[Equipment] DreamStation vs AirSense

[PaulaBunyan]

I bought a PR DreamStation after an online chat with a rep at Supplier #26. I asked her to compare the DreamStation with the ResMed AirSense. She said both were good machines, that the ResMed was smaller and lighter, while the DreamStation had a slight edge with comfort features. On the basis of that info, I went with the DreamStation. But so far I am not getting good control of AHI events. Much of the problem is mask leaks. I have "slippery hair." I am trying different headstraps to try to control the slippage. But even when the leak figures are OK (which is mostly when I am napping in a recliner and not moving my head), I get an AHI figure of up to 20. I did not have a recent sleep study, so do not have a baseline figure for comparison. But after reading posts on his board, I am wondering if I need a different machine altogether (that is, a ResMed).

[DeepBreathing]

Hi PaulaBunyan. The issue of mask comfort and leaks is quite different from the question of which is the "best" machine. So whatever machine you have, it's necessary to get the mask under control before you can really distinguish between the machines.

Having said that, there have been various studies - some better controlled than others - which generally score the Resmed higher than the Philips in terms of avoiding and controlling apneas. The Resmed is generally more aggressive and faster to react to precursor events like snoring, flow limitations etc. Consequently it prevents many apneas before they occur.

[sleepyp]

If your OSA is mainly flow limits, RERA and hypopneas then the Resmed machine is literally night and day better than the Dreamstation, from an owner of both machines. Can’t comment on more apnea based OSA as that’s not me.