OptiLife and the hose clamp

[mhorowit]

Where do you position the hose clamp if you are using the OptiLife? I'm talking about the clamp that is used to secure the hose to your clothes or to the pillow or somewhere else.

The reason I'm asking is.... about three weeks ago my DME moved me from a nasal mask (ComfortGel) to an OptiLife with pillows. First impression was that it was a winner, but I reported my leak rate and the DME became concerned. I purchased EncoreReader and began trying forum suggestions in an attempt to isolate the cause of the leaks. There didn't seem to be any consistency. Then, very early this morning, just at the verge of consciousness, I noticed when I raised my head (as if preparing to nod 'yes'), the pillows pulled out slightly and I got a very noticeable leak.

I had been trying to find a 'balance' point to secure the hose; if I secured it too far down the hose, I was concerned the hose weight would add to the tendency for the mask to shift when I turned side-to-side, and if I secured the hose too close to the mask, well, I guess I didn't think what might happen; apparently it's too close to my mask and not allowing for 'pitch' (in aviation terms) or 'nodding'. The mask is much lighter than my ComfortGel, so perhaps sideways pulling won't be a problem. An experiment for tonight! - Mike

[MurphysLaw]

I've been using the OptiLife since early July and have been struggling the entire time with the leak rate, changing this and that. Nothing gets it quite to where the charts say it should be, even though I feel no noticeable leaks. After all this time I've just decided that I'm going to base it on how I feel. If I feel rested and alert, don't want a nap, and my AHI is very low, that's good enough for me.

As for your question, I actually have the clamp strapped at the top of the hose, not on the mask itself. I place it where it allows me to nod without pulling on the nasal pillows.

Good luck to you.

Lynne

[mhorowit]

Lynn - I believe your thought process is spot on - if I'm not exhibiting the symptoms that drove me to have the sleep study, than that's good enough; in fact, that's what my doctor relies on; how I feel.

So we're in agreement the hose must have enough slack in it to allow for the nodding of the head (least we pull on the nasal pillows). But, if we secure the hose above where the feeder hose joins the mask hose, then even if we introduce slack, the curve in the hose will be very sharp and will put pressure on the pillows; so you need a smooth curving hose from the clamp to the mask. At the moment, for me that seems to be 4” down the feeder hose, secured about 9” down my sternum. That seems to give me the slack I need, the reduced ‘springiness’ of a tight curve and hopefully not too much slack to pull on the mask. I guess I’ll find out tonight. - Mike

[MurphysLaw]

Mike,

One clamp broke so I kept the velcro strap from it and tightly strapped it on the hose directly below the working clamp. It keeps the good clamp from sliding the whole way down the hose.

Your response sounds like the response of an engineer. I'm married to one and two of my kids and son-in-law are engineers.

Lynne

[mhorowit]

Lynn- this is the first medical condition I've had where I've had to play an active role in my recovery (except when the dentist said I had to floss my teeth to avoid gum loss ).

I do have an engineering background and can visualize motion and forces, that helped me realize how to adjust the chin and head straps. I was thinking of taping my mouth for a night to eliminate exhaling thru my mouth as a possible leak source (that's where the software helps - If my lines flattened, I know that was the problem); but this morning's discovery opened up another avenue to explore; yet another example of how 'hose management' plays a role. If this doesn't help, I'll try the tape, but I have high hopes for tonight. - Mike

[zzzzzz!!]

Are you using a regular hose or the performance hose?

I find that a regular hose is really too heavy for the OptiLife and that the lightweight performance hose works much better. Most of the time I don't even bother with the clip but just drape the hose over my shoulder/arm or put it in front of me, depending on which side I'm sleeping on.

[mhorowit]

Oh, that's an idea I can look into. I think my machine came with a 6' hose, but that was too short for the mask I initially had, but now that I'm gravitating towards the Optilife, I may be able to go back to the shorter hose and perhaps the 'performance' model.

Last night my data showed my leak rate at 31, which although above the expected 28 for 8cm beats the heck out of the 49, 48 and 47 of the previous three nights, so repositioning the clamp and giving myself more slack really helped. Tonight I"'m going to see if I can loosen the headstrap, reduce some of the upward pressure on my nose, and still retain that leak rate. If that is successful, I"ll start start backing away from a 'mouth' strap back to a 'lip' strap, and if that's successful, to no strap. That will be a big leap.

Thanks for your suggestion - MIke