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Puritan Bennett Goodknight 425
The Puritan Bennett Goodknight 425, the world's smallest bilevel machine,
will be shipped to dealers in the next few days. If the exceptional
reliability of other Puritan Bennett sleep machines is any indication,
this quiet lightweight design is going to be very popular.
Recently, cpaptalk.com collected community questions, added some of it's
own and interviewed Puritan Bennett on the 425. The result is an exclusive
look at this product, available nowhere else on the internet! Cpaptalk.com
continues to grow at an exciting pace and looks forward to doing many more
interviews in the near future.
cpaptalk.com Puritan Bennett 425 Interview
cpap.com Goodknight 425 Product Page
AEIOMed Aura™ CPAP Machine
AEIOMed is a new cpap company preparing to release
its first CPAP system, the Aura. It is not yet
available for sale in the USA but FDA 510k approval is
expected shortly. Their first CPAP, the Aura, is an
integrated system. The CPAP unit, heated humidifier
and battery all fit within the battery's footprint.
When this unit hits the market, it will be the smallest
and lightest combination cpap in the world.
AEIOMed's battery option is causing some excitement.
Fully rechargeable and effortless to maintain, the
battery can operate the system all night, and adds
only one inch to the system's height. OSA patients
can now experience the benefits of CPAP therapy where
electricity is not readily available. It can facilitate
away from power sleep or keep running during a power failure.
AEIOMed Home Page
New Fisher & Paykel HC230 CPAP
Fisher & Paykel is planing a January release of a new
and improved integrated heated humidifier CPAP. All
the controls are now conveniently located on top of
the smaller, lighter unit. F&P claims that their
"Ambient Tracking Plus" greatly reduces rainout on the
circuit while providing optimum humidity levels. Product
information will be posted as the January release date nears.
Fisher & Paykel HC600 CPAP - The End of Rainout?
Fisher & Paykel has a second machine, the HC600, in
development. In addition to making a small, lightweight
and reliable unit, F&P plans to make rainout in
the circuit a thing of the past. As the company that
introduced heated humidification to CPAP, they have
the credentials to do it. The HC600 estimated release
is April 2005.
Fisher & Paykel HC600 New Zealand Press Release
Respironics Auto C-Flex
Respironics brought the easy breathing feature "C-Flex"
to market two years ago. Since then, buyers have been
torn between Auto CPAP and C-Flex CPAP. Combining Auto CPAP
and C-Flex will soon be a reality. The Respironics Auto
C-Flex is expected to be released in December. Respironics
is pointing to a new clinical study showing that C-Flex
CPAP users sleep much longer than traditional CPAP users.
On average, C-Flex CPAP users sleep an hour longer than
traditional CPAP users. We have not seen the study Respironics
has referenced but we will get a copy of it, post it on
cpap.com, and link to it in our next newsletter.
Respironics Auto C-Flex FDA 510k Approval
Heated Humidifier Design Dilemma
As can be seen in newer and nearly released machines,
manufacturers are now very aware that CPAP and
bilevel machine users are active people who travel
overnight frequently. This trend has caused CPAP users
to ask for small and effective humidifiers as well.
All heated humidifiers use a heated plate to warm a
chamber of water. Smaller humidifiers will have room
only for a small heater plate. A small plate will take
longer to warm water and may not be able to maintain
temperature. If more power is applied to the plate a
greater surface temperature would likely cause burns
when touched. Another concern is the maximum temperature
of the air reaching the patient. CPAP use requires
humidity, but short bursts of excess temperatures can
cause considerable patient discomfort.
The designers are trying to arrive at the optimium
balance between size and performance. Smaller units
are simply not putting out the humidity desired. We
believe that humidifiers of the future will need to
utilize heated hoses as well as heater plates, if
they are going to be small enough for easy travel.
Latest News on the Resmed S8 CPAP Machine
Resmed S7 machines have been good performers but have
been criticised for being overly large and heavy. The
new and improved S8 series CPAPs are designed to be
feature packed, super small units. There are four
different models ranging from an excellent basic CPAP
to an Auto CPAP.
Resmed trials have been largely positive but a few minor
changes are needed before the unit is ready for market.
We are told that these changes may push the launch date
of the S8 back to January.
Respironics Remstar Auto E039 Error
A software glitch caused many Remstar Auto units to produce an E039 Error
on the evening of November 1, 2004. Unfortunately, this error will repeat
itself on December 1, 2004. Fortunately, it is easy to correct. To resolve
the error, simply unplug the device, wait 30 seconds, and plug the device back in.
Shawn Trautman, Product Manager of the REMstar Auto issued a release
stating:
"An E039 error is an isolated condition associated with the data logging
function...There is no affect to the therapy delivered by the device or
patient harm because of this error."
Our repair technicians have examined machines with this error and found that
the fix Respironics suggests does indeed restore the machine to working order.
cpap.com Article, Respironics E039 Error Advisory
Need yet another reason to wear that CPAP?
According to a new study by the American College of Chest
Physicians (ACCP), the majority of patients with
obstructive sleep apnea or insomnia have a high degree
of attention deficit disorder (ADD), as well as neuromuscular and
psychiatric conditions. Fortunately, the ACCP reports that 60% of
the ADD patients moved back into normal ranges when CPAP was
utilized.
newswise.com Article
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