[Equipment] Contec RS01 "apnea" monitor

[Paptillian]

(Note: this is not a product review)

Looks like the Chinese maker of the popular pulse oximeters that many of us use is now making a wrist worn combination pulseox+apnea detector. You wear a nasal cannula type hose that connects to the device.

Most of us CPAP users don't need this since our data-capable machines record breathing rate and more, but maybe this is a cheap(er) way to test the whole family for sleep-disordered breathing without ordering at-home sleep studies? Thoughts?

Introduction

The RS01 device is applied for the suffers with such diseases as OSAHS(obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome), COPD（chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases）and vascular diseases, also for the persons over 60 years .It can be used in hospital or at home.


Main Features

■ Wrist-equipment,tiny and light
■ Convenient operation
■ Display of SpO2 ,pulse rate ,pulse waveform and nose flow waveform
■ Alarms for low-power, finger-out and exceeding limits
■ Adjustable screen brightness
■ Real-time clock
■ Time power on/off and manual power on/off
■ TF card multi-case record
■ Data uploaded by internal card reader
■ PC analysis software

[PaulaO2]

Well, it is better than a wild guess.

It may be able to tell you if you stop breathing and for how long, but it can't tell you the why. To do that, you'd also need a chest strap. No movement of the chest AND not breathing would be a central event. Movement (struggle) of the chest with not breathing would be an obstructive event.

However, it is a good place to start, yes. Wonky readings with this and it would be best to see a doc.

[Paptillian]

Paula, my feelings are mixed.

My first thought was that this might be good for someone who has undergone UPPP surgery or is using an oral appliance to treat OSA, as a way of tracking progress. I also am wondering if stubborn folks who hate going to the hospital (like my dad) might find something like this a more agreeable first line of action to see if they maybe have a problem.

(I am working on getting dad to the sleep doc, however... finally convinced him that a sleep study is good since he has a snoring history and OSA obviously is in the family.)

I'm on the fence about whether or not the breath monitoring adds any real value above pulse oximetry. If I'm right, the Sp02% reading should be the tell-tale sign of a problem.

In either case I'd wait for FDA approval before ordering one

[PaulaO2]

Not always. Not everyone's SpO2 drops due to OSA. Some folks' blood O2 drops like a rock and others' don't.

The breath monitoring would be an additional "weapon" to use to convince someone they need further testing. But there are already some excellent home sleep tests out there that would be better and offer more accurate results.

[DocWils]

The problem is that it is a lot of money for a device that gives little useful information. A pulseox will tell if the sO2sats are falling and for how long. The cannula will add a bit of information about cessation of breath, but with no chest strap to monitor breathing activity and no ECG to monitor heart activity, the information is so incomplete as to be close to useless as a fist line diagnostic tool. For the money you would spend on this, a home test could be arranged and would provide a better and more thorough view of not only if there is a problem but what sort of problem it is. All you would have done is add an extra layer of cost for very little return. If you already have a recording pulse ox, then spare yourself the dosh and use it for a first test if you cannot be sure the problem is apnoea. If there is a confirmed sO2sat drop, then next is a home test or sleep clinic test, and you would not have needed the added expense of the device here.

[archangle]

Looks like $350 or so. Be sure the O2 sensors and nasal interface are reusable. Some home sleep tests have single use O2 sensors.

Your CPAP machine can't check for apnea at pressures less than 4 cmH2O. This would check at 0 pressure. You also don't have to be fighting a mask to use it.

As Paula said, some people with apnea partially "wake up" before their O2 drops, but suffer the effects of stress, disturbed sleep, etc. These people won't show up with a pulseox alone. The airflow sensor would let you see this kind of apnea.

In theory, you need an EEG to properly detect hypopneas, but this could work reasonably well. Compared to an in lab sleep test, it might show some hypopneas that won't show up in a sleep test because your EEG doesn't change. This also happens with hypopneas from CPAP data.

If you have apnea, this will probably show it. Or to say it another way, if it says you don't have apnea, you probably don't.

Without EEG, it can't tell whether you're awake or not. You may get false apnea readings when awake.

It won't be able to tell central apnea from obstructive, but if you have central apnea, it should show up as "apnea". If you started CPAP based on this device (or just a pulseox for that matter), you should be sure to use a fully data capable machine that will detect central apnea and review the data.

