OT - CPAP machines / recall

bella21

Hey All,

any members here part of the large recall affecting the Philips cpap / bipap machines? If so, any of you with luck getting a replacement yet?
As of now, I am hearing it could be another year before we are given replacements - which seems absurd since this can affect the health of the user.
My doctor sent me a prescription to a new supply company, they were in the process of getting me one of their new machines, until I mentioned mine was recalled and due to health safety my doctor wanted me to get a new one. The supply company then said " Oh, were out of new machines and can't offer you another"

I did however, remove the foam in mine that has been causing health issues for users. Obviously voided my warranty, but whatever.

TLDR: Any of you cpap users hear anything about replacements for these units?

HeavyG

All I know is what I've read:

Why Will the Recall Likely Take a Year To Complete? 

• The sheer size of the recall. Houten indicated there were between 3 million and 4 million machines targeted in the recall. 80% of the machines treat sleep apnea and around two-thirds of the CPAP machines are in the United States. Using the lower end of the estimate of 3 million, over 52 weeks in a year, that would mean replacing or repairing over 57,000 machines each week. 

• Global software chip supply storage. There are software computer chips found in nearly everything – coffee makers, cars, phones, toys, computers, and CPAP machines. There is a global software chip supply due to a variety of reasons including a factory fire, increased demand due to the pandemic, trade wars, and the freeze and blackout in Texas. The shortage is so widespread the US government is forming a task force to address the shortage. A low software chip supply means fewer chips for CPAP machines which means fewer CPAP machines to provide. 

• Global cargo backlog. Fueled by the boom in demand for goods, imported cargo shipments to the U.S. are at record levels. U.S. ports have a backlog of ships waiting to be offloaded. Retailers and manufacturers are scrambling to secure placement on cargo ships. Home Depot famously contracted their own container ship to ensure supply. The shortage of spots on ships have led to doubling and more the cost of shipping. Many companies are also moving to the even more expensive air freight option. Once the cargo fits U.S. soil, there is a backlog of trucks available to deliver the orders. Fewer spots on the cargo ship means the already reduced supply of CPAP machines will take longer to get to the U.S. 

In summary, the CPAP/APAP/BiPAP machine supply was already tight and shrinking before the recall was announced. With Philips Respironics focusing on the recall, the U.S. CPAP/APAP/BiPAP supply was cut in half overnight. Many dealers expect to run out and go through at least intermittent back order periods for the foreseeable future. 

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My machine is about 2.5 years old and I would be surprised if there is currently any more outgassing from the filter material at this point. The particles  problem seems to be only/mostly a problem for folks that use any ozone or UV cleaning methods - neither of which I have done. So I'm going to keep using my machine as is tho I might take a look at it and go ahead and remove the filter like you did. Was it a simple remove some screws/open the case/pull the filter out sort of deal?

It looks like all we can do is just register and ride it out. It's almost impossible to buy a new machine at the moment so that's going to be tough for folks that are just now trying to start CPAP use.

bella21

Yep it was pretty easy, just remembering where things went.

I just pulled up a youtube video and followed the step by step guide. There are 100's of videos now with people doing it. A family member has a dremmel, so just had them make little 1"x1" openings where the foam is located, pulled out and hot glued the plastic back. Though I have seen others use a razor blade knife ( seems like that would be hard ).

Mine was in perfect shape, really didn't need to do it, but for peace of mind was worth it. I notice no noise difference at all ( their reasoning on using the foam ) .  I have seen some users where their foam is completely degraded and melted.

CTMike

My wife got a new one within a week. Still have the recalled one.