Welcome to the CPAP Supplies Plus/Direct Newsletter where you will find information on Obstructive Sleep Apnea and the products used with CPAP therapy. We hope that this information is helpful and informative. If you have any questions about any information mentioned in this newsletter or with CPAP in general, please give us a call, toll free, at 877-791-3195 and we will be glad to help.

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Respironics will be discontinuing the RemStar series machine. The larger model will not be available after January 2007. The RemStar machine platform has been replaced by the smaller M-Series machine. The M-Series machines are available in CPAP, APAP, and BiLevel and features optional integrated heated humidification in a small, lightweight frame. This machine series is great for travel as well as every day use. For more information on these machines click this link. XXXXXXXXXXX

Respironics Inc, Murrysville, Pa, announced record financial results for fiscal year 2007 first quarter. Net sales for the first quarter totaled $266.6 million, up 11% over the $240.2 million from the first quarter a year ago. On a global basis, sleep therapy revenues grew by 17% during the first quarter, from $131.1 million to $153.9 million.

“We are pleased to be reporting another quarter of record revenues and profits to begin our 2007 fiscal year,” said John Miclot, president and CEO of Respironics. “During the quarter, we continued our plan to transition to our new M-Series family of sleep therapy devices, and we are encouraged by the strong acceptance of these product offerings.”

Domestic revenues increased 9% from $166.0 million in the first quarter a year ago to $181.6 million in the current year’s first quarter. The company’s domestic revenue gains were led by a year-over-year increase of $14.4 million, or 15%, in domestic sleep therapy products. For example, Respironics’ Alice 5 Sleep Diagnostics System continues to gain market share in sleep labs, posting $5.8 million of revenues in the first quarter, which represents 41% year-over-year growth. “The company is continuing its research and development efforts in the obstructive sleep apnea area and expects to release several new patient interfaces during fiscal year 2007,” said Miclot.

ResMed announces record sales: in the first quarter of fiscal 2007, domestic sales increased by a very robust 34% over the year ago quarter to $89.6 million, reflecting continuing strong demand for our S8 platform and interfaces. International sales totaled $74 million, an encouraging 23% increase over last year. Operating cash flow for the September quarter was $26 million,” said Peter C. Farrell, PhD, chairman and CEO, in a company news release. “This quarter we saw continued strength in the sales of our core products, including the Swift nasal pillows system and our full face masks. We are also encouraged by the initial response to our newly launched VPAP Adapt SV, which is used to treat complex or mixed sleep apnea.
(Source: OSA Today)

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CPAP Supplies Plus/Direct would like to remind you that we have a great Customer Care service in our facility. Our phone lines are staffed five days a week with courteous knowledgeable consultants who are able to answer all of your questions. Many of our customers were originally set-up with CPAP equipment by a local homecare provider who did not take time to answer questions and explain your machine, mask and accessories. We understand the health implications of CPAP compliance and want to see you succeed! Give us a call at 877-791-3195.

Did you know that over 28% of the truckers on the road suffer from some form of sleep disorder breathing (SDB)? Knowing that trucks bring every single item to the store you shop in – the potential for accidents is astronomical! In a recent article published in the OSA TODAY, on trucking firm is taking notice.

Schneider National of Greenbay, WI has concluded:
• After diagnosing almost 350 drivers with SDB, the company saw a 50% monthly drop in medical costs.
• There was a 73% reduction in preventable accidents among a group of 225 SDB-diagnosed drivers treated with CPAP.
• Drivers treated with CPAP had a retention rate 2.29 times greater than the total company driver population in 2004.

Wendy Sullivan, Schneider’s occupational health manager, said that in the past 3 years, the truckload behemoth has “recognized a trend in those medical records that sleep apnea had a lot to do with fatigue and hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes. With 15,000 drivers, we’re scaling this effort and learning as we go. With this sort of return on investment, we decided that we're going to pay for the cost of this study and CPAP.”

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Headgear and chinstraps: these two items are a major source of confusion for most CPAP users. In recognition of this, we have provided a new cross reference page on our site to help eliminate some of the confusion. This cross reference can be used in several ways: by mask style, original part number, and by Tiara Medical replacement part number. We have provided links from the cross reference page directly to many of the items. However, if a link does not exist, we may have the item in stock – so please give us a call for additional assistance at 877-791-3195.

Due to the overwhelming response to our customers, we have decided to continue the FREE FILTERS FOR A YEAR promotion. The importance of this promotion can been seen in two areas: 1) The use of humidification; humidifiers add comfort to the user and therefore allow increased hours of therapy each night, and 2) Provide FREE filters – giving the user the necessary filters to allow the machine to run in the most efficient fashion. Machine filters remove particulate matter from the air before it can be passed through the machine into your mask. In addition, once a filter becomes clogged with debris, the machine is forced to work harder to provide the same amount of air pressure, thus, decreasing the life of your machine.

More information on new products as they are released will be given in our next newsletter or see them on our site at www.cpapplus.com .

////////////////////////////////////////THANKS TO OUR CUSTOMERS///////////////////////////////////
As always we hope that you find this information helpful and informative. We thank you for choosing CPAP Supplies Plus/Direct as your supplier for CPAP equipment and accessories. Don’t forget to maintain good health by keeping your equipment clean and replacing your filters and tubing often! Remember, poor performance of your mask may indicate a new cushion or nasal pillows are needed.

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