"Tom Miller" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 01 Nov 2004 02:45:39 GMT, "Oscar_Lives"
wrote:

|
| "Tom Miller" wrote in message
| ...
| On Sun, 31 Oct 2004 23:48:15 GMT, "Stormin Mormon"
| wrote:
|
| | I'm with Bob on this one. A machine of that value is worth a
couple
| bucks to
| | have an electrician replace the cord.
|
| |
| | "Bob K 207" wrote in message
| | ...
| | OP-
| |
| | I get the feeling this is a medical device in a hospital?
| |
| | Get one of the electricians to replace the entire cord properly
or do
| it
| | yourself.
| |
| | this isn't brain surgery
| |
| | btw what kind of device is it?
| |
| |
| |
| Well, I may have to have it done, but to have the cord replaced will
| cost me at least $125.00 -- and probably more -- for a very minor
| problem -- a 10 cent problem. If this problem were on a lamp, for
| example, or on one of my computers, I wouldn't even tape it up.
Having
| medical equipment repaired by a durable medical equipment dealer is
a
| real ripoff.
|
| The device in question is a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure
device
| -- a pump that prevents collapse of the airway while sleeping. It's
a
| prescription item in the USA. It's mine, for my personal use, not a
| device in a hospital.
|
| The real problem is that if I have someone else fix it, I can kiss
it
| goodbye for a week or more while they send it off to some repair
| place, which means that I can't sleep properly at night. I walk
around
| all day like an oxygen-starved zombie until I get it back. And it
| affects my ability to drive, too. Yeah, there are ways around all
this
| but they all cost money and are not real convenient.
|
| There is no conceivable liability issue involved. The machine is 6
| years old, so it is not ancient. There is nothing wrong with it
| otherwise. The crack came about when I packed it into a case and
| travelled around for two weeks with it banging against the inside of
| the case until the cord started to split right where it goes into
the
| machine. I have used the machine for several years since it happened
| and it works fine. You can barely see the split even if you look
| carefully.
|
| I have several chronic medical conditions which have occasionally
| taken me to the hospital overnight. Having the machine makes the
night
| bearable; one less thing to worry about.
|
| Once I spent the night in an emergency room waiting for a regular
| hospital bed so I could have a coronary stent implanted in an artery
| next day. They would not allow me to plug in the breathing device
| because it had not been approved by their electrician (who was home
| sleeping). As a result I had to stay up all night. This is not the
way
| you want to prepare for a guy putting a steel mesh tube in your
heart
| using a wire and a balloon!
|
| I guess cutting the plug off the cord and slipping a heat shrink
tube
| over it is the only way, but putting a new, non-molded plug on the
| cord opens yet another possible electrical issue for the hospital to
| object to. I just thought there might be a clean, neat way that
would
| not involve this, but I guess not.
|
| Thanks to all for the suggestions.
|
|
| Oh, hell. Quit making such a big deal over nothing.
|
| Get a loaner CPAP from your DME and send in the old one to get
repaired.
|
| Better yet, get a new CPAP and keep the old one for a spare. Six
years old
| means it probably has over 17,000 hours on it and it is probably worn
out.
| You got your money's worth if it lasted 6 years. Besides, I'll bet
you got
| your insurance company or Medicare to pay for 80% of the cost.

It's not me making this into a big deal. I'm just asking for a simple
electrical repair suggestion on a tiny problem.

My DME doesn't give loaners. In fact, my DME is such a money grubbing
crook that I never deal with them any more. My insurance company
doesn't pay for this device. The machine works fine. Why toss away
$800-$1200?

buy one from http://www.cpapman.com/ for $400 instead of using the local
crooked DME.