There
is a lot of talk about how it's "illegal" for Sleep Apnea patients to adjust or change their own CPAP
machine pressure settings; that only a licensed, certified or qualified
technician, physician or clinician can do it.
First of all, I
challenge anyone to show me any local, state or federal law that makes
adjusting your own legally-obtained CPAP machine a crime, or even
threatens punitive action for doing so. Go ahead - I double-dog dare
'ya.
If you can show me such a law, I'll give you a one-year free membership
on Apnea Board.
Oh, wait... that's already free. Moving right along...
Yes,
you must first have a prescription to obtain a CPAP machine - but after
you OWN one, you are within your rights to do whatever you darn well
please with it, including using it as a leaf blower, running it over
with the family car, or... (oh no!) - changing your own pressure
settings.
Below is some excellent info someone emailed to me regarding setting
pressures on common CPAP machines.
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Remember
the last time you went to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription? You
walked up to the counter, handed over the script, waited a few minutes
and received a full bottle or package of something - pills, liquids,
whatever. "Take the prescribed dose once per day for ten days, with
food", the pharmacist said.
Fast forward to right now. You've
just bought a CPAP machine - or maybe you've been using a CPAP machine
for years - and you've discovered that you don't know how to adjust the
pressure setting. The primary function of the CPAP machine is to blow
air at a certain pressure, and you don't even know how to change the
pressure? That's like not knowing how to change the ringer volume on
your cell phone, isn't it? Isn't that a vital function that all CPAP
users should be familiar with? To you - and to most other CPAP users -
the CPAP machine is a mysterious "black box". Something only someone
else knows how to program. You just turn the thing on, put on your CPAP
mask and hope your CPAP therapy works as advertised.
So why is it
that you don't know how to adjust the pressure setting on your CPAP
machine? It's a 30-second procedure that takes only a few pushes of a
couple of buttons. The problem is that the manufacturer of your CPAP
machine has hidden some controls from you. In fact they've hidden an
entire menu of controls found in what is commonly referred to as the
"clinician's setup" or "provider setup" mode.
Before I begin
spilling the beans about the clinician's setup, consider that trip to
the pharmacy one more time. When you think about it, there's an awful
lot of trust between you and your doctor, the doctor and the
pharmacist, and the pharmacist and you. You've been told what to do,
and they're assuming you're going to do it - correctly. You're also
assuming your doctor wrote the right prescription and the pharmacist
filled it as written.
Taking this trust issue a step further,
consider the fact that when you get a prescription filled at the
pharmacy, you don't have to go get one pill at a time. You're trusted
with the whole bottle of pills and everyone involved is assuming that
you're responsible enough not to do anything stupid with those pills.
So
given the secret of the clinician's setup mode would you suddenly
become irresponsible? Untrustworthy and reckless? Bent on self
destruction by way of CPAP machine? It could happen. But I don't think
it will.
I firmly believe you are your own best primary care
provider - that nobody else is looking out for your health and well
being as much as you are. I therefore think you should be trusted with
the knowledge of how to adjust the pressure setting on your CPAP
machine. Don't get me wrong. I'm not advocating changing the pressure
setting on your CPAP machine willy nilly, without regard for your own
well being, and I'm certainly not providing you with medical advice
(primarily because I don't know you and I'm not a doctor). I think all
responsible CPAP users should use common sense when using their CPAP
machines, and I think it's a very good idea to talk with your physician
or sleep therapist before making any changes to your CPAP therapy. Pressures
should be changed slowly, in small increments, over a long period
of time. Be sure to note any changes in how you feel. Sleep apnea is a very serious condition, and altering your prescribed
therapy settings could reduce the effectiveness of your CPAP therapy.
Whether
you have a constant pressure "regular" CPAP machine, an automatic CPAP
machine or a bilevel CPAP machine, getting into the clinician's setup
mode is fairly simple. I'll outine the process for the three popular
model lines of CPAP machines.
If you're not sure which CPAP model you have, please go to our
CPAP Pictures Page to identify your machine.
