Hybrid Mask Reveiw - First Blush (Long)

bitfoggy · Post by **bitfoggy** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 10:44 am

Who makes this Hybrid? A few days back I saw Respcare as the listed manufacturer. Today, I see Teleflex Medical/Hudson RCI. Does anyone know the answer?

Issac · Post by **Issac** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 11:30 am

I think Respcare is owned by Innomed Technologies and I think Teleflex/HudsonRCI is their distributer or may have bought them, but I do not see any news about that. Respcare and Innomed are all part of a Incubator in South Florida called Mergenet or Mergenet Medical or something from what I can see.

bitfoggy · Post by **bitfoggy** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 9:13 pm

[quote="Issac"]I think Respcare is owned by Innomed Technologies and I think Teleflex/HudsonRCI is their distributer or may have bought them, but I do not see any news about that. Respcare and Innomed are all part of a Incubator in South Florida called Mergenet or Mergenet Medical or something from what I can see.

jones · Post by **jones** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 9:28 pm

mikemoran wrote:First nasal pillows that don't make my nostrils flare up, so all good stuff.

I got my Hybrid 3 days back. I have since had sound sleep at night with it. The pillows do seem softer and less irritating compared to those on my Swift. After I wore the hybrid on the 1st night (I had the pilows in the tall position), I looked in the mirror and opened my mouth. I could literally see the pillows extend to stay in the nares. Pretty cool.

nomad · Post by **nomad** » Sun Jul 02, 2006 5:45 am

Any other initial reviews... or follow-up reviews for that matter? Thanks.

Issac · Post by **Issac** » Sun Jul 02, 2006 7:44 am

Bitfoggy, don't take my word for it. All I did was look at http://www.hybridmask.com and could see the manufacturer was Respcare and the distributer , Teleflex and HudsonRCI. I clicked on the link http://www.innomedinc.com and saw on the lower right side of the front page a chance to see other Mergenet companies and I looked around there. They are an Incubator in Coconut Creek, Florida. I then clicked on the link, http://www.hudsonrci.com. A bit of lookng around showed me news that Teleflex aquired HudsonRCI not too long ago. I saw news on Teleflex that they are the distributer for the Hybrid and NasalAire products.

Interesting that an Incubator in Florida, a small one from what I can see, should be able to develop such ground breaking products in the sleep market. It looks like they are developing some stress testing machine and some kind of critical care humidification device. Looks like Mergenet is a very innovative hot spot for new medical inventions. It's nice to have these innovative "pockets" developing products for us.

SleeplessInVirginia · Post by **SleeplessInVirginia** » Sun Jul 02, 2006 10:42 am

Wasn't this mask first offered at $189? I see that it's now $174.99 at cpap.com. I love the look of this mask, I might try to order it for my next mask if the reviews continue to be favorable!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Jul 02, 2006 10:56 am

I see it got rated another 5 out of 5 stars. I'm ordering one next week. This thing looks like it would address most of the problems I'm having. This is the lowest price I've found, and I've been looking. Let's hope a price war starts this weekend and it goes down to 160.00 before I order.

birdshell · Post by **birdshell** » Sun Jul 02, 2006 12:21 pm

Bonnie, do you think that the hybrid is SO new that the DME company did not know they carry it? With the way some folks have spoken of their DME providers, it could take 6 months to a year before they realize what that weird looking thing might be....

I visit my DME provider Wednesday. I will ask the RT what she knows about it. Not only am I fortunate in having one sharp cookie for an RT, but she is a fellow user of CPAP as is her daughter. The DME provider is somehow affiliated with the Sleep Lab where my diagnoses and titration tests were performed. Because of all these factors, she sees things from several perspectives.

I'll let you know ASAP Wednesday evening (my appointment is at 4:00 pm).

Sorry about the delay in posting a follow-up. I was helping my mother with unexpected pre-surgery, surgery, and post-surgical events. She is fine, and there was nothing wrong except medical administration errors. Well, she did need the lateral meniscus repaired...and it was, without a surgical hitch.

