Hello, I’m a new user here. I was diagnosed with severe apnea (74/hr) in April and have been using the machine ever since. I tend to be a skeptical person (every step of my experience screams SCAM), but I’m not convinced that anything is resulting from this process other than serious lightening of my wallet. I will take some time to read through the discussions here to find advice from others, but in the meantime I’m wondering if anyone can recommend a pulse oximeter I can wear while sleeping to get an objective measurement of the benefit of wearing this contraption. Ideally I’m looking for a PO that links to my iPad via Bluetooth to track and record O2 levels all night long. Alternatively it could upload the data to the cloud via wireless. It seems all of the PO’s I find are only good for a one-shot reading. Thanks in advance, Mike
Hi Mike,
Thanks for your input. You might find my blog on this very subject quite interesting. Give it a read and get back to me.
Again, thanks.
Hi Mike,
My name is Gaby, and I am a new member. I have since a few months a Beurer pulse oximeter which lets me upload the night’s recording in my laptop and then produce a report, giving me all the information about apneas as well as information on my pulse. The program that I use is called SPO2 manager. It will also tell you how many times you dropped below 88% saturation and for how long. You can study the curves yourself as well. I have also purchased a “Night shift sleep positioner” as I found out that sleeping on my back increases the apneas tremendously. The device is won around your neck. Whenever you turn on your back it will start to vibrate, first very soft but it increases until you turn on your side. (I had occasions that I needed 57 vibrations to wake me up sufficiently and turn on my side) Also this device’s recording can be uploaded and it will give you information how many hours of sleep you had and what is the percentage of snoring in excess of 50 dB. It also tells you the position of your body through the night. You can then figure our yourself (in conjunction with the pulse oximeter report, what works best for you.
Thanks for writing Kent, I did read the article you linked. I have no doubt that there is validity to this affliction, and that there are professionals out there looking to provide appropriate treatment and advice. It’s just that my experience has not been good, and I’m confident that there are plenty of others out there with similar experiences. The point is that despite spending a truckload of money and struggling with this contraption for 6 months I feel no neglible benefit. For this reason I am seeking a PO as described so that I can get objective data (apart from my useless Dr’s office) that would justify continued effort with CPAP or pursuit of another remedy. If there is another device besides the PO that would provide this assessment I am open to that as well. Thanks again.
Thanks Gaby, I will check out the devices you mention.
Mike:
Take heart.
It took me and my sleep doc and tech team 6 months of experimenting with various mask types and CPAP air pressure to find the best combination for me. It was frustrating for me during that phase so don’t give up. Keep at it.
As far as pulse oximeters, there are a variety of available that interface with mobile devices. I haven’t tried any so I can’t vouch for how well any of them work.
Thanks @jsaltenb - Nice find, and reasonable prices.
OK. I ordered, and received, this pulse oximeter:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B8L8ZXE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I experimented with it on my index finger Friday night. It continuously reads out pulse rate and blood oxygen level. It can also be programmed record both of those stats during sleep for later download and display on a Windows and iOS app.
The screen goes blank after a few seconds so as not to waste battery power and create artificial light in a dark bedroom but it keeps recording.
I haven’t yet downloaded data onto my PC for a better analysis. But when I glanced at the numbers during the night I was surprised to find it indicated my blood oxygen level was higher during my sleep with CPAP than it was just before I went to sleep (without CPAP).
From what I saw, I conclude my CPAP is working as it should if the oxygen saturation numbers are to be believed.
Handy gadget to have. Especially if you want to know for yourself early on. Nice to have also to take the data to your next doctor’s appointment. I didn’t read the specs, @jsaltenb – is there a print-out feature or a data dump?
MotherT:
There is a standard micro-USB cable supplied with the oximeter to attach it to the PC for a data dump. I’m going to give that a try next when I’ve collected more data. I’ll be very interested to see what it reveals about my pulse and blood oxygen saturation while I’m asleep.
The PC app that analyzes and displays the oximeter data is called “SPO2.Assistant” I’ll see if it has print capability.
http://www.contecmed.com/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=107&Itemid=590
The iOS app that displays data is called “iChoice SpO2” and is available in the Apple app store.
John, @jsaltenb - thanks. I look forward to reading your results. It’s kind of you to share for everyone to get an understanding 
Yes, it does have print capability to display its recordings.
Some brands of PAP machines also have pulse oximeters that interface directly with their machines. Then if your machine has a modem with it this information can be sent to your account in the cloud which you can access. Often times this access can be through your digital devices such as your cell phone or tablet. Check with either your provider or your equipment company to see if your PAP device has this capability.
It’s amazing to me how little information I have been given about what type of machine, how to choose a provider, a mask, etc. When I came in having researched machines they seemed shocked and couldn’t really answer questions about choices or options. I don’t remember seeing any with the pulse ox option. That seems like a really good idea. Do you know any brands that have that feature?
Get mask liners. U have use mask 6 hours a nite to get benefit. Talk to Med supplier s resp therapist make appt. gotta help. G:pray:
How do ya get machine that has pulse oximeter. Will Medicare pay for a finger pulse oximeter? Lost. G:pray:
I’ve been using the Innovo M50F. I have designed medical devices (mechanicals) and, for the price, think it is a good one. I don’t like the BlueTooth function, though. I use the mini-USB. I have used it almost every night, now, for about a year. It is rugged and the finger pocket is excellent. I almost never have my finger misplaced while sleeping. It gives a strip chart report and a textual report that includes an apnea index value. Every once in a while, the data gets garbled. There is no question that that night’s data needs to be trashed. I think it may be that the mini-USB connector doesn’t get connected properly. The power button protrudes a bit and the device sometimes turns on when I want it off, but powering it off is a menu selection and it never shuts off unless I chose that menu item.
OK, trying to find anyone, anywhere that has a current list of oximeters (general public, not medical level or with Mask etc.) With the collective amount of time on blogs, forums etc. there must be a updated list.
For those of us who want a simple and inexpensive method to check, so that we can take it to the next level (doctor) if something looks off. I know the only true way is to get tested. But there are a good number of practical ways to do this on your own. I’ve started to spend an hour every few days looking for anything like this (don’t want to reinvent the wheel…)
I am also new to all of this and getting some background is also taking a great deal of time (for example it seems that finger sensors are best for Ox) so should I assume that to get a reasonable test that it should include a finger sensor. What are the 4 or 5 basic sensors? with sort desc. List of devices ($20-$200) that can monitor and record sleep and upload to software, pro-cons etc.
Any help or thoughts would be greatly appreciated…
Tom
FYI, this is what I have by store by brand (Amazon is going to take several hours), brands listed more than 1 time are for diff products, and brands do get renamed etc. by diff companies etc.
@tomlaheyh thank you for sharing with everyone!