Software

Modern CPAP machines come in many flavors. Long-time forum members suggest that newbies acquire a CPAP machine that is fully data-capable. This means a great deal of information is stored on a transportable card, usually either a smart card, a USB stick or an SD card. The card is ostensibly supposed to be sent to the doctor or the DME, but many doctors and DME's don't even own the software to read the data off your card. DME's are primarily interested in your compliance data for insurance purposes. The real beauty of the software comes into play when the user can review data and compare with previous nights of data to see trends in improvement and to learn during what part of the night large leaks are occurring.

Some software companies have come up with a patient version of the software which is less powerful than the proposed DME/Doctor version. These are generally considered card 'reader' software. They generally don't edit the card.

Some CPAP makers actually include the software with their machines. Others expect the user to buy the software separately. Some have an online system that allows you to punch in a code from your machine to get general statistics. Still others allow a few interested users to download the software directly from their site.

These companies offer software in various forms either to consultants or to patients:

• ResMed offers ResScan.
• Philips Respironics offers EncoreViewer.
• DeVilbiss offers SmartLink.
• Fisher & Paykel offer Performance Maximizer.

Modern machines are generally using either SD cards or USB adapters. Some older machines use smart cards. If you have an older machine, you may need to buy an adapter to read the smart card.