Buying a machine?

[Sleeeppp]

I may have to buy a ASV machine - any recommendations (Resmed vs PR)? Also, will USA suppliers ship to Aust? - The prices quoted here are astronomical!! ($6000 aust)

[DeepBreathing]

That price seems over the top, even by Australian ripoff standards. Google "Perth CPAP" for a much more realistic price on an S9 VPAP Adapt, actually lower than the same machine from one of the big American online dealers (I haven't ever dealt with them, so I can't vouch for them). When I got my machine a couple of years ago the prices for ASV machines were very similar between here and the States, and I think that it still the case. It's not the case for the simpler CPAP and bilevel non-ASV machines, where they are definitely cheaper in America. Quite a few of the American suppliers will ship to Australia including numbers 1, 2 (I think), 10 and probably others.

The Respironics has a lot of adjustability, which should in theory make it possible to dial in a highly optimised treatment. The Resmed is basically limited to pressure adjustments and does the rest by software. Some refer to the Resmed approach as "one size fits all" but I don't really agree with that. Rather, I think it's a case of a very clever machine adjusting to suit the patient. My own experience is that I couldn't sleep with the Respironics and it never got my AHI below about 20. With the Resmed I was immediately down to around 5, and these days usually between 0.0 and 2.0.

[Sleeprider]

Sleeep, Supplier 2 in our supplier list often has ASV machines for low prices. They specialize in open box and lightly used units, and ship internationally for additional cost. The supply of ASV is quite limited, so you would need to communicate with them on the availability. I am pretty sure you could buy from a member of the other well-known forum. That would be completely a private transaction without warranty or other assurances.

Good luck!

[Sleeeppp]

Thanks for all the information - much appreciated.