2 ms·
I wish CPAP manufacturers were a bit better. There has been little innovation, and if anything, there's been a downward trend in quality in recent years. My wi
by elric 3y ago
I wish CPAP manufacturers were a bit better. There has been little innovation, and if anything, there's been a downward trend in quality in recent years.
My wishlist:
1. Every CPAP device should be BiLevel.
2. All data they record should be accessible to the user (for tools like oscar).
3. Either more granular pressure controls, or better algorithms (or both). Some people do well on CPAP, others do better when iPAP > ePAP (BiLevel, or EPR), while others do better when ePAP > iPAP (vcom).
4. Better masks. Seriously. It's so hard to find a good mask, and so expensive to experiment with them. A new mask can set you back €150, and if turns you hate it, you're shit out of luck. I've toyed with the idea of personalized 3D printed masks to get a better seal for each unique nose/face shape.
5. Quieter machines. Without the Philips cancer foam.
6. Quieter masks. Some have excellent diffusers in the exhalation port (P10), while others blast out a concentrated jet of air that will wake you up when it hits the pillow, or will lead to divorce faster than your snoring ever did when it hits your bedpartner.
7. Bring back travel cpap devices. The market collapsed post covid. I'd love to keep a small device and super lightweight mask/hose in my bag for sleepover emergencies. I'd pay any price for that, because having to lug a full size cpap around ruins any chance of spontaneity in my bachelor sex life.
None of these are rocket science. But Philips Respironics are a bunch of evil cunts, ResMed are goofing off, and the other brands might as well not exist.
- david-gpu 3y agoAgreed on all counts, down to having contemplated 3D printing molds to manufacture custom silicone masks. I also wish the tube had a sensor to detect whether you are sleeping on your back to preemptively raise the pressure. Or having better algorithms to detect hypopneas before the air stops flowing altogether. I don't even understand why purchasing a CPAP machine requires a prescription. I'm scared of the possibility of a doctor denying me a new CPAP machine when the current one inevitably croaks. The device is a glorified fan, for goodness sake.
- elric 3y agoThe prescription thing is probably location specific, but AFAIK you can just buy them online. I have a few spares I bought online from back when I frequently slept in different places. Masks straps could probably be fitted with an accelerometer to detect positioning. If they can make heated tubing, this isn't such a stretch. Might also be useful in correctly flagging events: my machine often incorrectly marks position switches as periods of hypopnea.