airsense 10 autoset malfunction?

[PaytonA]

Welcome aboard Coola. Its nice to know Im not alone. Since my last post I can give you some more info and some ways to deal with the issue. I have spoken with Resmed clinical support. They are asking for me to send in my data card. They want to see why this is happening. They believe it is rainout based and when the tubing is rained out it will exceed the max pressure sensing there is breathing trouble.

The following are the remedies from my experience and in talking with clinical support:

1) if you are in a humid area turn up the tube temp to 85. if you are in a dry area and using A\C the remedy is the same
2) use a tube sock like a snugglehose (available on-line) to wrap the line
3) make sure the tube has a "U" shape to it after it exists the machine so water doesn't reverse back into the machine
4) when you sense the machine is about to malfunction unplug it for about 5 seconds then plug it back in. This will cause a hard re-set and you should then be fine for the rest of the night.
5) i'm also getting a new tube in case the one I have is faulty as it is the only thing in common between the four machines I've had so far.

Keep us posted on anything you learn or figure out on your end. If you can, also call clinical support and see what info you get.

Normally you want to bring the hose on a continuously ascending path for several feet after the machine connection. This is to route any potential condensation back into the humidifier. With a U shape, any condensation will collect in the bottom of the U and after a while you will hear gurgling noises as the air passes through the collected water. There is no problem with condensation running back into the machine. It will just go back into the humidifier water tank unless one is not using a heated humidifier in which case one would probably never get condensation in the hose but water running back into the machine without a humidifier would not be good.

Best Regards,

PaytonA

[sonicboom]

With a U shape, any condensation will collect in the bottom of the U and after a while you will hear gurgling noises as the air passes through the collected water.

I agree (although this came from ResMed). However, one needs to be cautious in case there is a build up of water in the "U" bend of the CPAP hose as it can effect the airflow and may block it. I have not experienced this problem since making the other changes I previously mentioned.

Coola - Here are some links that might help you further address your issues:

Resmed suggestions - http://www.resmed.com/us/en/consumer/sup...ation.html
Easy Breath -
[Commercial DME link removed per Apnea Board Rules]

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[trevvahhh]

Wow, I am having the EXACT same issue as you sonicboom, machine has mostly been working great for past month since I got it. Fixed pressure of 6.2.. got a "Tubing blocked, check your tubing error" two nights ago and thought the sleep time looked odd.. happened again last night and when I checked the pressure upon waking it was blasting me with 10cm of pressure and odd sleep time. Looking at the data in sleepyhead it has the same exact issue occurring both nights.. press start on machine, all graphs except pressure start to log, followed by pressure after 40 sec, 5 minutes later pressure jumps up to 10cm (tidal vol and minute vent graphs disappear a few seconds before the pressure spike) and then the machine doesn't log the rest of the sleep (a couple hours)

I'm using standard slimline tubing, have you had success with the tube sock and repositioning the hose? my machine is on a bedside table and hose is routed around the table, droops down and then up to my bed. humidity set to 4, AC has been pretty chilly at night

reading through the rainout resmed link you posted and going to try suggestions from the rest of the thread, hoping this isn't a hardware issue

[sonicboom]

Hi trevvahhh- welcome to the forum. I am sorry to hear that you are having this problem but it is solvable. I am on my fourth machine and I have had this issue with all four so I doubt it is a hardware issue. It is more likely a rainout issue and can be solved with trial and error based upon your room temperature and humidity conditions as well as tube insualtion and tube layout. I have had success as follows:

1. tube sock
2. eliminated the droop in the hose where water can collect. Mine runs slightly up from the nightstand to the bed then....
3. the tube is under my blankets
4. i changed the climate setting to AUTO with a temp of 84.

I'm glad you are checking out the Remed link. The other link was disabled but provides the following general info which I have edited for ease of reading with attribution to [commercial web address removed per Apnea Board rules]:

Rainout happens when the ambient temperature of the room is colder than the humidified air traveling through the CPAP hose, which can cause condensation to build up on the inside of the hose. This doesn’t happen to everyone, but it can happen. And as the wintertime gets closer and closer, many of us who use a heated humidifier may experience rainout. The good news is that there are a few extremely effective ways to prevent rainout from happening in the first place.

