Info on so called "Automatic" cpap machine.

My wife told me about a fellow worker that knows a friend of a friend that has a new type of automatic cpap. Here ar the quotes of an email my wife sent me "She says the automatic requires no adjustments and will change according to what your needs are at any given time. Supposedly you sometimes need more/less pressure than other times and the machine does this for you"

Anyone aware of any so called cpap machine?.

Resmed's S8 or S9 Autoset or PR System One's Remstar Auto with A-Flex

(You must set a minimum and maximum pressure range for the machine to use)

Yes, I have an auto-adjusting cpap machine.

It provides only the minimum pressure needed until it detects the beginning of an apnea/hyponea and then it automatically increases the pressure (subject to my maximum pressure setting) until it can prevent the event.

Here's a link to read more about these machines. https://www.cpap.com/DisplayNewsletter/ ... CPAPs.html

My_Dream wrote:My wife told me about a fellow worker that knows a friend of a friend that has a new type of automatic cpap. Here ar the quotes of an email my wife sent me "She says the automatic requires no adjustments and will change according to what your needs are at any given time. Supposedly you sometimes need more/less pressure than other times and the machine does this for you"

Anyone aware of any so called cpap machine?.

That is what any auto does, its not new....you can set it wide open anywhere from 4 to 20, and it will raise and lower the pressure as needed. Usually we set the pressure with a spread of about 5 or 6, with our 95% pressure in the middle of the spread, that way if the machine detects an apnea happening, it can raise the pressure to squash it.

it's also called apap. most of the regulars here have one.

And you can look at them all (like mine) on Cpap.com.

Very Interesting, thanks for the information, I'll read up on the link. I don't believe my S8 Elite 11 has that options but I'll be sure to get one next year when I'm due for a replacement.

You can read about APAP here:
http://www.cpap-supply.com/Articles.asp?ID=123

All the automatics will also run like your regular cpap as well, should you want it to.
Some DME's pretend they don't know that--or that the pressure range can be adjusted to optimize therapy and comfort.
Kind of like the difference between a single speed drill and a variable speed drill-driver.
The actual cost difference is so small, compared to the additional benefits,
that it seems to me a crime to sell a patient the 'old' kind.

When it comes time for the new machine you may want to check back here so you can get the information needed to give direction to your sleep Dr. On how to write the Rx for a new APAP. After 6 years on an S8 Elite I sure am happy with my new S9 Autoset. I learned how to write the Rx here, thanks for the help.

The auto machines are a good thing. They really should never dispense anything other than an Auto CPAP.

Unfortunately, it's usually not good enough to just give someone a CPAP machine and forget about it. You often need to set an approximately "correct" CPAP pressure and a reasonably small range above and below it.

If you set the minimum pressure too low, when you first go to sleep, it won't be stopping your apneas, because they start at the minimum pressure and work up as you have breathing problems. Many people find they feel like they're suffocating. When you start having apneas during your sleep, you may have apneas for a while until the machine detects the problems breathing and increases the pressure.

Some people are bothered by the pressure changes and do better with a fixed pressure or with a smaller pressure range.

Pressure changes may make mask leaks a problem because when you fit your mask at one pressure, it may leak when pressure changes.

Sometimes the machine will "run away" and go to a high pressure without ever finding the best compromise pressure. Then the patient suffers from the discomfort or other side effects of high pressure.

Some people will develop "central" apneas at higher pressure, and you may have to limit the maximum pressure to prevent them from happening.

All Auto CPAP (APAP) machines have a setting for minimum and maximum pressure that they will operate at. Most people get better treatment if these settings are set properly. In the worst case, you can set an APAP to run in a narrow pressure range or even a single pressure like a manual CPAP does.

Almost all modern APAP machines record data on your apnea every night. Your doctor should monitor your data from using an APAP (or manual CPAP for that matter) and fine tune your pressure settings to find what works.

Unfortunately, a lot of doctors are too lazy, ignorant, or pigheaded to look at the data your APAP machine records. Some of them will simply give someone an APAP set wide open and never adjust it properly. This gives APAPs a bad name to some other ignorant doctors and they will stick with the obsolete manual CPAP machines.

My_Dream wrote:Very Interesting, thanks for the information, I'll read up on the link. I don't believe my S8 Elite 11 has that options but I'll be sure to get one next year when I'm due for a replacement.

It's not as simple as asking for an APAP, esp in ON unless you are planning on paying for it out of pocket. For the Assisted Device program, there is a narrow set of criteria that you have to meet for it to be covered under the program. But it would be worth it to ask your dr if you are eligible for one.

To add to your confusion I have an auto adjusting bilevel machine. I get 2 pressures that will adjust based on my needs.
One for inhale and one for exhale. Sort of like EPR on your current machine but with greater difference available and a difference in the timing. I have 3 different modes available....straight cpap like your current machine does...fixed bilevel and auto adjusting bilevel.

I used to use APAP machine and did well with the auto adjusting mode. I happen to sometimes need much higher pressures on occasion during the night. Most likely REM stage sleep. Using the auto adjusting lets me stay at a lower pressure until the events that are super stubborn start to occur then the machine increases as needed to prevent them.
Some nights I would barely go above my minimum of 10 cm but some nights I would spend an hour or so at 18 cm and above. Worked well for my situation because the changing pressures never bothered me...slept right through them and using the nasal pillows my leaks were minimal even at the higher pressures.
Now I do the same thing with the bilevel pressure auto adjusting machine.

APAP or auto adjusting pressure may not be for everyone but it comes in handy in some situations like mine.
Or if someone needed a lot more pressure with supine sleeping...it would come in handy then also. It's nice to have it available even if it isn't needed. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. I sure wouldn't want to use 16 or 18 cm or more pressure all night long.

JO'M wrote:It's not as simple as asking for an APAP, esp in ON unless you are planning on paying for it out of pocket. For the Assisted Device program, there is a narrow set of criteria that you have to meet for it to be covered under the program. But it would be worth it to ask your dr if you are eligible for one.

Even more information, thanks everyone, I didn't realized they didn't cover it fully, good info. I'll have to look into it, but I'm curious what the price difference would be incase I would and most likely need to pay the remainder out of pocket. With my high setting it maybe worth looking into.

ADP currently pays 1180 towards APAP/humdifier/basic hose and basic mask. I'm not positive what the current reimbursement for a CPAP set up is. It's at least a couple of hundred dollars less, maybe more.