[Product Review] RESMED OXIMETRY KIT FOR AIRSENSE 10 SERIES

[srlevine1]

 
ResMed Oximetry Kit for ResMed AirSense 10 Series (AIR 10 OXIMETRY MODULE 37302)/NONIN 3012 LP XPOD OXIMETER)

What was in my kit ...

(1) ResMed Oximetry Adapter that snaps into the left-side lower port of the AirSense unit.
(1) Nonin XPOD 3012 LP (Low Power) Pulse Oximeter (one side plugs into adapter)
(1) Soft-Tip Finger Probe Unit (one side goes on the finger, the other side plugs into the XPOD)
(1) ResMed clip (Without the clip, I suffered a couple of cable disconnections between the finger probe cable and the XPOD unit. )
(1) Set of instructions. (Note: there are no instructions available for the XPOD unit itself.)

What was wrong with the kit as provisioned ...

• The ResMed clip that was provided did not fit the XPOD unit and needed to be returned for the correct unit. This is probably a random event.
  
• I ordered an optional 1-meter (3 feet) Nonin extension cable to improve my range of motion using a king-size bed with the AirSense unit placed on a side table. 
  

The benefits of the Oximetry Kit ...

• Allows the Oximetry data (O2 Saturation, Heart Rate, Oximetry Desaturation Index) to flow seamlessly from the SD card into the ResScan software and be integrated into the reporting system. 
  
• The data from the SD card also flows rather seamlessly into the SleepyHead software.  
  
• Exceptions: With ResScan, there is no summary data for multiple nights Oximeter usage. With Sleepyhead, Oximeter data does not appear in the "Statistics" Page (as with my CMS 50F), but the readings appear on the "Daily" page.
  
• The data is much more accurate and smoother than my wrist-mounted CMS-50F wrist unit which drops data with excessive hand movement. 
  
• The set-up is easy and can be accomplished in about one minute.
  

The disadvantages ...

• Expensive. (And not covered by most insurance unless you have a life-threatening condition which demands continuous monitoring as a "medical necessity.")
  
• The finger probe LED remains on even if the AirSense device is OFF. You must disconnect the probe from the XPOD to turn the LED off -- which is recommended. 
  
• I had to wait for delivery because the unit was temporarily out of stock. My sense is that very few of these devices are sold to individuals and most are used for sleep studies.
  

Accuracy ...

• The data produced by the XPOD correlated 99% with the data produced by my professional-grade Dynamed Pulse Oximeter and infinitely cheaper CMS-50F.
  
• Caveat: If you have a heart arrhythmia (e.g. PACs, PVCs) the pulse rate is undercounted and appears to be abnormally low. I shared the report readings with my electrophysiologist and he claims it is impossible to reach the rates reported as I have an implanted defibrillator/pacemaker device that would have triggered had I actually reached the rates reported.
  

Would I do it again ...

• Unless there is a specific reason for continual monitoring, the answer is NO. 
  
• In my case, it is a convenience issue as I will be doing some long-term monitoring to watch for oxygen desaturation because of an increased number of red blood cells (polycythemia of unknown origin). The DynaMed unit has limited recording capabilities. The CMS-50F needs to be time-synchronized with Sleepyhead and cannot be used with ResScan which is the approved and preferred system used by the UCLA Sleep Lab and Neurology Group. 
  

Miscellaneous ...

• As with almost everything ResMed, if you do not use the SD card or a continuous data link, detailed data will not be captured.
  
• I am using a re-purposed hose clip to anchor the unit to the sheet to prevent cable disconnection.
  
• I purchased the device (as well as my CMS-50F) from Vendor #19 as Kevin Cooper is extremely knowledgeable about pulse oximetry, has great pricing, and phenomenal personalized customer service. 
  

[PaulaO2]

Interesting. Too bad on the heart count. It would be cool to keep track of my PVCs better.

Great review, by the way! Thank you!

[srlevine1]

Interesting. Too bad on the heart count. It would be cool to keep track of my PVCs better.

Great review, by the way! Thank you!

Thank you for the compliment on the review, it is much appreciated as it is my first review.

As for the PVCs, I have gotten conflicting answers to my question as to whether or not a PVC is counted by my pulse oximeter or why no flag is set if my pulse rate is artificially low because PVCs are not counted.

It appears that oximeters & wrist blood pressure monitors are notorious for NOT detecting that weak premature beat which translates to an artificially low heart rate. Unfortunately, other physicians have said you don't count PVCs because they don't perfuse blood. One electrophysiologist told me to quit being so anal and just rely on my implanted device to trigger if my rate was abnormally low.