1. Adjust the temperature of your bedroom. Your first step to prevent rainout is adjusting the temperature of the room you sleep in. If you live in a region that gets particularly cold in the autumn and winter months, you might want to turn the thermostat up a few notches so that the room temperature isn’t refrigerator cold. If you don’t have central heating, you may benefit from getting a floor heater. Another option is to turn the temperature down on your humidifier if your unit has the capability for climate control. Sometimes the temperature on the humidifier can be too high and can cause excess condensation to build up inside the hose.

2. Insulate the CPAP hose. By insulating the hose you can effectively make it impervious to ambient temperatures. A few DIY methods of insulation include wrapping a towel around the CPAP hose or finding a way to hide the hose under your covers while you sleep. However, there is a much more effective and affordable way to insulate the CPAP hose and that is with a hose cover. In fact, using a tube cover can make your CPAP hose look more fashionable and less clinical. If you like sleeping in a colder room – some doctors recommend sleeping in a cooler room – getting a CPAP hose cover could be perfect for you.

3. Use a heated hose. There is also a good chance that you could benefit from a heated hose. If your physician requires you to have a higher temperature setting on your heated humidifier, purchasing a heated hose may be an excellent way to prevent rainout.

Your machine can come with climate control tubing - I suggest you get one and set it to Auto. This setting is designed to prevent rainout.

I hope this helps. Keep us posted on your results and methods you have found to work.

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[trevvahhh]

thanks so much for the info and quick reply! ordering the tube wrap now, very happy to hear it happened across so many machines for you and that you've gotten it under control. will report back.

[PaytonA]

Insulating the hose *does not guarantee* no rainout. Before I got my climateline tubing, I had to run my Insulated hose uphill to avoid condensation pooling in the hose and coil the excess tubing up under the covers with me to avoid rainout.

Best regards,

PaytonA

[Coola32]

Hi Sonicboom, hope all is going well. I must say, things are going pretty well for me presently. I'm still not using the humidifier and have had no issue with the machine since. My mother in law made me a snuggle hose with a zip, easy to fit and remove for cleaning etc.

I saw my sleep physician last month, he was happy with how things were progressing. I was a bit disappointed that he was not interested in any data on the machine or on my SD card. Also informed me he was retiring at the end of the year, wants my pressure fixed at 6cm. I like it starting at 4.4 and maxed at 6cm so that's how it will stay.

It was frustrating initially, sore nose, sores up the nose, congested, dry mouth, rain out, machine malfunctioning but definitely worth it now. I feel more motivated to do things, don't feel anywhere as tired as I did. Although a specialist believed I had sleep apnoea and was right he was still a bit surprised when it was diagnosed. His words were " Gee your young and it proves not only fat people have it" He has no filter, but obviously very good at what he does. I have been complaining for at least a decade, probably longer that something was wrong.

Oh and my reflux appears to have gone, I was taking nexium daily for approx 8 years and at times in considerable pain. I know you shouldn't look back but wish one of the GP's could have seen the apnoea symptoms rather than taking a blood test or saying it's in your head.

Sorry nothing in my post has anything really to do with the thread, it's just good that I can see the positives to CPAP and initially I hated it. Now I don't really notice until I want to turn over and at times get caught up in the hose.

Cheers.

[sonicboom]

Hi Coola:

Thanks for the update. That is truly fantastic that you have hit the sweet spot in your therapy. I'm happy that you are doing so well. It is always great to hear success stories. Keep up the good work. I'm doing well here too, for now. I'm still collecting data to send to ResMed as I think there are more issues with the machine besides rainout induced climate line fault.

[Mosquitobait]

I have had 2 incidents where the machine didn't record. I can't be certain of the 2nd one, but if it happens again, I will return the machine to the DME for replacement. Thanks for bringing it up!

[sonicboom]

I have had 2 incidents where the machine didn't record. I can't be certain of the 2nd one, but if it happens again, I will return the machine to the DME for replacement. Thanks for bringing it up!

I am sorry to hear of your issue but it is all too familiar. As you might have read in this thread I am on my fourth machine and they have all done this so it is either a software\hardware glitch with the machine or something on the user end. Toward that end I am curious about the circumstances giving rise to the lack of recording instance(s) you refer to. Can you provide more background info or post some data showing the gap in recording? Was it all night? What were the tube and bedroom temps? Is your tube insulated? Did the pressure shoot up and then the recording stopped? TIA and hopefully you and we get this resolved.