How to Enable Patient Access to the EPR Level Setting

Sleep apnea is a common condition that affects nearly 18 million Americans, according to the American Association for Respiratory Care. Sleep apnea is a potentially dangerous sleep disorder in which breathing becomes shallow or stops intermittently. Sleep apnea is often treated with a CPAP machine, which delivers air pressure through a face mask while you sleep. The ResMed S8 series provides a unique alternative to traditional CPAP therapy called expiratory pressure relief, or EPR. EPR decreases CPAP pressure during exhalation to allow for increased comfort without compromising effectiveness. You must follow important steps to access EPR level settings.

Instructions

• 1

  Call your sleep clinician to verify the CPAP machine prescribed for you is a ResMed S8 series machine with the EPR feature. To access the expiratory pressure relief settings, a sleep clinician or medical equipment provider must set up your machine for patient access to the clinical menu. You may be asked several questions about therapy settings to demonstrate your understanding of CPAP adjustments and their effect on your breathing.

• 2

  Ask the clinician to access the machine remotely and change the provider set-up settings to allow for patient access. A sleep professional can access the settings on your CPAP machine directly or remotely via a ResScan data card, ResLink modem or a simple computer connection. This is convenient for both patient and clinician, because you don't need an appointment to make setting changes.

• 3

  Place the CPAP machine on a flat, level surface to avoid screen malfunctions, then press "On" to power the device. Wait until the standby screen, which often displays the word RAMP, appears on the LCD screen. The menu will allow you to adjust only ramp settings at this point.

• 4

  Press the down arrow button and the right slash button simultaneously for at least three seconds. This will give you full access to the clinical settings originally programmed by the sleep clinician. You know you have performed this step correctly when "Clinical Menu" appears on the LCD screen.

• 5

  Press the up and down arrow keys to scroll through your choices until you see the "Settings" option. Press the left slash button to select and enter the "Settings" menu. Scroll up and down the settings menu options using the up and down arrow keys on your ResMed CPAP machine.

• 6

  Press the left slash key to highlight and select "EPR Settings" on your menu choices. The screen will display three setting choices starting with level 1 for the lowest EPR setting and level 3 for the highest EPR setting. Press the up and down arrow keys to select the EPR setting level you prefer for your sleep apnea therapy.