AHI Increase with FFM

I just switched over to the Airfit F10 FFM, and have used it 3 nights. My AHI has ranged from 4.0 the first night to around 7 on the other 2 nights. Compared to my numbers for the last year with either a nasal mask or nasal pillows I am a bit concerned, as those numbers ranged from as low as 0.5 to around 2.5.

I have not used a FFM since my initial study at the sleep center, because I wanted the least restrictive face covering. I had actually given up on CPAP about 2 months ago after having gone through about 8 different masks (pillows or nasal). None of them allowed me a good night sleep, for a variety of reasons - mostly leakage or discomfort. When I did my sleep study, I used FFM, then a nasal mask, and finally some sort of nasal cannula. The cannula was by far the most comfortable. Unfortunately, the records at the hospital somehow did not indicate use of a nasal cannula, so I have no idea what was actually used, and the only cannula CPAP mask I could find was the NasalAire II which clearly not what I tried in the hospital and was a bulky, uncomfortable mask.

So while the Airfit F10 seemed comfortable, despite being a little claustrophobic with it, the increased numbers have me concerned. The first night I had not changed my machine's mask setting, so the 4.0 could be artificially low as it was set to nasal mask? I have tried increasing my pressure from 8.0 to 9.0, but that didn't effect the numbers either. I also tried both heated and non-heated use with the mask with no noticeable difference.

I also noticed the Airfit is the first mask I have used that doesn't have an extension hose between the mask and the hose. It looks like most masks have the extension because the elbow on most masks are smaller and need to be stepped down from the size of the tube, but since the elbow on the Airfit is the same size as the tube there is no extension piece of hose. For some reason, it seems the extension, which was usually more flexible, was a good buffer between the tube and the mask. Last night, my tube actually popped off my mask in the middle of the night. Not sure what caused that, but I would love to get some solid sleep, and CPAP therapy just has not worked for me.

Perhaps you are using the incorrect terminology in your search for the "cannula" type mask.
Did it look something like this one?



This one is Swift™ FX Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask
There are others under the category of Nasal Pillow.

No, I'm not using the wrong terminology. I mentioned nasal pillows in my post - I have tried several variations of pillows. The NasalAire II is a cannula type of mask, but the cannula's are wider than what I thought I had on during the sleep study. Of course, I wasn't exactly wide awake during the study, but it definitely wasn't any form of nasal pillows. I have used Swift FX, Go Life for Men, Nuance Pro, Mirage Swift II and Aloha Pillows to name a few, so I know what nasal pillows are.

It's possible they used a semi-disposable type only available to hospitals for one time use... that does happen, so you may not find it available 'out there' otherwise.

Thanks Julie. I kinda suspected I was not going to find what they used. But back to the more important question of why my AHI has significantly increased with the FFM.

Do you look at your sleep data, especially leaks? You may be getting a lot of leaks, which would also lead to poor sleep, as well as unpredictable AHI readings. Also, there may be other factors, like pressure settings that could be optimized, and so on. Looking at your sleep data will really help find out what's going on.

One thing that you might look at are mask liners from padacheek. They will help with both leaks and comfort. But the most important thing is to look at your sleep data and see what your pressure, leaks, and flow data looks like.

Of course, since you don't list your CPAP mfr. and model, one can only wonder if you even have sleep data available to look at...

I just downloaded sleepyhead software and looked at my data for the first time. Previously I was just checking the AHI on the display of the machine. Now I have lots of data to look at, but not sure what to look for. Is there a good guide for interpreting the data?

I also added my equipment to my profile, but I'm not sure it is showing up here, so I will list it - Resmed S9 Elite with heated humidifier and ResMed Airfit F10 FFM.