F&P Pilairo Mask Review & ResMed S9AutoSet cpap machine

[SlpLsInSeatl]

I just got the RedMed S9 AutoSet Cpap machine, and the F&P Pilairo Mask.

The mask is amazing, as far as comfort, quietness, and you're not even aware of the pressure, or knowing it is on or not! I've read many people saying they had leaks and/or it was noisy! If that's the case, and that's "you" you need to adjust it "tighter," to stop the leaks, which is IMPOSSIBLE with the LAME ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL STRAP! How LAME is that?!?! I mean, c'mon, we ALL do NOT have the SAME SIZE HEADS! Good grief, how stupid are the designers to do that! And then, it's just a 3/8" skinny strap at that! I inserted 2 pictures below. The tubing/hose is extremely SHORT too, and not very flexible. (The best I've seen for VERY flexible small mask hoses was the ResMed Swift FX for Her)
Pictures are first 2; the F&P Pilairo, the 3rd is the ResMed Swift FX for Her (but the hose is a little longer!)
and

With the S9 AutoSet machine, it has a Mask Leak Test you can perform, and with the F&P Pilairo it FAILED miserably! Air was RUSHING OUT all over the place, all around the nose pillows! I had to grasp the back of the strap and cinch it up tighter and tighter until it stopped leaking, became quiet, and passed the mask leak test! THEN, I had to MODIFY the mask in ORDER TO USE IT! What a LOT of work! I had to use a rubber band to cinch it up, then put Velcro on the bulky lump to flatten it a little, in order to USE it! What a shame! It's an AMAZING mask AT THE FRONT, WITH THE AIR PILLOW. There is a pocket "around" the nasal pillows that inflates with air for the nose to float on! It's absolutely awesome, but the strap is crap! People with smaller heads ALL AGREE! Some think it's the Pillows fault, leaking air, but it's NOT, it's the STRAP! Once you tighten the strap, whatever way you can......... it is the BEST MASK invented so FAR, and I've had MANY ODD & strange masks since 1997! But they REALLY, REALLY NEED TO make the strap wider and ADJUSTABLE! PLEASE!!!!!!!!!

PS I have a question..... I used the S9 last night for the first time and the morning "report" said I had an AHI of 1.5. .......... what is that, and what does it mean. I looked it up, found out what the initials "stand" for, but I don't know what the 1.5 means. Good or bad? My last apnea test at the clinic showed I stopped breathing a LOT in an hour. That 1.5 sounds like a low number to me! Please help!

Oh, and my husband said HE heard air leaking when he got up early while I was still sleeping. It was silent when "I" went to sleep, the mask passed the leak test, so what happened???????? Does the 1.5 mean it was leaking every minute and a half? I think that's what my last test showed. So does the S9 "correct" those at the time they happen? Hmmmmm. I can NOT find the answers in ANY of the books that came with the unit. They tell ALL the features the S9 AutoSet has, yet, only TWO are available, the Mask Test, and the climate control! The ramp, humidity level, SmartStart/Stop are NOT available to CHOOSE! The AutoSet is more like an AutoLOCKED! I've had auto start and stop for YEARS on cpap machines, which is one of my favorite settings, but NOT NOW! I'm guessing the S9 AutoSet starts with a ramp, & sets its OWN humidity level, but I would still like to have the SmartStart & Stop instead of pushing buttons on the machine when I go to bed and get up..

I'm in the 2% of people that do NOT feel better from using CPAP treatment! AWG! Why me? I also have "narcolepsy" and "menopausal insomnia!" Oh man..... THREE sleep disorders! I felt like a NEW person the FIRST time I used the cpap machine in 1997, but never again! So frustrating. But, I still use it as much as I can. (I have severe allergies, so sometimes I can't BREATHE, & I can't use the machine, then I'm a zombie the next day!)

This is why I call myself "Sleepless in Seattle" (Tammy) because I am.........

[jwpinkham]

The Pilairo is the first mask I've tried after 7 years on the F&P Flexi-Fit HC707 nasal mask. It's a huge improvement as far as leaks, and comfort. Raising the mask up a bit is about the only adjustment I make after putting it on. MY old mask would awaken me with high pitched noise caused by moisture blocking the vent holes.

[Needsdecaf]

Funny, this is the same setup I just got Monday.

I would say that masks are a personal thing. Personally I have no issues with the strap, and my head isn't huge - 7-1/8 hat size. I find that the mask fits me very well and seals great. It is a bit loud, especially on inhale. But my wife says she can't hear it and I can sleep with it so...

I've had Swift II, Swift LT, Opus 360 and now this for nasal pillows and so far I like this the best.

[Pachyderm's Nose]

Let's start with the machine, the S9Autoset is a great machine but many of the serttings you would like to change are in the locked clinicians menu. To access this menu hold the round button and the front silver button down at the same time. once you are in the clinicians menu you can turn autostart on. If ramp settings are not available in the normal menus (you should be able to set the length of time you want for ramp) check in the clinician menu and see if it is turned off. Climate control is humidity control, I think the default setting in the clinicians menu is auto so if you have the climateline hose it should let you set a tempurature. If you are using either the slimline or standard hose you should be able to set humidity from off (0) to high (6) I think, never had mine over 4.5. I think some folks have modified the pilairo headgear by cutting it and sewing in velcro but I'm just thinking I saw that here sometime back. I hope you can get things set up to work for you, good luck!

[jencat824]

I can't address your issues with the machine, since I don't have the same one.

I am a Piliaro user & love the mask, but have had suspicions that it might leak. I've never experieced leaks while awake, but I'm having mouth breathing problems, and they are always worse when I'm wearing the PIliaro, hence my suspicions that the mask is somehow involved. I cannot detect any leaks by hand (holding my hand around the mask to feel for any air leaks), but I've thought when moving around at night the mask could easily move too, since the strap doesn't allow for any tightening.

I'm going to lay off the Piliaro for now & use just the Elan with my new small size cushion for my primary mask. For my second mask, it will be the Swift FX with the Bella Loops. You might want to try this, since the Swift FX with the loops feels like you have barely any mask on. Or you might want to try the SleepWeaver Elan. Its a cloth mask & is super comfortable. My only problem with it is the headgear. It can leave some marks on the face & the upper strap rides up in my hair leaving a few creases on top. These are easily pressed out with a hair iron, but if I'm going somewhere the next morning, I wear the Swift FX to avoid having to fix anything.

Thanks for your excellent review of the Piliaro, your determination of the leaks was super helpful to me.
Jen