Resmed vs Resperonics challenge- at my house

I will be test driving the Resmed Autoset ll for a week - then have week with the new PR
I use the aflex now - so i think I will have good look at whats out there before I choose a new machine
[ I have used up deductible this year- so can get a new machine almost "free"

I use the Twilight nose pillow mask- just as it comes out the box- [ have a large hat size- fits me well]
have aussie heated hose because this mask likes to rain a lot! - so we can check out humidifiers

I have been running about 2.1 AHI for last 3 years on aflex - therapy has done well for me

I have been used to using the smart cart and encore so am at least somewhat familiar with seeing results
have a recording oximeter so will test machines that way as well- to me the true test is O2 levels in my blood
obviously not perfect but pretty good test- hoses and mask known as working- only change will be machine

I will try to take time to report here in hopes it will give info to others- this site was instrumental in
my keeping going at the start- I would have joined the legions of those who quit without the great people here!

my thought is to try to put in my subjective impressions as well as any results difference Packer

.

used the autoset II - simply unhooked the aflex and put the resmed in its place-
very impressed- I literally slept through the night- woke up 7 1/2 hours later

will start looking at numbers etc later- but subjectively the machine worked great-
EPR simply works- you just dont hardly notice its there- which is the point!

very impressed after one night with autoset- equal to or better than my aflex packer

Thanks for the report, packer. When you do look at the numbers, remember you'll kind'a be comparing apples and oranges since different brands of machines use different definitions for when a flow limitation will be called a "hypopnea." You are quite likely to see a higher AHI (made up mostly of the "HI" hypopnea index) from the ResMed machine.

That won't mean you were actually having more hypopneas with the ResMed machine than with the Respironics machine.

It won't mean that one brand prevents more "hypopneas" or that another brands lets more through.

It's a matter of where each manufacturer draws that arbitrary line in the sand to say, "we're still calling this flow limitation" and "now we're calling that 'hypopnea'."

When I used both manufacturers' machines several years ago, to compare for myself the way you're doing, I got equally good treatment from either. Felt just as rested in the morning. But the AHI was considerably different. About double the "AHI", because of the hypopneas reported. I mentally cut the HI (hypopnea index) of the ResMed machine in half, added that to the AI (apnea index) and got an AHI that was comparable with what I saw from the Respironics machine.

Let us know how your experiment continues to go!

Packer, I'd be most interested in if you can tell the difference in how you feel with therapy on one machine vs the other. That is ultimately the real test. I best the numbers will be good whichever machine you use, as you're an experiences CPAPPer.

my plan is to use the oximeter two nights in a row with each machine and see how o2 numbers compare

[ idea being to do two nights to help level off things that might happen in the house etc ]

also- and this is important info -- my wife says this machine is quieter- her opinion counts
cause she hears it when I am sleeping
last night she was up for a couple minutes and said the resmed was definitely quieter to her ears than aflex

packer wrote:my plan is to use the oximeter two nights in a row with each machine and see how o2 numbers compare

[ idea being to do two nights to help level off things that might happen in the house etc ]

also- and this is important info -- my wife says this machine is quieter- her opinion counts
cause she hears it when I am sleeping
last night she was up for a couple minutes and said the resmed was definitely quieter to her ears than aflex

packer,

Yes an interesting test & am sure many will be interested.

Re noise, that can vary depending on the pressure set & part of the noise variance is the sound of the air from the mask.

It would be really interesting to hear your wife's subjective comments on what type of noise she believes she is hearing i,e,
- is it from the mask ?
- is it from the machine (which machine of course)
- if the noise is from the machine, is it any kind of varying pitch noise or just a 'flat level white noise' type of sound

Thanks for the effort

DSM

noise level- we are talking resmed autoset II here compared to aflex- mask is same

she just mentioned that the machine itself was quieter- this was not during apnea when it ramps up or whatever-
just simply in middle of the night quiet time- she noticed it was quieter- pretty subjective but tonight I asked her
again and she said she had forgotten what I was doing [ trying the different machines ] but noticed it was much quieter in bedroom
and realized the difference was the resmed was quieter than the aflex she has been hearing for years

to me the autoset is quieter but also a lower pitched quiet - again- very subjective but there it is

Packer,

I'm reading your posts with interest. I have been using a Respironics M Series APAP with AFLEX for some time and have been happy with it. Recently I compared the Respironics PR System specs and online reviews with the ResMed Autoset II and ended up buying the Autoset II. I am collecting a couple of weeks' data and experience and may need to seek some advice from forum members who are familiar with ResMed and the Autoset II.

Your wife is correct that the Autoset II is very quiet and I agree with you that the EPR is smooth. I look forward to hearing more about your experience.

And thanks to Rested Gal for the info about the difference in the definitions of HI between the two manufacturers. That is helpful.

JZ

Packer, I'd be interested to know your Aflex and EPR settings as that may make a difference in noise levels.

epr at 3 aflex at 3

for what its worth last night I got rain in the nose from the twilight mask- it is extremely rain "prone"
I think it simply was colder in the bedroom last night because of the blizzard outside - wind chills 30 below in central WI last night

anyhow- cant blame rain on autoset II - I turned down humidity level and think it will be fine tonight like first night

I will use the oximeter tonight and tomorrow and give results- then switch to my old machine [ the aflex as kind of the control]
and then get the PR next week

right now I like the autoset and am somewhay surprised- I thought aflex was best exhale relief but EPR is as good or better
and resmed is definitely quieter
actually kind of fun doing this- I have much gratitude for how lucky I am to have these choices- I do not take for granted
a good DR and DME Packer

I am so grateful to have found this website and this post! I am newly diagnosed with OSA and have been researching autopap machines, trying to decide what to buy. I had just narrowed it down to Resmed Autoset8 II, Respironics PR system one, and respironics M series Auto with a-flex (or c-flex?? I get them confused). I am hoping to choose the most comfortable machine so that my transition into the world of autopap sleeping is as smooth as possible. I know it is important for my health and I need to set myself up for compliance! I am so interested in your opinions and grateful for all of the input. Right on time! Blessings, Deb

Well, I know that I am not the thread starter, but I am using the new PR from Respirioncs. And that thing is super quiet. My wife tried to check the power on it the other night because she thought I accidentally unplugged it.

I am new to this as I just started CPAP therapy 2 days before Thanksgiving and this is my first machine. So I will not be able to give you an experienced comparison to other machines. But I can say that this machine is considerably easier to breath with over the machine I used at the sleep lab during titration(sp?). There has been times myself that I thought the machine was not working, because it felt like natural breathing. The C-Flex+ option is sweet!

Anyhow, read this post and thought I'd chime in for my first post. Hope it was in order.

DoriC wrote:Packer, I'd be interested to know your Aflex and EPR settings as that may make a difference in noise levels.

epr at 3 aflex at 3

I'm not sure you mentioned your pressure setting but was wondering if you've tried a lower Aflex or EPR setting? It's my understanding that the EPR lowers the pressure by 1-3 cms accordingly. I'm not sure if the Aflex works the same but I do know that when we turned it Off the machine became much quieter and also matched my husband's breathing pattern better.

DORI- havent played with the settings both are at I think 8 to 15 epr and aflex at 3

as far as loudness- i really defer to my wife who says without a doubt Resmed is quieter

both at "normal" [ low ] and at night when presumably i am having hypopnia or apnea and machine ramps up-
she heard resmed " go to work" last night and said it was quieter than aflex- obviously she'has heard aflex
numerous times over the years


I used the oximeter last night and results were excellent- I will post later if I can get time- we are going out tonight
and have friends coming over after dinner