It won't be as good as an in lab sleep test. If you actually sleep in the lab setting. If you sleep well enough to get a good reading of your apnea, etc. If you don't just skip the lab test and ignore your apnea due to cost, inconvenience, etc. If you can afford the lab test.

If it works right, and the person interpreting the readings knows what they're looking for, it could be a very good screening test. Followed by a good data capable APAP machine with good follow up monitoring and adjustment, something like this could probably meet the needs of most apnea patients.

Insurance probably won't pay for CPAP without an in-lab test.

Self diagnosed apnea and CPAP therapy also runs the risk of misdiagnoses and less than optimal treatment. It also runs the risk of missing a more serious medical condition and blaming your problems on apnea. Even the doctors tend to blame everything on apnea once you're diagnosed.

[A KLERK]

In my humble thoughts it is what it says on their site: a screening method. I think it is better than just questioning: "do you snore loud / are you very tired / also short-tempered"? And after that a PSG should be performed. So it should be given on loan by a physician, just like a 24-hour blood-pressure measurement.
But I wonder what the breath-sensor looks like, the site does not give a clue yet. Where did you find the price indication?

[Lazer1234]

Hello!
I have used a pulse oximeter Contec CMS-50F with good results. Have convinced a friend to go to the doctor now, after he has seen data on oxygenation during the night. It's good.

But I wonder if anyone has tried Contec's pulse oximeter RS-01, which also measures the airflow in the nose, and also measures the apnea and hypopnea?
I understand that the quality of the respiratory flow can not be compared to that of a cpap collect. But as a tool to convince people to go to the doctor and do a proper sleep study. Anyone tried it?

[CrazySleeper]

Hi, after seeing the RS01 on eBay and reading a comment on another thread on here about a user who purchased a Contecmed RS01 sleep apnea meter, I decided to get one off of eBay and give it a whirl. I thought I would follow up on this thread and share my experience for anyone else considering getting one.

It actually works surprisingly well and is pretty accurate. The finger sensor is made of a squish rubbery type of material so it can be comfortably worn all night long. It comes with two additional neonatal mini finger sensors. It has adjustable high/low alarms for pulse and SPO2. The alarm emits a loud beeping, enough to wake me up which is exactly what I wanted as I was told I sometimes hold my breath or just stop breathing when I'm sleeping, and the RS01 confirmed this. It's not that frequent, at most 8 times a night and with my SPO2 dropping out a few of those times, but I haven't woken up with a headache since sleeping with this every night.

The RS01 just stores data points in data files in internal flash. When you connect it to a computer with the standard mini USB port, it's simply seen as a flash drive with the collection of data files for each night in the root. The software is a little weird at first since you have to "import patient data" from the device (all you have to do is enter something for a first and last name after choosing the night's data file based on date in the file name), but pretty easy to use once you've run through it once. After having this for a month, my only complaints are 1. that it's hard to get the nasal cannula to both be comfortable and stay in place at night, so I'll probably end up using some sort of bandage tape; 2. the fingertip out alarm (which can't be disabled) isn't automatically disabled when you connect it to your computer to pull the data so you are forced to listen to annoying beeping; 3. I also haven't seen a source for replacement cannulas or batteries for it, but one eBay seller said they could provide replacement rechargeable batteries when I asked.

[DocWils]

To be honest, I think this is not money well spent. If you are already on CPAP, you are given more than enough information already, and the pulse ox by itself is far cheaper. For a "quick an dirty" diagnosis, it is still too expensive, as with a $100 pulse-ox you can quickly see if if you desat over the night's sleep and by how much - the additional nasal cannulus (it is a single unput type) doesn't give enough additional useful information over basic desat information you get from the pulse-ox, and without a proper heart monitor and chest band, there is not enough information for even a quick diagnosis than you would get with a cheaper recording pulse-ox - the heart rhythm readout is identical to the one on the far cheaper recording pulse-ox, and is by our way of measuring, very unreliable, prone to a lot of noise and poor data (beyond basic beat speed). The tracer is simply no good for any medically useful useful information.

I would rather you spend the $600 for a real "home test" and get useful data than $300 for something that really won't be useful for that.