DeVilbiss Wants Your Input

Thanks for asking!

In no particular order:

• Hose should exit in front, not out the back or top.
  Continued emphasis on noise reduction.
  A reasonably priced pulse oximeter accessory. That capability should be a standard feature across the product line and would REALLY set DeVilbiss apart.
  Keep the center of gravity low for stability's sake.Humidifier reservoir should be designed so that water will not flood the machine if it gets turned over.
  Alarm clock/radio/MP3 player feature would be inexpensive to implement and would free up an electrical plug for the CPAP machine.
  Better, more detailed data availability from the display, similar to that of the S9 would be great.
  Continued availability of technical information/seminars/webinars to users generates goodwill, educates the users and sets DeVilbiss apart from the competition.
  Heated hose similar to the S9's Climateline should be a top priority. It's not difficult to implement and everybody likes it.
  I prefer the look of my Intellipap to that of my S9 Autoset. The latter is too wide; takes up too much space on nightstand.
  For my primary machine, the (I think) superior software of the S9 Autoset made me choose it over the Intellipap. When it came time for a second machine, the Intellipap was an automatic decision, since I didn't need the software.
  Direct plug in, ability to run off 12VDC is a worthwhile advantage. Bricks are just wrong, can be lost or forgotten in hotels, expensive to replace.
  Consider a permanent non-detachable power cord. Or at least use a standard computer-type power cord. How many times have we heard of someone who forgot to pack the cord?
  Fully dissassembleable (a word?) humidifier reservoir is a plus.
  Ability to tweak the pressure transitions from inhale to exhale on the Intellipap is great. So is the ability to adjust event detection criteria. More flexibility in the ability to tailor/tweak the response of the machine would be nice, but probably wouldn't appeal to that many people, and might ultimately cause more headaches for DeVilbiss than just leaving well enough alone, so I don't know why I mentioned it. Never mind.
  [Edit] Ok, how 'bout having several preset settings for treatment of obstructive events. From very aggressive to "not so much." Not everyone responds to pressure changes the same way. For those of us that can sleep through a hailstorm, a more aggressive response to events could be selectable through a preset. For light sleepers, a less aggressive response could be selected. Maybe 3 or 4 levels of response could be preset.

I think DeVilbiss is doing a lot of things right. Not the least of which is caring enough about what we think to make it known that a company rep. is involved in this user's group.

A lot of very useful and interesting characteristics have already been enumerated in the precedent posts.

To me an alarm/clock is something more or less useful to have in my machine. Today when you travel you have in every hotel an alarm/clock, I would prefer to have a machine more light/less expensive.

Something else I found very handy was the gentle stream of air you get going on once you turned off the Resmed CPAP S8. This stream of air helped to dry the interior of the hose preventing mildew to develop or even helped to dry your mask once washed. Also, a system with some kind of rain-out control is something in my number one list of requirements.

Ditto towhat everyone else has said& I would like the LCD screen placed on the side of the machine so I could wake up & see the scvreen without having to change position.

You're on the right path: make DeVilbiss your customers, the patients', staunch ally. No one else in the industry does that. You can get plenty of ideas here for free; just review the problems people have and look for ways DeVilbiss could help.

Make it easy for the patient to follow his/her therapy, e.g., wireless upload of data to user's PC.

User-friendly software. Just look at all the help we have to give each other with the software that's available. Each item on the reports should be linked to help files.

I think you already have a lot of the things listed, but I wish my IntelliPap would record waveform data and an integral SD card slot (instead of the add on unit).
The cool down/dry out cycle on shut down sounds interesting...

Thanks for asking!

I think that just about everything has been covered now. You guys already have a lot of 'bang for the buck'.
The only thing that made me decide in favor of your competitor's machine was the necessity to purchase a module, software, and the whole proprietary ball of wax in order to see detailed data. With my machine, the software was 'free'..

