Kludging the ComfortCurve

It has the best nose seal I’ve ever tried, seals well with little force, but would not stay in place – kept creeping up and blocking my nostrils.

I found a crude solution – a piece of ¾” wide elastic around the seal carrier frame and under my chin, held on my chin by (As the elastic is at somewhat of an angle so would tend to pull off my chin.)

I have not tried the similar seal that is optional for the OptiLife interface system. (OptiLife began with nostril pillows of the typical light single-bellows design. The headgear is interesting, appears to keep the seal against the nostrils by lever geometry obtained by offsetting the headgear and chin strap from each other, but I am wary of that due my experience with the ComfortCurve blocking my nostrils. (I have ideas on how to mitigate that in design of the seal.) How stable it is in general I do not know, IIRC one user added a strap around the back of her neck.)

BTW, I had modified the top of the headgear to stabilize straps, which helped in general but did not fix the problem of the seal creeping up.

FYI the new OptiLife interface is designed to prevent creepup.

I don't like it as much as my kludge of ComfortCurve, not as comfortable.

I can redo headgear but cannot find more of the clips that break, perhaps I can just fasten to the manifold with a flush screw.

And the cushion is not interchangeable with the OptiLife so that may stop me eventually.

The picture of the clip looks as if it is flat. Have you tried fabricating one from a small Formica chip or piece of polycarbonate sheet material available from a home store? Have you tried using epoxy or super glue to reassemble on that has broken?

Its tough when your working mask goes out of production and you can't get replacement parts.

Good thoughts JDS74.

The challenge is making the square holes, which are small and near the end of the piece.

I'd use metal, and first try to find a punch-die set of the width of the hole (rectangular might work as length is not a problem.)

More likely I'd change to a different attachment method.

BTW, glue is easy to try of course, but has to be stronger than the material. The part is highly stressed, which is why it breaks.

FTR, I goofed my original post.

I held the extra strap in place with the chin strap I use.

I’ll note that Respironics recognized their problem – they included a couple of spare clips with the interface.

I don’t know if they ever improved the bad design, more likely they discontinued the product because of its overall geometry flaw, later introducing a quite different design.

(The ComfortCurve was in the eyes-clear fad of the day, depending in substantial part on cheek pads to hold it in place.

Some people had abrasion from the pads, perhaps due wrong kind of silicone causing reaction or just the nature of the pad on skin, foam pads were included, both types may have been troublesome for people with very light skin including many elderly people as skin tends to thin with age.)