[Equipment] New user needs help picking ASV machine with great software. Sleepyhead? Others?

[gtrlum]

I had a sleep study done in April and it quickly switched to a cpap->bipap titration because of high AHI the first 2 hours. They used a Philips Respironics machine but it didn't look like a dreamstation, probably some clinical model? After waiting TWO MONTHS to see my sleep Dr. he wants me to do an ASV titration due to sever complex apnea with a lot of centrals. I'm still waiting for that to be scheduled though he told the nurse to bump who ever they needed to and get me in soon.

I had used sleepyhead along with a logging pulse/ox before the study and found my saturation was dipping into the low 80's alot. Now that I'm going to be getting a machine I was really looking forward to using sleephead. I'm having a hard time finding what machines are actually currently supported. Every list I find is outdated but I'll find random posts saying x works now. I also saw mention that the developer may not be updating it any longer, is this true?

It seems my choices should be between a DreamStation BiPAP AutoSV or a Resmed AirCurve 10 ASV for great machines. From what I can piece together Sleepyhead currently works with the AirCurve 10 ASV but not for the DreamStation. I thought with the sleep study center using a PhillipsRespironics machine my DR might try to send me in that direction with no sleepyhead support.

What about Sleep Master? I thought it was just for remote retrieval of the sdcard's data but now it has a data viewer? Does it log and give statistics for everything like sleepyhead or does it only view the most recent import? Does it support the 2 machines I'm choosing between?

Is there any other software out there I should be looking at?

Is there any reason besides logging software I should chose one machine over the other? I thought i saw one doesn't differentiate between obstructive and centrals in the logging? That seems kind of important seeing as I need the ASV for centrals in the first place.

Thanks for you help as I transition to Darth Vader for sleeping!

[DeepBreathing]

G'day gtrlum. Welcome to Apnea Board.

It's good to see your doctor is not messing about and is getting you on to an ASV ASAP.

As far as I am aware (and I stand to be corrected) #SleepyHead works OK with the Resmed ASV but not with the Dreamstation. In addition to SleepyHead you could also try the manufacturers' software ResScan (for the Resmed) and Encore Pro (for the Philips Dreamstation). These are available in the private area of this site (you must be logged in to access it).

The general consensus (on this forum) is that the Resmed is the more successful machine. The Philips has a lot of manual adjustments to configure, which means you can dial in the settings to suit yourself exactly - it also means there are a lot of things to get wrong. The Resmed takes a different approach and uses an algorithm called PaceWave to adjust the settings on the fly. The Resmed also has an auto EPAP mode which will vary the exhalation pressure as required on a breath-by-breath basis, while the Dreamstation keeps a constant EPAP.

The Philips does differentiate between central and obstructive apneas. The Resmed does not differentiate - it just gets on and treats them instantly. Resmed claim that all central apneas are totally suppressed so any that do occur will be obstructive. I have some doubt about that, but I do know from personal experience on my older Resmed S9 with Pacewave that it's extremely effective and my untreated AHI of 62 is down to less than 2.0, and often below 1.0.

My personal advice is to go with the Resmed.

[trish6hundred]

Hi gtrlum,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
Good luck to you with CPAP therapy and also with your machine decision.

[Sleeprider]

What Deepbreathing said is exactly in agreement with my opinions on the matter. Observing members of this forum on ASV, it is clear that they adapt faster, with fewer residual events using the Resmed. Philips has a great marketing machine, and many U.S. doctors seem reluctant to recalcitrant to prescribe the Resmed, even though Resmed invented ASV.

[gtrlum]

What Deepbreathing said is exactly in agreement with my opinions on the matter. Observing members of this forum on ASV, it is clear that they adapt faster, with fewer residual events using the Resmed. Philips has a great marketing machine, and many U.S. doctors seem reluctant to recalcitrant to prescribe the Resmed, even though Resmed invented ASV.

Recalcitrant! I had to look that one up heh