So wonderful to have you ask the endusers for input! Most folks have already listed great ideas, and I smiled at some because the DeVilbiss already has them! I can't think of anything to add, but I do hope that when the time comes for DeVilbiss to seek 'testers' for any new models, you will remember your fans here

Not much to add since most things were pretty well covered. I've only used the Resp. M series and the PR1. Neither of which I love. There both noisy PR1 29db and add all the problems above. I am waiting on a new Intellipap. Planned to order it last month but needed tires. So, maybe I should wait until the new version comes out? No, probably not. (Less hose noise would be a plus. I heard Resumed has that.)
A few things I would like: Since this sits on my night stand and in my hotel rooms it would be great if it didn't look like this strange alien machine. I like the idea of having clock, alarm, music, etc. on it. That would be great especially if you made the thing look like a clock? Less noticeable? I was even thinking it would be neat to have a slide opening in front where you put a swivel on for your hose (maybe at the bottom front of the machine) and the swivel can remain attached to the hose but clips on the machine. Then you could remove the hose, and put it in a drawer, close the little slide and it goes back to looking like a neat alarm clock.
Another idea, Make the thing waterproof. I lost my first PR1 due to a spilled cup of coffee. It spilled on the top of the machine where the knob is and got under the knob and on the circuit board. A conformal coated circuit board would have saved the machine. This is an electronic machine we add water to when we are tired. I am always worried that I will spill water on it and kill another machine.
The ICON boasts that it lowers the pressure when it senses you're awake. I would definitely NOT want that. The pressure is a comfort. I know it's working. But, if it can sense when you are awake, that would be a good piece of data for it to collect and display in a report. Sleep time, Number of wake times, Avg. wake time?

I've only had my machine for a few days but some initial thoughts:-
1) It works! Always a concern when buyin gover the internet.
2) It's quiet.
3) it would be nice to have gotten software, a USB cord and a USB socket so I could plug it into my computer and find out whats going on.
4) I brought a base machine for travel so I love a padded case that had room for the machine, mask and hose (hose could form part of the padding).

Hi, I thought you might want to add a bit of humor here, so please design a machine that, first thing in the morning, doesn't allow my cat to step on the off button (took him about 3 days to learn that) so I'll get up and give him breakfast ! I've had the IP for a few months now and think it's great. No complaints. Now if only I could say the same about masks...

A much better central apnea identification system. While you label them "Non-Obstructive Apneas", you in fact have no idea if that's the case. You can only classify them as "Non-Responsive Apneas", and even then only through dial wingin' and/or manipulation of the apnea identification parameter.

OK DeVilbiss. You've received LOTS of good ideas. On some of them, we are not all of like minds.

You'll have to decide which of the ideas you will accept, and which you won't. The ONLY thing that I'll ask of you at this point is that you keep in mind that first and foremost, this is an xpap and humidifier. Don't be tempted to compromise on any function that relates to the efficacy of the machine. Bells and whistles are secondary to the primary function of the xpap, humidifier and related functions such as software, etc. If there MUST be compromises, then compromise on the bells and whistles.

Thanks for asking, and for reading!

Thanks to all for your input - not only is it insightful, but also critical to our success and the success of future DeVilbiss xpap users. DeVilbiss sought end-user input when designing the IntelliPAP product and as such, many of the suggestions have been addressed with this platform (no power brick, removable humidifier, claim-shell humidifier to aide in cleaning, integrated anti-slip pad, accommodates different hose lengths, Auto On/Off, On-board SmartCode efficacy data reporting, ability to upgrade firmware, padded and gusseted travel bag, ability to disable backlight (a recommendation from this forum - and IntelliPAP users were able to upgrade their system to include this feature), quiet (26 dBA), and aggressive humidifier water-ingress protection.

We will continue to monitor this post for additional comments until March 11th.

More to come -

Again, thank you for taking the time to respond to this post.

And I STILL haven't found anyone who will rent me an IntelliPAP bi-level auto for 2-3 months. *sigh* Once they know what I want they have to check w/a higher up and don't bother returning my call to discuss my interest. I've quit trying.

By the way: my original 5L concentrator was a DeVilbiss w/some 19,000 hours on it when I got it in April 2006. At 20055 hours the counter quit working. I have no idea how many hours I put on it after that but my provider just had to replace it earlier this year. They brought out an Invacare Platinum .. it only lasted 6 months or so and I now have another DeVilbiss 5L concentrator chugging away for me. I take it they are cleaning out their inventory of concentrators prior to bulk buying some new ones. I sure can't complain about the DeVilbiss' I've used.

I need three things that my current machine doesn't have.

A backlit screen.

Larger print on the screen. (I can't wear my glasses with my mask.)

An easy way to set the pressure to my maximum so I can fit my mask at full pressure (without having to go through numerous steps to increase the pressure and then to reset it again.)