Pillows should last 18 months according to the sleep clinic

[Twentysix]

Can't find the right thread anymore, but wanted to post that I asked again yesterday at the sleep clinic how long the pillows of the Swift should last and they said, again, 18 months. They had no idea why in the US you would get so many replacements, but in Oz that is definitely not the case. They gave me one spare set, same size that I've been using, and said I should be okay for 3 years. Was shocked by the way that those pillows with the measly head straps cost 260 dollars!

[Julie]

Hi, I wonder if you're not mixing apples and oranges.. what gets replaced in the U.S. are JUST the actual pillows, not the whole mask with headgear. Just the little bits that go against your nose. They won't cost $260. Aus. I bet.

[Popi]

My Swift LT pillow is on its 12th month. Looking no worse for wear. My guess, they'll last as long as you take proper care of them...it's not like they're a moving part or something subject to wear. With the exception of filters, I'm still using all of my original equipment.

[Gerald?]

Hi, I wonder if you're not mixing apples and oranges.. what gets replaced in the U.S. are JUST the actual pillows, not the whole mask with headgear. Just the little bits that go against your nose. They won't cost $260. Aus. I bet.

You are correct, it's about 260-300 for a full mask here. Pillows are $89. Somewhat outrageous, particulary given the Aussie dollar is currently the same value as the US and as far as I am aware no Australian insurance companies include masks in their coverage (they do cover machines to varying degrees).

I am wondering though if we get different pillows to the US. I cannot see why we would, but my current set of Swift FX pillows have been going about 9 months now and seem fine. This seems very different to may US users experience.

[Twentysix]

You may be right that the AUS260 is for pillows and headgear, and i'm not sure what only the pillows will cost. But the pillows itself should last for that long, and apparently some people here have that experience. So that sounds promising.

[Janknitz]

I would NOT count on the pillows lasting that long. 18 months is a long time for anything to last. I'm careful with my pillows--I wash them gently in warm water and gentle soap and air dry them, but they don't last more than a month or six weeks at most.

There has been some speculation on this list that place of manufacture matters. Many ResMed pillows are manufactured in China, and those don't seem to last long. Others are manufactured in Oz, and some people claim these last longer. Also, they used to last longer than the newer ones. I can't confirm any of this, but if you do a search you will see that one poster claims that ResMed is aware of quality issues with the nasal pillows and has no intention of fixing it--why should they when they can sell more pillows?

In any case, you can get at least two sets of replacement pillows for very little money by taking advantage of the great Pillow Exchange to trade out the sizes you don't use, and if you have to buy the replacement pillows they are about $20-$25 US on average--and check out EBay which has them for good prices.

[chunkyfrog]

Maybe the pillow quality is different--the sloppy ones get sent to US.

[Physician]

I would NOT count on the pillows lasting that long. 18 months is a long time for anything to last. I'm careful with my pillows--I wash them gently in warm water and gentle soap and air dry them, but they don't last more than a month or six weeks at most.

Really ???

How can you detect when they are "bad".

[Janknitz]

Mine get to a point where they feel soft and "mushy"--the nasal pillow cones are not as firm. They leak easily and the inner pillows more frequently invert (daily instead of occasionally). The texture of the parts that contact my nose feels different, too.

I have several pillows as a result of trading, and I can tell older pillows from newer ones by feel.

[countman898]

I have used P&B Breeze Nasal Pillow Masks for the past 8 years. Only on my second mask and set of pillows during that time. I haven't noticed any deterioration in the pillows at all.

ken D
bris OZ

[Physician]

I have used P&B Breeze Nasal Pillow Masks for the past 8 years. Only on my second mask and set of pillows during that time. I haven't noticed any deterioration in the pillows at all.

ken D
bris OZ

All of this reminds me of an old slogan: "You many think it's funny but it's snot".

[timbalionguy]

I'm having the opposite experience right now. I have been getting about 6 months on a set of pillows on a hybrid mask. But as of late, the DME has been insisting that the mask cushion (which typically lasts 120 days) and pillows be changed every two weeks! So, they have been flooding me with parts, which I will gladly accept until the rental runs out on the machine itself. They have also bee telling me to replace the filters in the machine at 1/2 the manufacturer's interval (and the filters are usually not all that dirty even at the full interval). They insisted on replacing the entire mask about 45 days ago. (They also charged an outrageous amount for the mask, assuming I think, that I would make an appointment for a mask fitting.) At the moment, this is an unopened spare.

The doctor (at least in this instance, operating in good faith, as I do not see him all that often) also authorized through insurance a DME visit, which I may use if I feel it necessary (but almost certainly won't. But it scares me to think there are actually people out there who won't even adjust their headgear straps without visiting the DME!)

All that said, I did change a 5 month old set of nasal pillows not long after the main cushion had failed (At about 135 days-- tears in the seal) Although the nasal cushions seemed fine, I did indeed get an immediately better seal at the nose. I know my skin is rather oily, so the mask gets thoroughly cleaned every day. I use a mild dish soap.

This waste (both money and material) in our healthcare system is very sad only. Hopefully, we will learn starting 7 PM, if this is going to be dealt with..... (election results start coming in)

[plr66]

I have been getting about 6 months on a set of pillows......DME has been insisting that the mask cushion (which typically lasts 120 days) and pillows be changed every two weeks! So, they have been flooding me with parts, which I will gladly accept...... They have also bee telling me to replace the filters in the machine at 1/2 the manufacturer's interval (and the filters are usually not all that dirty even at the full interval). They insisted on replacing the entire mask about 45 days ago. (They also charged an outrageous amount for the mask, assuming I think, that I would make an appointment for a mask fitting.) At the moment, this is an unopened spare.

This waste (both money and material) in our healthcare system is very sad only. Hopefully, we will learn starting 7 PM, if this is going to be dealt with..... (election results start coming in)

Sorry timba, but your post is appalling to me. Where do you believe that your personal responsibility enters into this equation??? You portray yourself as a glad and willingly accepting "victim" of being the beneficiary of DME & healthcare system waste...but that it is somehow up to whatever happens at election time to correct your personal choices to suck the system for whatever you can??? Please give us all a break!!!

[Janknitz]

There is a reported problem with ResMed Swift FX and LT pillows that many other posters on this forum can attest to. This does not apply to other brands. It may very well be that other brands last a good long time without issues, and certainly as seen in this thread, some people have had long life even in their LT and FX pillows.

If you feel your pillows are fine and don't need replacing, that's great. Nobody says you must replace them. If your insurance is paying, make sure you have at least one backup in case of unexpected failure and then by all means STOP the DME from providing unneeded supplies and equipment. Ultimately you are paying one way or another, so it's in your own best interests not to milk the system.

My insurance does NOT cover the FX mask or pillows--I buy my own masks and I've used the Great Pillow Exchange to make sure I have extra pillows on hand for when I need them. I have not paid for any extra pillows. This is not "milking the system"--in fact, it's keeping perfectly good and otherwise unused pillows OUT of the landfill, at least until I've worn them out.