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WHAT IS A "PICK OFF PORT"?

Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2012 8:03 pm
by rkmontg342
Evidently my mask has a pick off port, featured in a picture in the booklet, but have yet to find what it is for. anybody know? and if you do know its use, is it okay to sleep with the cap off of it? thanks,

Re: WHAT IS A "PICK OFF PORT"?

Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2012 8:14 pm
by BlackSpinner
Probably for an O2 conection

Re: WHAT IS A "PICK OFF PORT"?

Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2012 8:37 pm
by archangle
In addition to what BlackSpinner said, it can also be a port to measure mask pressure. O2 bleed in is probably more common.

http://www.healthcare.philips.com/pwc_h ... lesAid.pdf

"O2 pick-off port for pressure measurement or O2 bleed-in"

Some older CPAP machines used a second hose to read pressure at the mask. I believe some hospital equipment still does that. More modern home CPAP machines are better at estimating mask pressure by measuring air flow and pressure at the other end of the hose.

Re: WHAT IS A "PICK OFF PORT"?

Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2012 9:39 pm
by rkmontg342
Thanks all for the info. I notice, when I take off the cap, it is a little easier to breath.

Re: WHAT IS A "PICK OFF PORT"?

Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2012 9:42 pm
by archangle
rkmontg342 wrote:Thanks all for the info. I notice, when I take off the cap, it is a little easier to breath.
Don't do that, you're losing pressure and may be hurting your treatment. Probably wasting a lot of water as well.

Re: WHAT IS A "PICK OFF PORT"?

Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2012 7:35 am
by rkmontg342
Thanks for the advice archangle. I put the cap back on last night.

Re: WHAT IS A "PICK OFF PORT"?

Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2012 7:49 am
by chunkyfrog
I had to cut down the top of the one on my ComfortGel FF,as the cuff on my climateline kept getting hung up on it.

Re: WHAT IS A "PICK OFF PORT"?

Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2012 8:23 am
by rkmontg342
Thanks. Will keep an eye on that. I had a little trouble getting the cap to stay on. The air pressure kept popping it off. after a few tries it finally stayed on. now if I could only get the auto on to work all the time (not only when it feels like it), and the auto off to work at all. They both are turned on. Will be calling the place where I picked up the machine and mask next week. thanks for help.

Re: WHAT IS A "PICK OFF PORT"?

Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2012 8:34 am
by msradar65
auto start and stop feature does not work with full face mask due to anti-asphyxia valve.

Re: WHAT IS A "PICK OFF PORT"?

Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2012 9:30 am
by greatunclebill
msradar65 wrote:auto start and stop feature does not work with full face mask due to anti-asphyxia valve.
i do not use autostop and won't try it because i turn my machine off manually. i don't know about your autoset and how the auto on/off features work, but i want to assure you that auto on works on my system one machine with my full face masks and they have the working valve you are talking about. the op is talking about a system one. some masks with littler volume inside like the quattro fx come on with very little breath. other big masks like the flexifit with more volume inside require a little more breathing to kick it on. this is why the op said it comes on when it wants to. his mask for whatever reason obviously requires a little more effort.

Re: WHAT IS A "PICK OFF PORT"?

Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2012 10:03 am
by archangle
rkmontg342 wrote: now if I could only get the auto on to work all the time (not only when it feels like it), and the auto off to work at all. They both are turned on.
As msradar points out, auto on isn't supposed to work because of the anti-asphyxia valve in the FFM. It may work sometimes due to the resistance of the port to airflow.

Cover the port with your hand and inhale and exhale a few times and it should start. You also may be able to inhale/exhale sharply a few times and make it work.

I think auto off takes a minute or two to work, but I'll have to experiment. I prefer not to use it because I don't want the CPAP to shut off if I get a really large leak and don't wake up.

Re: WHAT IS A "PICK OFF PORT"?

Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2012 10:16 am
by greatunclebill
archangle wrote: auto on isn't supposed to work because of the anti-asphyxia valve in the FFM. It may work sometimes due to the resistance of the port to airflow.
autostart on my system one works almost immediately every single time when i put my new quattro fx on. what about other system one users?

Re: WHAT IS A "PICK OFF PORT"?

Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2012 10:22 am
by chunkyfrog
I sort of hoped a pick off port was an access point for a proprietary nose-scratching device.
What a way to market a mask!

Re: WHAT IS A "PICK OFF PORT"?

Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2012 10:29 am
by Pugsy
Autostart on the PR S1 machines will work with full face masks.
Autostart on the ResMed machines used to be automatically disabled when full face masks are chosen. For sure on the S8 machines but I think on the S9 machines that it may longer do that.

Most of the time when autostart doesn't come on initially when that setting choice is turned on...it is almost always due to probably shallow breathing and the machine just doesn't sense the breaths. It happens even with nasal pillow masks for some people.
Almost always resolved when the user makes a conscious effort to breath more forcefully for a handful of breaths.

Of course there could always be a problem with the machine but that is rare and when someone reports Autostart working intermittently my first thought is the force of the breaths. Sometimes just not quite enough force is used to trigger the machine's sensors.

Re: WHAT IS A "PICK OFF PORT"?

Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2012 10:31 am
by Janknitz
I use a PRS1 auto and I have to cover the anti-asphyxiation valve with my hand to use auto star with the Mirage Quattro