"MJ started using the BiPAP at first but had to switch to a volume vent because she wasn't getting enough support. She started using an LP10 and PLV 100, bedside and chair respectively. The PLV and LP10 were too heavy and they continually broke the recline function on her power chair due to the weight of the vent.

MJ started using the LTV 950 two years ago, on her chair only. We tried her on it one night, to see how she did on it at night, before going on vacation. She never went back to the LP10 or PLV, as she thought the LTV gave her a more normal of a breath than the other two did. MJ uses her vent 22 hours a day but not constantly. She has her vent on all day, to take breaths as needed, but usually is using it most of the day. She currently has the LTV 950 at bedside and the LTV 900 on her chair. She can't tell the difference between the two vents, so she likes them equally. This past year, MJ has had problems of air in her stomach. We were using nasal interfaces, but all air would enter her stomach regardless of the interface or setting of the vent. So, we switched to the lip seal mask but all the air would exit her nose. We couldn't solve the problem, so MJ got a G-Tube placed in Dec. 2002.

After surgery, we heard about the HT50 and how it had helped someone else with the same problem as MJ had. We noticed right away, that the HT50 cannot be used during the daytime if you use a mouthpiece. We didn't like it that the low pressure alarm didn't go as low as possible or to be turned off. The first night, MJ did ok, but noticed that she had more air and discomfort despite venting the G-tube all night.

Currently, MJ uses assist control on the LTV 950. She gets 15 breaths per minute with a volume of 850. Her insp. time is 1.5. High pressure is 55 and low pressure is off. We turned the sensitivity off for now, as MJ is having problems synchronizing with the vent and would trigger the vent 30 to 40 more times a minute. We originally set the HT50 to these settings, but the low pressure alarm was 4 and would alarm all the time. While on the HT50, we had to increase the volume to 1.1L as MJ didn't feel like she was getting enough air into her lungs. We only used the HT50 two nights as the stomach distension was too great in the mornings to warrant trying it any longer.

We are currently very happy with the LTV vents. We do appreciate how easy they have made MJ's life and how much easier it is for me while we are traveling"

'Trinity has been doing great with her new Pulmonetic vent. The new vent has made getting around much easier. She even went on a kid's carnival ride this summer with me because the vent and tubes fit easily in the "helicopter."'

"Due to having Muscular Dystrophy, in 1996, I was placed on a ventilator to help me breathe. Because of the way I breathe, most of the portable ventilators on the market at that time didn't work for me. My ventilator setting uses CPAP with Pressure Support and when I tried those various portable ventilators, I never felt like I was getting enough help breathing, or the breaths that it gave me didn't feel very smooth.

In 1999, I found out about a brand new portable ventilator called the LTV900 from Pulmonetic Systems. I still remember seeing it for the first time when they brought it into my room. I had mixed feelings -- I was excited that this might work for me and I could once again travel, but was also nervous that just like the other portable ventilators that I had tried, I wouldn't feel comfortable breathing with it.

After setting the LTV900 with Pressure Support of 15, and PEEP of 1, plus a few other adjustments, I spent the next ten minutes or so breathing with it. With each breath I took, I became more and more excited because it was comfortable! After three years of being at home, I finally saw hope again and the chance for getting back some of my life I thought I had lost.

Since then, I have gone on many trips using my LTV900. My first big trip using it was to the ocean. It sure helped to have it plugged into the cars cigarette lighter for it kept my ventilator fully charged during the trip to the ocean and back. Then when we arrived, I could still use it for an hour as we spent time by the beach and enjoyed being away from home. That was a very emotional day for me and a new beginning in my life."