Fisher & Paykel Icon Infosmart Software

[soferet]

Just how does the SensAwake feature know when I am going to sleep and when I am aroused?

It detects irregularities in breathing. However, it's based on an algorithm and not your individual data, so it sometimes has both false positives and false negatives. At lower pressures, it's unnecessary. It's meant more for higher pressures (e.g.: 15-20cm) so if you *are* actually waking up, you won't feel like you're hooked up to a tire inflator.

Personally, I dislike it. The drop in pressure actually wakes me up more. :-(

[soferet]

Umm.... for those looking for Infosmart software, just google it and you can find where to download it. I'm a bit concerened that it took some one 2 hours with a direct link to your PC to set it up where they could've taken anything from it.

It's easy to setup just select default settings for everything. Once you've installed it you'll have 30 days to register it.
This can be done for free at the F&P website.

They then send you an email with the registration code and it's all yours.

I agree that having the information makes it eaiser to converse with your doctor and shows them that your taking your situation seriously.

Oh, and if you ever try to do a download and it hasn't got any new updated information. Format the Smartstick and then stick it back in the ICON. The USB symbol on the LED will flash up. Once that's done put the stick back in your pc and it should have recent information.

Silly question: does the Smart Stick plug into a standard USB port? Or does it require any sort of adapter?

I'm afraid to damage it. :-(

Also, the software still needs to be purchased, yes?

Thanks!

[Suzanne]

Hello Soferet,
Yes, the Smart Stick does plug into any USB port. That's how I was able to email the data files to the manufacturer's representative in New Zealand.
The files require special software to open them. The representative from Fisher and Paykel claims they are working on software for patients.
I am not sure if I am getting the correct pressure at all, since I am still not feeling well at all.
I am going to see the CPAP nurse at my supplier on Monday. I hope she has some ideas.

[soferet]

Hello Soferet,
Yes, the Smart Stick does plug into any USB port. That's how I was able to email the data files to the manufacturer's representative in New Zealand.
The files require special software to open them. The representative from Fisher and Paykel claims they are working on software for patients.
I am not sure if I am getting the correct pressure at all, since I am still not feeling well at all.
I am going to see the CPAP nurse at my supplier on Monday. I hope she has some ideas.

I hope you get some answers! I just received my InfoSmart software today (Supplier #26), and yes, it did cost something like $89 USD. I also had a problem when I first installed it. I uninstalled all of it, restarted my computer, then reinstalled, following the instructions in the user manual on the software CD (when in doubt, read the instructions). It worked fine the second time, and I was able to add myself as a patient and my machine as a device. Then I plugged in the SmartStick and had reports within maybe a minute (saved as PDF).

[Suzanne]

Hello Soferet,
I'm glad you were able to get the software to work. I am going to order it. I was a bit reluctant when I read how difficult it was for some of the other people on this website.
I saw the nurse on Monday and was able to get her to adjust the pressure when the machine was in the SensAwake mode to 5. My titration study indicated that I needed the pressure set between 5 and 6, but the SensAwake was set at 4.
I saw on the graphs that I often have apnea at the point when the graph was indicating that I was falling asleep. Looking at 7 nights worth of graphs, it is difficult to find a place where I was asleep and not having flow limitations, apneas or hypopneas. The AHI was 2.9, but looking at the graphs, I honestly can't see where I had time to get any rest!

[soferet]

Hello Soferet,
I'm glad you were able to get the software to work. I am going to order it. I was a bit reluctant when I read how difficult it was for some of the other people on this website.
I saw the nurse on Monday and was able to get her to adjust the pressure when the machine was in the SensAwake mode to 5. My titration study indicated that I needed the pressure set between 5 and 6, but the SensAwake was set at 4.
I saw on the graphs that I often have apnea at the point when the graph was indicating that I was falling asleep. Looking at 7 nights worth of graphs, it is difficult to find a place where I was asleep and not having flow limitations, apneas or hypopneas. The AHI was 2.9, but looking at the graphs, I honestly can't see where I had time to get any rest!

I grok. Feel free to email or PM me about installing the software. The only instructions that come with the CD are limited and on the disk label, but there is a user manual on the CD that is much more helpful. You are using a Windows machine, yes? They don't have Mac compatible software at this time.

One thing I'm a little confused about in your comment: you said that the SensAwake was set at 4. Maybe you're using a different model of Icon (I have the Auto) it has a pressure setting for the SensAwake. On everything I've read so far, the SensAwake is either enabled (checkmark) or disabled (x). If it's enabled, then when it senses breathing that matches its algorithm of "waking up," then it lowers the pressure to your lower of your pressure range. But . . . now that I think about it, that might be applicable only to the Auto-PAP and not the Constant-PAP.

I personally dislike SensAwake. The lowering of the pressure wakes me up a whole lot more than I might have been otherwise, largely because I feel like I'm suffocating with not enough air coming into my lungs (due to lower pressure)!

Here's hoping the changes help you feel better!

[zonk]

see post #6 for InfoSmart report and post #7 for the InfoSmart glossary
http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...-Questions

[Suzanne]

Thanks Soferet and Zonk,
My CPAP NURSE was not able to define the term flow limitations for me. I am learning more on this forum than I ever do when I go to any of the professionals.
I have the Premo model,which is a more basic model of the ICON series. It has the SensAwake, but other than that, it runs at a single pressure setting. I did not know that it could be adjusted,either, but the nurse offered to adjust it when I was there on Monday and it seemed like a good idea to at least get it to the lower end of the pressures indicated in my titration study. I feel like this may have helped a bit.
I'll let you know if I need any help with the software when it arrives. Thanks, Soferet!

[soferet]

I went looking for the definition of "flow limitations" too. There are other discussions on this board, some very scholarly. In a nutshell, a flow limitation is the mildest form of sleep disordered breathing, with apnea at the other end of the spectrum and a hypopnea (very shallow breathing) is in the middle. Both apneas and hypopneas figure into the AHI (apnea-hypopnea index), and while flow limitations (also sometimes called Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome or UARS) are not included in the AHI, sleep doctors are increasingly considering them to be part of the overall sleep apnea umbrella and may require treatment if they disrupt sleep.

[Suzanne]

Thanks so much for the definitions. Again, I am amazed at how much more information I am gathering here, compared to what I get from the "professionals" that I am dealing with!
The pattern I am seeing on the graphs is often one of flow limitation, leading to hypopnea then apnea then I wake up, so next I am going to ask my family doctor for a copies of my sleep study reports.
I was told that I had obstructive sleep apnea, but now I wonder if I have more of a mixed type of apnea. From the reading I have been doing, it seems that the flow limitations and hypopneas are indications of other types of apnea, rather than the obstructive apnea alone.
I have also been questioning one comment that was made on my prescription. It indicated that there was no apnea when I was supine (on my back) during the study. When I initially saw that, my first thought was that the only time I was on my back was when I was turning over - since I don't usually sleep on my back - but most people have obstructions when they are on their back. Maybe I wasn't in a deep sleep then, as the apnea occurs when I am in REM.
I still have so many things I am wondering about!
Thanks again for the definitions!