking about connecting it by a USB Cable but rather using a USB Thumb Drive Memory Key. The have gotten so cheap and have so much memory I think it would have been a good choice although the SD Card is got to be better than the old Smart Card. Shucks I saw one the other day shaped like a Swiss Army Knife.

Jerry

SD cards are pretty cheap, too. 2 Gb can be found for around $10. And they are smaller than USB flash drives, making them easier and cheaper to mail.

I think it's an exaggeration to say that SD is not a big improvement over the limited-memory data cards.

Now I'm confused! After reading soooo many posts from board members on how they LOVE their M series auto with aflex Well, I'm picking up my auto/aflex on Monday and my new UMFF.... I was quite excited until I stumbled upon this thread Why is it when a new machine is announced, so many seem to suddenly acknowledge M series flaws that were unspeakable, just a few short days ago?

Cmon, please tell me you "still" love your M series and I should not cancel my order and wait for the "all new, pretty, goo-goo gaw gaw PRI?????????

Regards, Rick