[News] RECALL THREAD-- IMPORTANT PHILIPS DREAMSTATION & SYSTEM ONE USERS

[HenryBowman]

Once shut of this particular recall, I have resolved to avoid this company like the plague from now on. I recently dealt with them on a lighting issue as well, and it was like kicking the Tar Baby.

How Europe’s Last Electronics Giant Collapsed: The Death of Philips & The Incredible Legacy of the Company

(Can't post it as a link, so it's at techthelead.com slash how-europes-last-electronics-giant-collapsed-the-death-of-philips-the-incredible-legacy-of-the-company)

[WakeUpTime]

Then again, just select the auto option and set it up yourself. Even if you get the Rx, they (or whoever they hired) seem to have difficulty tracking it.

My original prescription is from 10 years back.  I had another sleep study about 5 years ago, which the sleep doc said was badly performed, and produced poor results.  They said they’d look at another sleep center for future studies. The doc then said to just stick with my original settings which produced superior results, hence no newly updated CPAP prescription.  These days, I don’t have any premium health insurance so everything is out-of-pocket.
 
I requested the auto option with Philips' contractor, however Philips' contractor said that option wasn't available to BiPAP owners.  I then asked Philips' contractor to just pull my settings from DreamMapper, which was also denied.  
 
Ironically, I seem to be able to purchase new systems and supplies with my 10-year-old prescription without issue, but that doesn't seem good enough for Philips' contractor for a used faulty device replacement.
 
So, I’m happy for those who got replacements, and hopeful for those involved in any legal actions against Philips.  But for me, after 2 years of waiting, I’ve resolved to just permanently stay clear of anything with the Philips brand name.  There wasn’t just one misdeed; there was a multitude of failures, delays, deceit, mistruths, etc.  There’s some peace in knowing that I can forever be done with the Philips name.  
 
For Philips, I'm two less replacements for them.  They wronged, and found a loophole, using the FDA's own rules, to avoid making it right.  The huge international corporation with the full support of an overfunded incompetent government agency secured my loss.  I wish I had understood that two years ago and avoided two years of pursuing reconciliation, and everything that went along with that.

[ST Dog]

Ironically, I seem to be able to purchase new systems and supplies with my 10-year-old prescription without issue, but that doesn't seem good enough for Philips' contractor for a used faulty device replacement.

I don't see why it's not good enough.

But then the doctor could just write the same Rx with current date, which is what mine did. Only 7 years old, but not exactly recent.

Like I said though, once sent to Philips' contractor it seemed to get lost. Months later I got a call saying they had it (and DreamMapper data) and verified shipping info. A week or 2 later, another call and now they didn't have it. After arguing for 30 minutes they seemed to find it.
Then 2 weeks later, same thing. Then I selected Auto machine and it shipped within a week.


Maybe call Philips instead of the contractor?
I was missing heated tube and carry bag. Had a good conversation with a lady at 833-262-1871. Maybe you will too?

[btreger]

REUTERS


Philips shares jump on recall provision and profit improvement

AMSTERDAM, April 24 (Reuters) - Philips (PHG.AS) shares jumped 13% on Monday as the Dutch health technology company reported much better than expected first-quarter results and said it had set aside 575 million euros ($631 million) related to lawsuits over its recall of respiratory devices.

Analysts, however, warned that much remained unclear regarding the total costs of the recall.

Philips still has to reach a settlement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is also facing lawsuits from individual patients over health problems they claim were caused by the devices.

"The more significant medical litigation risk and the consent decree impact remain," ING analysts said in a note.

"Overall we believe this is a positive update but it also underlines that litigation impact and market uncertainty are not out of the way."

Philips said the outcomes of negotiations with the FDA and the other lawsuits were still too uncertain to make a provision.

The company reported an almost 50% jump in first-quarter core profit to 359 million euros, with comparable sales up 6% from a year earlier.

Philips shares jump on recall provision and profit improvement | Reuters

[Guilhermedico]

I did a search on this recall thread, but I was unable to find anyone who had reported a similar issue to what I will describe below.

I received the refurbished Philips Respironics Auto BiPAP unit on 4/16/2023 and started using it on the night of 4/27/2023 with my original humidifier and heated tubing, but without installing the cellular modem that came with the refurbished unit. My original device did not have a cellular modem, because my pulmonologist just used the SD card to download my data. 

I did not install the modem initially because 

1. I did not have a modem in my original machine, so I didn't see a need for installing one in the refurbished unit; 
   
2. Via the provider submenus, I knew how to set the device to the same settings as on my original machine, including the humidifier and heated tubing settings, which I did; and 
   
3. I had no idea to whom my data was being sent by this cellular modem. The paperwork accompanying the cellular modem did not give a clue either.
   

