Philips dropped the ball in sleep apnea machine recall

I have one of these. Registered for the recall very early on. Once in a while I get an email saying "we're working with the FDA to see you get the very best care!"

According to my sleep specialist, they're most concerned about cleaning products degrading the foam. I haven't use them, so the Drs. recommendation was to continue to use the machine. Risk/benefit and all that.

I was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea some years ago. After dealing with the machine for a few months, I decided to do some research on it. It turns out that simply moving your jaw forward when you sleep will keep the airway open if you don't get that much obstruction in the first place. Now I just sleep with a mouth guard, and it works great. Plus it's much more convenient for travel, since these days I only carry a 19-liter backpack with me, no matter where I go or how long I'm gone for.

The perfect storm of this recall plus the pandemic induced supply chain disruption and the chip shortages has made it really difficult for me to find a ResMed AirMini travel CPAP to buy in Europe. Pretty tired of having to lug the full-sized AirSense 10 around. Must be worse for the people who can't even get a normal, homebound CPAP, though.

"There are concerns that a foam component of the involved machines may degrade and become toxic, the company said."

Wow.