I am speaking with an app developer to determine if some form of heart rate variability can be used to detect, measure, and count PVCs and display the count. Doesn't look too promising at this time.

Thanks again for the compliment on the review.

[Spy Car]

Good review. I recently used one of these ResMed Pulse Oximeters for 5 nights (in conjunction with a trial B-level AirCurve) and I loved the way the Oximetry data imported into SleepyHead automatically with the "CPAP" data.

It was comfortable and easy to use. I was thinking that I wanted to get one of these. Super slick.

Then I saw the price.

Ouch!  

$1000. 

Bill

[srlevine1]

Good review. I recently used one of these ResMed Pulse Oximeters for 5 nights (in conjunction with a trial B-level AirCurve) and I loved the way the Oximetry data imported into SleepyHead automatically with the "CPAP" data.

It was comfortable and easy to use. I was thinking that I wanted to get one of these. Super slick.

Then I saw the price.

Ouch!  

$1000. 

Bill

Bill,

Talk to Kevin Cooper -- Vendor #19 -- to be pleasantly surprised.

Steve

[Walla Walla]

I like the review. I myself will stick with the CMS-50F. I just do a spot check one night a month.
Too bad ResMed can't come up with a wireless finger probe.

[PaulaO2]

Some posts have been split from this thread and can be found here:
http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...#pid224184

Other posts have been deleted for clarity.

[Stom]

I used the ResMed oxymetry kit for the AirSense 10 as part of a week of home titration.

I enjoyed the ease of use and convenience of having hospital grade pulse and oxymetry integrated into the machine without the need to strap a bulky device to my wrist. You can view the pulse and oxygen saturation right on the AirSense 10 in real time. And the oxymetry data is imported automatically and in perfect snyc when you upload the AirSense 10 SD card data to Sleepyhead, no separate Oxymetry import step needed.. Since the data is sampled at 1 Hz (once a second), you can be more confident that spikes are meaningful and not a random glitch because you can see the rise and fall to the spike, not just a sudden un-explained spike.

The only downside for me to the ResMed oxymetry kit is the price of around $900. If it was priced for consumers rather than labs I'd consider buying one.

With the attached sleepyhead graphs you can see the cluster of central apneas, and then the time delay until the blood at my finger tip reduces in saturation. The oxymeter was helpful in showing that in spite of my centrals under PAP, I rarely dip below 88% saturation and gave me more confidence that the home titration APAP was at least safe for me to try (even if it may worsen my CSAI) and wasn't just smothering me in my sleep (titration at an attended lab study years ago, my longest apnea was 108 seconds, and I had a miserable time, so I've been wary of PAP machines since them...)

[Tinman53]

It is interesting that it gives you a low pulse count with PVC's.  I use an Apple Watch app that alerts me if my pulse goes above or below established limits.  When I get the low alert I often check it with my AliveCor ECG device on my phone (provides a Lead 1 ECG) which shows I am experiencing a high number of PVC's.  I too have an ICD and have discussed it with my Cardiologist; he calls PVC's "benign," I call them annoying!  

At what point do they consider supplement O2 at night?

[srlevine1]

It is interesting that it gives you a low pulse count with PVC's.  I use an Apple Watch app that alerts me if my pulse goes above or below established limits.  When I get the low alert I often check it with my AliveCor ECG device on my phone (provides a Lead 1 ECG) which shows I am experiencing a high number of PVC's.  I too have an ICD and have discussed it with my Cardiologist; he calls PVC's "benign," I call them annoying!  

At what point do they consider supplement O2 at night?

It is my understanding that supplemental oxygen is considered when you are in the 80-88 range for a significant amount of time or possibly exhibit symptoms of polycythemia (excessive red blood cell production) without a specific cause that may be a reaction to low oxygen levels. Each physician seems to have their own guidelines but considers supplemental oxygen as a last resort because it can result in dependency. Hypoxemia is defined as being below 88 for 5 minutes. 

As for PVCs being benign, a large number of PVCs can devolve into Ventricular Tachycardia -- and possibly sudden death from Ventricular fibrillation (hence the ICD).  Many pulse-ox units calculate the time between QRS complexes using the R-wave peaks as the trigger. When they are close together or one might be missing, the count is off -- and when they are averaged, the count is off.  My pulseox was showing my HR at 30 which my electrophysiologist says is impossible because my ICD would have triggered and recorded the episode. It is one-half my normal resting rate of 60. 

As for your AliveCor ECG device, it was meant primarily for the detection of AFIB and is useful for some PACs rather than doing a great job on PVCs. Sometimes multiple PVCs can look like a PAC.