For the first 6 nights using the refurbished unit, I noticed that the distilled water level in the dehumidifier chamber had not diminished and the heated tubing remained cool. With lack of humidification, my throat was dry and voice was hoarse every morning after each of those 6 nights of use. So, I thought that perhaps Philips Respironics had sent me a refurbished device that had a defective electrical circuit, resulting in it not connecting to the humidifer and heated tubing.

I was planning to call Philips Respironics about this today, thinking I might need to request a replacement of the refurbished Auto BiPAP machine. But last evening, on a hunch, I decided to install the cellular modem and hit the upload button. Lo and behold, both the humidifier and the heated tubing worked all night, with the tubing feeling warm to touch and the level of distilled water in the humidifier diminished to nearly empty.

So here are my three questions:

• Can anyone explain why attaching the modem would be required in order to get the humidifer and heated tubing to work properly?
  
• Now that the humidifier and heated tubing are functioning properly, can I either turn off or remove the cellular modem without causing the humidifier and heated tubing to stop working?
  
• Where is my data being sent via the cellular modem? 
  

Note: When I registered my original machine for a replacement, now nearly two years ago, I don't recall having given Philips Respironics the names and contact information of

• the sleep specialist who authorized a repeat of my overnight polysomnography two years ago; or 
  
• my pulmonologist, who now orders disposible supplies; or 
  
• my primary care physician, who connected me with a DME company I have never used. 
  
• but I did give Philips Respironics the name of the online CPAP company where I had purchased the machine with cash and I may have given that online company my BiPAP machine settings that were prescribed by my sleep doctor. 
  

[BTW, the online CPAP company did not require a doctor's prescription in my case to purchase the original PR Auto BiPAP machine back in March 2021, as I am a licensed M.D.]

Thanks in advance to anyone who can clear up these mysteries for me. 

[btreger]

1. Via the provider submenus, I knew how to set the device to the same settings as on my original machine, including the humidifier and heated tubing settings, which I did; and 
   
   

 But last evening, on a hunch, I decided to install the cellular modem and hit the upload button. Lo and behold, both the humidifier and the heated tubing worked all night, with the tubing feeling warm to touch and the level of distilled water in the humidifier diminished to nearly empty.

Sorry, but I do not have an answer. But I do have a question.

You said you had set the device to the same settings as your original machine.

After you installed the modem and everything that was not working started to work, did you go and re-check your settings to see if anything had changed??

[goalcam]

I'm just learning now that in Canada, Philips is working through DMEs in order to provide replacement machines. I contacted the DME that I purchased my current DreamStation 1 from and they just now put me on their list (I signed up with Philips when the recall was first announced!) but my backup machine that I still use is a System One - and the DME that I purchased that machine from is no longer in business. Do I contact Philips for help getting this machine replaced, or am I just SOL?

[Guilhermedico]

You said you had set the device to the same settings as your original machine.

After you installed the modem and everything that was not working started to work, did you go and re-check your settings to see if anything had changed??

I did re-check my settings in the professional submenus. Nothing had changed in any of the settings. The heated tube diameter 15 and the humidifier were still set to "on", as they had been when I set up the refurbished PR Auto BiPAP unit last week. The only new screen, available in the patient settings, was that of the modem.

I find it a bit strange -- and maybe a tad creepy as well -- that some entity, be it Philips Respironics or someone else, would have the power to control whether my humidifier and heated tubing are able to operate properly or not.

[btreger]

I find it a bit strange -- and maybe a tad creepy as well -- that some entity, be it Philips Respironics or someone else, would have the power to control whether my humidifier and heated tubing are able to operate properly or not.

I do too, but interesting. One thought is that by having the modem installed it is completing a circuit that the humidifier and tubing require to operate.

You can test that out by removing the modem and see if they stop running or continue to operate normally.

[StratCat48]

Guilhermedico...

When I received my DS2 and powered it up, it called 'home' and connected through the modem to the Philips server/database and downloaded to the new DS2 the previous settings I had on file for my recalled DS1. The LCD screen said something like 'updating' when it did this. Activation of the DS2 also replaced the DS1 in DreamMapper as the primary device. Both Philips and my DME can access my machine through the Orchestrator software which doesn't bother me. While maybe a bit odd that the humidifier didn't work without the modem, perhaps by connecting to Philips it confirmed activation of your machine to Philips, pulled your settings into their database for the machine serial number registered to you, and maybe did something that allowed humidifier to function (maybe a reboot of the firmware when the modem was powered up?).

Have you looked at OSCAR to see if for the nights the humidifier wasn't functioning to confirm the settings you initially did are there and not some defaults?