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Five Year Old CPAP Machine replacement
#11
RE: Five Year Old CPAP Machine replacement
The smart technology, especially in BiLevel and Autoset type machines have come a long way in 5 years.
The algorithm to sense and switch from IPAP to EPAP pressure makes newer machines much more tolerable.

My S8 is doing the job; and has limited data capability. I go into the results summary menu and read my AHI and AI. A slight tweek (up by 0.6 cm-H2O) in IPAP and EPAP pressure brought my AHI from just over 5 to less than 1. I'd love to have an S9 VPAP S -- and am willing to buy out of pocket to get one.
I just need an Rx.

It's quite fair to pay out of pocket for a new machine when not of medical necessity. With Rx in hand, I would bet my local DME would match the best price on the supplier list.
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#12
RE: Five Year Old CPAP Machine replacement
(07-30-2013, 10:58 PM)Mark Risley Wrote: Be a responsible user of the health care system. If your unit is providing good sleep and your condition is being treated effectively, you don't need to waste the dollars of your health care system to get a machine to tell you what you already know. don't waste money from a health provider. It is a privilege to have good coverage, not an entitlement.

Is that you again Mr. President?
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#13
RE: Five Year Old CPAP Machine replacement
(12-16-2013, 05:15 PM)Bobshouse Wrote:
(07-30-2013, 10:58 PM)Mark Risley Wrote: Be a responsible user of the health care system. If your unit is providing good sleep and your condition is being treated effectively, you don't need to waste the dollars of your health care system to get a machine to tell you what you already know. don't waste money from a health provider. It is a privilege to have good coverage, not an entitlement.

Is that you again Mr. President?

Just what I was thinking Bobshouse. Thanks You can almost guess who voted for who in this case.

I agree with the rest. I currently have an appointment with my pulmonologist to do the same. Sleep-well my friend.
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#14
RE: Five Year Old CPAP Machine replacement
Hi kdbonline, WELCOME! to the forum.
trish6hundred
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#15
RE: Five Year Old CPAP Machine replacement
(07-30-2013, 10:00 PM)OMyMyOHellYes Wrote: Yes, we have to spend $2,800 for a study to prove you need a $1,000 therapy machine.

If it costs me more to replace my machine through my insurance- new sleep study or not- than just buying a virtually unused machine off craigslist (there are always machines posted), I am going to choose the later and program it myself.
To err is human, but to really mess things up, you need a computer.
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#16
RE: Five Year Old CPAP Machine replacement
(12-18-2013, 06:49 PM)Airstream Wrote:
(07-30-2013, 10:00 PM)OMyMyOHellYes Wrote: Yes, we have to spend $2,800 for a study to prove you need a $1,000 therapy machine.

If it costs me more to replace my machine through my insurance- new sleep study or not- than just buying a virtually unused machine off craigslist (there are always machines posted), I am going to choose the later and program it myself.

I realize this is an old thread but having had my machine for 3 years now was starting to wonder about replacement intervals....

Q1: Are all the major insurers in USA set to a 5-year replacement schedule? I called mine they said yes 5-years. A buddy called his and got a kind of weird answer that maybe it could be replaced after 3-years.
In part I was curious as I would like to buy a travel-style unit and keep using my big S9 at home.

Q2: If you buy a used unit from CraigsList ... are there special sanitizing procedures you should go through before using a machine someone else has been using?

Thanks!
Jim




I have the Res
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#17
RE: Five Year Old CPAP Machine replacement
(10-14-2014, 03:14 AM)NCZzzz Wrote: I realize this is an old thread but having had my machine for 3 years now was starting to wonder about replacement intervals....

Q1: Are all the major insurers in USA set to a 5-year replacement schedule? I called mine they said yes 5-years. A buddy called his and got a kind of weird answer that maybe it could be replaced after 3-years.
In part I was curious as I would like to buy a travel-style unit and keep using my big S9 at home.

Q2: If you buy a used unit from CraigsList ... are there special sanitizing procedures you should go through before using a machine someone else has been using?

A1: It's becoming more common for insurance to only replace if the old one fails. Many DME's cheat and claim the old unit "failed."

A2: There's no way to clean a CPAP blower unit, and it's usually not really needed. Change the filters, check it out and wipe down the outside. Run it a few minutes to blow out any smells.

Replace or clean the hose, humidifier tank, and mask.

There are instructions from ResMed on cleaning in the links in my signature line.

If you're going to try to clean and sanitize things, clean first, then sanitize. I put mine in the dishwasher first on the hottest, longest, "sanitize" setting on my dishwasher. No foam or cloth in the dishwasher. Disassemble things as much as you can.

Manufacturers usually recommend against using the dishwasher, so make your own decision.

Supplier #1 sells Control III cleaner that is supposed to disinfect things. READ THE INSTRUCTIONS, especially about diluting it. Be careful with the undiluted solution, but the diluted stuff sounds to be reasonably safe.

I have heated a big pot of water to boiling, turned off the heat, and dropped in plastic mask parts and water tanks into the water and let it sit until it cools. Respironics tanks were fine. ResMed S9 "cleanable" tanks were OK. The newer ResMed "standard" non-dishwashable tanks were damaged by the heat. Don't use the boiling water trick on anything you can't stand to use.

Hoses may or may not withstand the heat, especially the "short" hoses that are part of the mask. Read the ResMed instructions for their hoses. I've successfully heat treated hoses by keeping the water to around 70C. At full boiling temperature, the hoses "wilted" a little.

For the cloth parts, I soaked overnight in the strongest alcohol I could get.

Warning: Neither boiling, Control III, nor alcohol kills ALL germs. That requires something like an autoclave or pressure cooker and higher risk of melting.

If you want to be extra careful, let everything sit aside and dry for a long time. The longer you sit it aside, the more likely it is to kill any remaining germs.

Get the free OSCAR CPAP software here.
Useful links.
Click here for information on the main alternative to CPAP.
If it's midnight and a DME tells you it's dark outside, go and check it yourself.
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#18
RE: Five Year Old CPAP Machine replacement

Thanks archangle

Awesome tips ...

Makes me feel a lot more comfortable about buying a used unit!

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#19
RE: Five Year Old CPAP Machine replacement
(07-30-2013, 10:58 PM)Mark Risley Wrote: Be a responsible user of the health care system. If your unit is providing good sleep and your condition is being treated effectively, you don't need to waste the dollars of your health care system to get a machine to tell you what you already know. don't waste money from a health provider. It is a privilege to have good coverage, not an entitlement.

I respectfully disagree with you. While it is nice to have insurance but SA can be life threatening and the technology has changed a lot in 5 years and I believe anyone with SA will benefit from a more updated machine. After all, it is their health and their life and better treatment can ensure help with keeping medical issues at bay. That is why there are colonoscopy suggested every 5 years, etc.
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#20
RE: Five Year Old CPAP Machine replacement
Most insurance follows Medicare guidelines in the U.S Replacement is 5 years, regardless of condition of your present machine.

You may need a GP to sign off that you still use and need the machine even with a lifetime prescription. No sleep studies etc to go through again though. Not ever insurance is that way but most are.
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