Respironics REMstar M Series
To get into the clinician's setup mode in a REMstar M Series CPAP
machine or a BiPAP M Series CPAP machine follow these steps:
1. unplug the power cord from the back of the CPAP machine
2. hold down both the left and right arrow keys while simultaneously plugging in the power supply
3. once the device beeps twice, you can release the buttons
After you hear the two beeps, you'll see the word setup in the lower right
corner of the LCD screen. When you select setup you'll be in the
clinician's mode where you can adjust every feature of the CPAP
machine, including the pressure setting. Below is the list of settings
you can cycle through on a REMstar Plus M Series:
* CPAP Pressure (only in provider setup mode)
* Altitude
* Fine Pressure Adjustment (only in provider setup mode)
* C-Flex Setting
* Ramp Time
* Ramp Start Pressure
* Mask Alert
* Auto Off
* Patient Reminder (only in provider setup mode)
Puritan Bennett GoodKnight 420 Series
To get into the clinician's setup mode in a 420 series CPAP machine
follow these steps:
1. make sure the CPAP machine is plugged in
2. find the secret button beneath the "Go" in the word GoodKnight
which appears just above the LCD screen
3. press the secret button and the Information Access button
simultaneously for 2 or 3 seconds.
The
CPAP machine will now be in the provider setup mode. Press the
Information Access button to cycle through the list of adjustable
settings, and use the arrow buttons to make adjustments. Below is a
list of settings you can cycle through on a Puritan Bennett 420G:
* CPAP Pressure (only in provider setup mode)
* Ramp Time
* Ramp Start Pressure
* Hour Meter Value (which cannot be adjusted)
* Compliance Meter Value (which can only be reset to 0)
* Offset of Pressure Sensor (used for calibration purposes) (only in
provider setup mode)
* Machine ID Number (which cannot be adjusted)
ResMed S8 Series
To
get into the provider setup mode in a ResMed S8 CPAP machine - such as
the S8 Compact, S8 Elite or S8 AutoSet Vantage - follow these steps:
1. press the right and down arrows simultaneously for about 3 seconds
until the word "clinical" appears
2. select Menu
Use
the left and right arrows to cycle through the settings and use the up
and down arrows to make adjustments. Below is a list of settings you
can cycle through on an S8 AutoSet Vantage automatic CPAP machine.
There are four groups of settings which have adjustments and data
within them.
* Settings
o CPAP Mode
o Minimum CPAP Pressure
o Maximum CPAP Pressure
o Maximum Settling / Ramp
o Mask Type
o Tube Length
o Humidifier
o Smart Start
o Leak Alert
* Results
o Efficacy Data
o Usage Data
* Options
o Smart Data
o Reminders
o Factory Defaults
o Erase Data
o Date
o Time
o Menu Type
o Language
* Servicing
o Run Hours
o Serial Number
o PCV Number
o SW Number
o BR Number
This web page lists several of the more common CPAP Setup & Clinician Manuals. Near the bottom of this page are some links to the PDF (Adobe Acrobat) files available through Direct Download. We also have some manuals available through email only-- please continue reading:
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Clinician / Setup Manuals available through Direct Download:
These are Adobe PDF files, you will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, available for download HERE
If you're not sure which CPAP model you have, please go to our CPAP Pictures Page to identify your machine.
(right click on the manual name, then select
"Save File As...") to save it to your computer:
Respironics REMstar Basic M Series
Respironics REMstar Plus M Series
Respironics REMstar Pro M Series
Respironics REMstar Auto M Series
Respironics REMstar Plus (This older model has 3 buttons on the top, this is not the PR System One, C-Flex nor the M series) - [The 5-button C-flex version available through email below]
Respironics BiPAP Pro (not the PR System One)
Respironics REMstar Auto M with A-Flex
Respironics REMstar BiPAP Auto SV
ResMed S8 Compact
ResMed S8 Escape
ResMed S8 Elite II
ResMed Sullivan V
Fisher & Paykel SleepStyle600 (setup instructions also cover model 604)
ProBasics ZZZ-PAP
We have additional instructions for some machines, plus manuals available through email, below...
