humidifier dry...keep using?

[lynneat]

This is for a family member.  She forgot to turn the machine off (memory issues) and it ran the reservoir dry.  It ran that way (I'd say since it uses 1/4 inch every 2 hours) that it had been dry for 4 hours (12 hours since water was put in it). 
I called the DME. At first they said it was fine to run dry....then I told them the nurse said it was quite warm.  She said 'hold on' and spoke to her supervisor.  Then she said 'you cannot use it dry since you have the humidifier' (she also has a heated hose).  It could damage the plastic reservoir having the heat with no water for the humidifier. 
I live quite a way from her so it's not like I can drop in daily. 
She has sinus problems and needs the humidification so going without it is not good/won't work for her. 
DME said they have no other CPAP machines that turn off when the water runs out. 
Do ANY Cpap machines do this? (turn the cpap off when the water runs out)?  If so which ones?
I so appreciate any help or advise you can give.
Mom Lynneat

[Crimson Nape]

If she has a Resmed, I suggest turning on the Smart Start option. This will shut the CPAP down if it senses the user has removed their mask. While it won't help your current problem, it may avoid it in the future.

[lynneat]

It's a dreamstation (dreammapper) by Philips Res. 
THANKS I would ADORE that!  She forgets to turn it off....by it turning off when the mask comes off it won't run on dry.  That is exactly what we need! 
Anyone else...so we don't have to change masks/companies, does anyone know if there's a way to do this with a dream station? 
Also I saw a list of recommended cpap  machines and NOT recommended someplace.  I'll try to find that again.
So glad I found you guys!
thanks! lynneat

[lynneat]

p.s.  I know I can call the Philips Res. cpap company....I was asking because I've seen YouTube videos where a man showed how he could change settings on his cpap even though the company told him he couldn't.  I don't recall the type of his machine as it wasn't what I could relate to (another brand) but he pushed 2 buttons and could change settings on his own without getting the script from the doc to the DME etc.  So perhaps someone knows how I can make this work. 
Thanks again.

[Walla Walla]

Here's a link that should help you out. https://www.apneaboard.com/adjust-cpap-p...tup-manual

[Gideon]

Look at the black bar near the top of this page, look for CPAP Setup Manuals.  Click an follow the directions.

We are all about enabling you to control your treatment,

[Crimson Nape]

I don't recall the type of his machine as it wasn't what I could relate to (another brand) but he pushed 2 buttons and could change settings on his own without getting the script from the doc to the DME etc.  So perhaps someone knows how I can make this work. 
Thanks again.

There is no magic to it.  Here is the link to obtaining the manual for using the clinician stings. Scroll down to the section of your CPAP make and model.  Instructions are provided so you may obtain a copy.  Using this manual will allow you to refine your settings for better therapy.

Link (also located at the top of each page):  CPAP Setup Manuals

[MitchS]

To turn on the Automatic Off function, go to Provider’s Menu by pressing and holding both the control dial and ramp button for at least 5 seconds. Once you get into the Clincian’s Menu go to Device Settings>Automatic Off. It would be a good idea to get the Clinician’s Manual. It has instructions on navigating the various menus as well as descriptions of the various features and functions.

[lynneat]

Thank you all!  I've decided to take her to another DME vendor as this one won't allow changes to settings without a script, won't answer questions on the phone, etc.  Hopefully the next vendor will be better.  I don't have a lot of settings on this CPAP machine...not preheat or breath by breath tracking, no flex so her exhale can be controlled (allow for more  exhale), the tube type is said it's set by the provider and should be 22 15 or something...hers is 'one'.  I've gotten a lot more help here than with the DME vendor.  I appreciate it.  Thank you.    

[Fats Drywaller]

That change of DME sounds like a good idea. A suggestion: With the next one, before they issue the machine and before you sign anything, request either a "Dreamstation Auto CPAP" (if the brand dispensed is Philips Respironics) or an "Airsense 10 Autoset" (if the brand is Resmed). Those are the two full-featured machines in the current generation, and each one will give you all the settings you need, along with full data capability in case you want to use the Sleepyhead software. "Auto" or "Autoset" is the essential keyword in the model name. There are also some less-capable machines in each product line, Dreamstation and Airsense, and it sounds like you were given one of those instead.

It's all too common for a DME to object to patients changing settings, but that's ridiculous. In the first place, it's the patient's machine, the patient's health & therapy, and it should be the responsibility of the patient (or, in your daughter's case, the caregiver) to make sure that everything is adjusted properly at home, not just at the DME's office. In the second place, even disregarding the "clinical" or "advanced" settings for the moment, those machines still have a lot of things that are freely available for the patient to adjust, including heater, automatic starting & stopping, type of mask & hose, etc. So even if you leave the pressure settings strictly at what the doctor's prescription says, that still gives you some leeway to change various things for comfort and, in this case, to prevent the humidifier from running dry.

The people at many of the DME companies just tend to be much too possessive about the machines and too stuck up and stubborn, in order to justify their jobs. (If the patient or a caregiver does everything, then where does that leave the RT who is employed by the DME? Watching daytime television?) There seems to be a kind of psychological insecurity there, and a lot of us have had to deal with it, and it's a big pain for the patients, who have enough other things to be concerned with anyway. So I think you're doing the right thing by switching to another company.