M Series Pro Questions

I just spent my first night on CPAP. I had my titration study a week and a half ago, but I've still got a couple of weeks before I can see a sleep doctor and get a CPAP prescription. Since I knew my titrated pressure, I decided to buy an inexpensive machine on Craigslist and replace it with a better one purchased using insurance after I have my prescription.

I bought a Respironics M Series Pro and a SleepWeaver mask. I have a couple of questions.

Mask Alert: I turned this on. I tried several times to create a large leak to trigger this with no success. What triggers this alert, and how can I test it to see if it is working?

Efficacy Data: Screen only displays 7 and 30 day averages. Does everything stay at 0.0 until it has been used for 7 days? Is there any way to get nightly data without a card reader and software? I don't want to spend money for software and a card reader since this should only be my backup machine in a couple of weeks.

The Mask alert takes a long...... and large leak to have it alarm and then it is only beeps that can barely be heard. In all honesty not much of an alarm. I started out on M Series APAP. I do not know how long of a large leak. Never seen any documentation on it.

Did you get the smart card with the machine?

There is a way to reset the data each night so that you will only have a single night's worth of data. I will find it and post it. You don't need 7 nights. It will do a single night. It may require that a smart card be inserted, I don't remember. I did this when I first started till I got the software.

Edit to add
To reset LCD Therapy data (does NOT erase any data from SmartCard):

1. Hold down the (<-) (->) buttons while plugging in the power on the back,
wait for 2 beeps or 5 seconds, release buttons.
2. Press the (->) key and navigate to Therapy screen.
3. Press and HOLD down the (-) minus key for 5 seconds and/or until therapy data is reset to Zero.
4. Press the (->) key to scroll back to main menu, press (+) key to enter Setup or
On/Off button to exit.

I do have a Smart Card inserted.

http://www.apneaboard.com/CPAP%20Adjustment.htm

This link above has the clinician manual listed as available by direct download. I don't know if it will state time of large leak before the mask alarm goes off. In case you don't have it.

There was a time factor involving reading the onscreen data. I don't remember exactly how much time is needed after turning machine off in AM before the data will show up after a reset to zero the night before.
It was odd that I could read the smart card data pretty much right after I got up but when doing the onscreen reset sometimes it would show zero for a couple of hours or so, then it would show up. It may have something to do with the internal clock in the machine. It uses GMT and it may have been that the session wasn't closed yet.

Pugsy wrote: There was a time factor involving reading the onscreen data. I don't remember exactly how much time is needed after turning machine off in AM before the data will show up after a reset to zero the night before.

Thanks, Pugsy! I was wondering why all the data said 0.0 this morning. Now I'll know not to reset the data first thing in morning and to check it later in the day. Hopefully I can get nightly AHI and Leak data this way. That'll do until I can get a better machine and data software.

Back when I would do the reset thing, I would check data in the morning and if no data then check in the evening, then erase/reset, then go to bed.
Sometimes I would have data in the morning within a hour of getting up but sometimes I wouldn't. I would then just wait till evening and it would always be there by that time.

I did this for about 10 days till got the software. I was just starting therapy and my sleep was still totally messed up and may have been affected by the GMT time zone thing. I had some extremely short nights early on. Didn't think about the time zone and session clock thing and since the data was always there in the evening, just didn't worry about it. I had all the usual first user things to worry about.

Thanks again, Pugsy.

I too have all the usual "newbie" things to worry about. However, I'm a quality engineer by profession, and looking at data is my life. It would drive me crazy if I was blind to the data.

indyredsfan wrote: I'm a quality engineer by profession, and looking at data is my life. It would drive me crazy if I was blind to the data.

Hopefully you have done your reading & learning homework to get that data machine from your DME the first try. That is prob one of the biggest obstacles to overcome.

Yep, information in this forum has done a good job of getting me ready to face the DME. I'm hoping I can get an auto, but I'll settle for a Resmed S9 Elite or PRS1 Pro. Either way I'll have ready access to the efficacy data. Earlier this week I thought I was going to have a PRS1 Pro. The first machine I made arrangements to buy off Craigslist was listed as a PRS1 Pro. When I got there it was a PRS1 Plus. I had learned enough from this forum to know the difference, and I turned it down. (no efficacy data)

Yes many times they are dataless machines on CL at FULL price no less.

The best way to get the machine you want is to have the doc write the make & model on the script. The doc will likely need your help since they don't often no one machine from another and rely on the DME.

GumbyCT wrote:Yes many times they are dataless machines on CL at FULL price no less.

You're forgetting the dataless model that became obsolete 5 years ago at brand new local DME price. Used by a chain smoker.

However, there are some diamonds out there. I bought a good, low mileage, PRS1 auto machine for $225 and saw an S9 Elite for $175. I had to watch for 3 months to find exactly what I wanted, though. Luckily, I already had a workable CPAP machine. CL can be good if you want a better machine, but may need to wait for a while.

archangle wrote:However, there are some diamonds out there.

Absolutely, you just have to know what you are looking at AND ask all the right questions, then see it work. Buying without seeing or touching requires a whole new approach and still is not without risk. Tho it can be done.