dramatic data change with new FX

[foxhunter]

I just tried an FX mask for the first time last night with odd results.
My leak rate almost doubled
My AHI decreased by 30%
My AI stayed the same resulting in of course my HI decreasing by 30%
I did not use Lansinoh and will try that tonight and watch the results but the change does appear rather odd.
Anyone have any idea what may be going on? I know that the leak rate cannot be irrelevant.

[Telle]

Exactly how high was your leak rate? Over a certain threshold it can affect your treatment. I forget what it is in L/sec, which is how the S8 reads.. but I believe it's 24L/min for the S9.

I have the S9.. some nights my leak rate is 0.0, but I've had as high as 13L/min. But since it's always well below that 24L/min value, I don't worry about it too much. So basically, if yours has doubled but is still well below the threshold you probably don't need to stress too much over it. I'd also recommend trying the new mask for a number of nights before really stressing the numbers it's giving you, unless the leak rate or AHI gets to be really high.

[The Texan]

I found with my FX, that I need to have the head gear on the mask very very loose, to keep the leak rate down. When I tighten the head gear, the rate goes up, so you might want to also look at that area. I have found that I sleep much better with the FX, than I did with the LT.

[jdm2857]

When your leak rate increases, your machine's ability to detect events decreases. So, you may not be having fewer hypopneas; your machine just may not be seeing them.

[Janknitz]

Try changing the pillow size--one size up or down to see if that stops the leaking.

The nasal pillows must be inflated when you adjust the headgear to get a good seal. Try this:
1. Hold the pillows up to your nose.
2. Turn the machine on.
3. Pull the headgear over your head
4. Adjust the straps only enough to stop any leaking you hear or feel.

Some people swear by using something like Lanisoh cream to get the seal, but that makes the pillows too slippery and causes more leaks for me. You will have to experiment and see what works best for you.

[chunkyfrog]

My leak rate on the S9 Elite with Fx pillows ranges from under 12 to over 50
The smiley face never wavers.
Does this make sense?
I'd love to see leak charts for different masks--link, please.

[jdm2857]

Your ResMed machine automatically adjusts the displayed leak number for the expected mask vent rate. You do have to have the right mask setting for this to be accurate. So you really don't need the leak charts. But here are the ResMed charts anyway:

http://www.resmed.com/us/assets/documen ... sa_eng.pdf