CPAP/BIPAP machines

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Tom

Tom

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I've been wanting to replace my very noisy BIPAP machine with something that doesn't keep my wife and I awake. Was wondering which machines folks use.

Looking around, I see that Resmed has the S8 that they claim is super quiet. Anyone use this machine?

Anyone use a humidifier attachment/option?
 
Hi Tom,

I have a Respironics Inc. Aria model with a Fischer-Paykel humidifier/heater. Mine is about 8 years old but is still quiet as can be. I've had it repaired one time.

Woody
 
Thanks Woody. Is the humidifier attached to the Aria, or a separate unit?
 
Thanks Barb. That looks like the one that someone was trying to explain to me yesterday. He didn't know which model he had, but that spec sheet fits what he described.
 
Tom:

I use a Respironics Model #1013518 unit. Made in Germany, with offices in Pennsylvania. It sits on a base that is a Heated humidifier (Model#1005792) and units are very quiet in my opinion. Power requirements are such that it works in my small trailer on batterys overnight.
Also, I use a mask made by COMFORTGEL but it has lots of straps and support which I can tolerate. I do not know the cost of these items.

Hope it helps.
 
Thanks Jim. I'm having a tough time finding that one, and I'm wondering if Philips changed models &/or model numbers after they acquired Respironics.

There's sure a lot of choices out there, which makes it confusing for the buyer/patient. That's why I appreciate the first hand reports of folks here.
 
I have the  Respironics RemStar Pro CPAP with CFlex.  CFex is their name for a reduced exhalation effort function.
It's the only one I have had so I don't have anything to compare it with as far as noise goes but it doesn't bother me or DW.

It's pretty small and has a humidifier that appears to built in when it's installed. That is, it becomes one unit. There is a card reader and software available for it so you can see charts of your AHI,OI,AI, leak rate and quite a lot of other information.

You can see it HERE
The humidifier adds  maybe three inches to the left side of the unit. You can see the humidifier on page 6.1 of the Users Guide which can be downloaded.
 
Thanks Clay. The small size and light weight of these machines sure makes mine look like a relic.
 
I can't give any particular product recommendations and while I've been using CPAPs for a good ten years or more I don't consider myself an expert. But I have a question...

Has anybody ever heard a good explanation as to why all these little machines, which do nothing more than blow air into a tube, and all their assorted accessories require a sleep lab prescription? I think it's outrageous. I can't even buy a new rubber hose without a prescription and reference to my sleep lab paperwork, which I lost many years ago and the lab has since gone out of business. As a result, my insurance company won't even consider paying for this stuff.

Is this a political payoff for successful lobbying or is there a good medical reason to require a prescription for a device that blows air into my nose?
 
Tom said:
Thanks Woody. Is the humidifier attached to the Aria, or a separate unit?
Click to expand...


Its separate Tom, but the CPAP sits on the base of the humidifier. A short hose (5") runs from the C-PAP to the small bottle of the humidifier and then the hose for my mask runs from the humidifier. It sounds like exactly what Bojangles has. If I have to run it on batt overnite I just plug a small converter with an extension into the DC outlet for my TV in the bedroom.

Woody
 
Nope, no medical reason as far as I'm concerned Cricketdaddy. Just our arcane insurance-run medical system. The insurance companies want to know its medically necessary and they support the doctors who earn a fee by supplying the script. FWIW my wife just had to go back to her doctor to get a script to order a new nylon strap headpiece.
BTW, I go through a lot of the little back-to-back velcro pieces that hold my head piece together and they are expensive if ordered from my respiratory supplier so I just buy a roll of adhesive backed velcro, cut off the required lengths, and make my own. Much cheaper. Same thing with the filters, a piece of paper paint filter from hardware or homecenter does just as good of a job as the filter you get from resp. supplier.

Woody
 
I've had no problems buying hoses, masks, and filters online.  However, I suspect that if you're buying a new CPAP machine itself one would probably need proof of a prescription. 

If you have ever had an inflatable boat (like an Avon or Zodiac), you might conclude that CPAP machines are nothing more than glorified electric dinghy air pumps (as my sleep doctor once said), but at $1200-$1500 apiece instead of 1/10 that price in a marine store (granted, the dinghy pumps are MUCH louder and not adjustable). 

Steve
 
I don't understand this prescription thing either. My sleep study and doctor were in a different town, although the equipment provider was a national company. I don't have the prescription but, when I called the company, they told me the prescription was only good for my last machine and a direct replacement, If, for example, I want a machine with a humidifier, I'd need a separate prescription.
 
Steve,

My CPAP machine is almost as noisy as my 110V dinghy pump  :(
 
Tom,

    I use a Sullivan Mark V, about 9 years old, and it's very quiet, at least the machine part is, but you if you lay the hose near your ear you can hear the wind rushing past.

Steve
 
I have use a ResMed Escape, S8 machine with attached heater/humidifier for the last two years, and find it very quiet. I use the nasal pillows instead of the mask, and when I take the harness off, the hissing of the air is louder than the machine. It is quite compact and I made a plywood stand for it to sit on as it isn't supposed to sit on carpet. I too find it amazing that, even with Tricare, how much I'm charged for a co-pay for the equipment. DW worked for the insurance industry before we retired, and I've been made aware of what a racket the insurance industry is. :mad:
 
Do some of these machines have an audible warning that goes off under some conditions?  One of my neighbors has something that has a pulsating alrm that goes off during the night, and I wondered if it might be such a device?
 
Steve,
My machine will increase pressure if I hold my breath for more than just a couple of seconds (increasing back pressure) and then sound an alarm after about 1 minute. It also sounds an alarm and shuts down if there is no back pressure, such as would happen when I forget to hook up the hose from the C-PAP to the humidifier/heater bottle. I too have the nasal pillows instead of the nose cone.

Woody
 
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