Anxious about QuietAir vent on ResMed F30

[philo-br]

Hi friends,

I started using yesterday the ResMed F30 mask that has the QuietAir vent. I had the previous one with a more noisy vent. Seems to be the same one as this (maybe it's the new standard vent): https://www.resmed.com/us/en/consumer/p ... t-f20.html

Anyway, I woke up a couple of times early in the night and noticed that I couldn't feel almost any air coming out of vents. So, I became worried that the vent was not clearing out my exhalations and I was waking up due to re-breathing. Sure enough, I looked up online and saw people complaining about this.

Of course, it can also be the anxiety of using a new sleep mask causing insomnia. I am guessing that is what the clinic will tell me if I call them right away.

Is there any way of finding if I am re-breathing my own air? Would a pulse oximeter show me that?

I heard that if it gets really bad, I would wake up with headaches. But I don't want to wait until it gets to this point to figure out.

I appreciate any advice!

[Sheriff Buford]

There times when I wake up at night, don't hear any vent and wonder if everything was ok. In fact, as I get older, I rarely hear any vent at any time. Most of the time, I can feel the vent if I put my hand around the vent slot... but not all the time. I've gotten to the point where I trust that the vent is working. I've found that most things that can go wrong with the cpap equipment will either awaken you or the machine will tell you in the morning.

I assure myself that if I accidentally blocked the mask vent, I would probably awaken. If it was me, be assured you are ok. Once, a member was trying to advise another member to block the vent on his mask because it was too noisy. I've made regrettable comments on this site, but I assure you I do not regret what I said to that member and it still pisses me off.

Sheriff

[JeffHarnett]

Yes a Pulse Oximeter should show if you are not getting enough Oxygen (which you would not be if you are rebreathing a lot of exhaled Carbon Dioxide). I think that its just that the F20/F30 Resmed Elbow vents so much quieter and with less direct airflow than any other mask that I have come across, that it disconcerts some people. My checks using a Pulse Oximeter seem to show that I am breathing enough Oxygen when I use the F20 or F30. You may still want to verify that yourself though either with your own Oximeter of through you DME supplier.

[gv280z]

The F30 is very quiet. I can tell you a fullproof way to find out exactly how quiet it is by washing the elbow tube, shake the excess water out and hook it up to pressure, i promise you it will make a hissing racket for a few minutes until it dries, thats how much air it vents that you dont hear.

[Okie bipap]

If you want to prove it is working properly, place your hand over the vent and breathe. When you breathe out, it will feel warmer than when you breathe in. There is a baffle on the vent that diverts the air so you can't feel it moving.

[SleepyPaolo]

The quietair vent is freakishly quiet, but it definitely vents. I was similarly anxious at the start, but I'm using it for nearly three months now and I'm still alive, I think...Cogito, ergo sum...

[zonker]

The quietair vent is freakishly quiet, but it definitely vents. I was similarly anxious at the start, but I'm using it for nearly three months now and I'm still alive, I think...Cogito, ergo sum...

here's a test-

post here every day at a set time.

when a day has passed and you haven't posted.....

[Pugsy]

All these masks have been EXTENSIVELY tested by the manufacturers to make sure that the venting is moving out the old air.
If truth be known most of them probably vent a lot more than is needed from an engineering standpoint.

People that are used to the hurricane coming out of the vent holes of a non diffused vented mask might feel like they are rebreathing too much of their own breaths but it's simply not the case. The mind can play funny tricks on people.

Just because you don't feel the venting doesn't mean it isn't happening and happening quite well and sufficiently.