My crackerjack DME provider's RT had not heard of the hybrid! I wondered if this is due to the fact that the manufacturer of the hybrid mask is NOT one of the major companies with which they usually deal?

Still, wouldn't this have been displayed at the spring convention for the apnea treatment community?

johndes · Post by **johndes** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 6:51 am

SleeplessInVirginia wrote:Wasn't this mask first offered at $189? I see that it's now $174.99 at cpap.com. I love the look of this mask, I might try to order it for my next mask if the reviews continue to be favorable!

The mask was first offered on cpap.com for $179.99. As I searched for it online, I saw some other web-site with a $175 price. I bet you others saw that too and now everyone has it for $175. Competition is a good thing!

bitfoggy · Post by **bitfoggy** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 6:54 am

Anonymous wrote:I see it got rated another 5 out of 5 stars. I'm ordering one next week. This thing looks like it would address most of the problems I'm having. This is the lowest price I've found, and I've been looking. Let's hope a price war starts this weekend and it goes down to 160.00 before I order.

I assume you are referring to the 2 reviews on cpap.com. Does anyone know if there are similar reviews posted on other sites too?

beneyw · Post by **beneyw** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 9:58 am

I spoke with an 'assistant' in my pulmonologist's office and her comment-..."We saw this mask at a meeting last week in Utah and the comments about it were not that good."

Now, assuming this mask may been used in trials wouldn't negative comments from 'professionals' have delayed the mask being produced or is this just another way to say..."We stick with the bigger manufacturers?"

Who knows...but I am about to order one anyway...

inacpapfog · Post by **inacpapfog** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 10:10 am

beneyw, I had to laugh when I read your last line! My sentiments exactly!!!
I think too many DMEs just look at their profit margins! To most of them, patient needs and comfort rank second in priority, at best! We are the ones sleeping/living with OSA treatment plans!!! I'll certainly listen to the input of members here before I'll bet the farm on opinions of the PPP! (Profit Packing Professionals)

roztom · Post by **roztom** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 10:28 am

I just tossed my $ into the ring. I ordered a hybrid today. CPAP.com had 22 and they are all spoken for. I am back-ordered but they are expecting more the end of this week.

As it says in my profile - my hobby is masks, not sports cars

I hope this mask works for me as the Swift didn't because of sores. (I nicknamed it Chuckie)

Also my occasional mouth breathing would be nice if it could be managed.

I'll let you know.

Tom

maskjkie · Post by **maskjkie** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 12:35 pm

birdshell wrote:
I visit my DME provider Wednesday. I will ask the RT what she knows about it. Not only am I fortunate in having one sharp cookie for an RT, but she is a fellow user of CPAP as is her daughter. The DME provider is somehow affiliated with the Sleep Lab where my diagnoses and titration tests were performed. Because of all these factors, she sees things from several perspectives.

I'll let you know ASAP Wednesday evening (my appointment is at 4:00 pm).
Sorry about the delay in posting a follow-up. I was helping my mother with unexpected pre-surgery, surgery, and post-surgical events. She is fine, and there was nothing wrong except medical administration errors. Well, she did need the lateral meniscus repaired...and it was, without a surgical hitch.

My crackerjack DME provider's RT had not heard of the hybrid! I wondered if this is due to the fact that the manufacturer of the hybrid mask is NOT one of the major companies with which they usually deal?

Still, wouldn't this have been displayed at the spring convention for the apnea treatment community?

Birdshell, after reading this I'm not sure your DME has such a sharp cookie for an RT. This Hybrid was very prominently exhibited at the Sleep 2006 show in Salt Lake City about 10 days back. Others I spoke to there were well aware of such a product and quite impessed by it.

Hybrid Mask Reveiw - First Blush (Long)

DME Providers Do Not Know?

Re: DME Providers Do Not Know?