OK to switch to different mask type at same setting?

[surf_rower]

Hello all,
I received my second mask, Swift FX nasal pillows, after having skin come off my nose from a regular nasal mask. The doc's office didn't mention changing the pressure setting, so I assume they did not change it. It is 6. A lot of you have made this change, I see from reading many posts, so I'm hoping someone can say, no, the pressure is the same no matter what the mask, or something equally quick and reassuring.

[BlackSpinner]

Hello all,
I received my second mask, Swift FX nasal pillows, after having skin come off my nose from a regular nasal mask. The doc's office didn't mention changing the pressure setting, so I assume they did not change it. It is 6. A lot of you have made this change, I see from reading many posts, so I'm hoping someone can say, no, the pressure is the same no matter what the mask, or something equally quick and reassuring.

A nasal mask is a nasal mask. If you changed to Full face mask then depending on the machine you have you might have to change the "mask used" setting.

[RandyJ]

It's unlikely they made any pressure changes but the first time you wear pillows it may feel like more pressure even though it isn't. You'll get used to it quickly.

[DJD52]

Hello all,
I received my second mask, Swift FX nasal pillows, after having skin come off my nose from a regular nasal mask. The doc's office didn't mention changing the pressure setting, so I assume they did not change it. It is 6. A lot of you have made this change, I see from reading many posts, so I'm hoping someone can say, no, the pressure is the same no matter what the mask, or something equally quick and reassuring.

I was concerned that the pressure may need adjusted when changing masks but my RT said No. As someone said in some masks you may feel like the pressure is less or more. I have worn nasal masks and mostly use nasal pillows, no problem and I too have a pressure of 6.
I hope you like your FX nasal pillows. I tend to reach for mine a lot because it's just so easy to put on.

[surf_rower]

Thanks everybody! I used the pillows for the first time last night and liked them a lot. No mask marks, no red swollen nose. Slept quite well. The pressure felt lighter (though the regular nasal mask air pressure was fine too), and the whooshing sound was much reduced. Surprising that the mask type affects the noise level so much.
Only problem so far is the tickling sensation inside nostrils in AM, but after 45 minutes that seems to have cleared up. I am hopeful for actual compliance here...

[Guest]

Hi BlackSpinner,

I noticed this setting but never changed mine to match.

Any idea what this setting actually does?

Hello all,
If you changed to Full face mask then depending on the machine you have you might have to change the "mask used" setting.

[FattyMagoo]

Just wanted to claim my last post as guest, I didn't realize I wasn't logged in.

Hi BlackSpinner,

I noticed this setting but never changed mine to match.

Any idea what this setting actually does?

Hello all,
If you changed to Full face mask then depending on the machine you have you might have to change the "mask used" setting.

[Pugsy]

Just wanted to claim my last post as guest, I didn't realize I wasn't logged in.

Hi BlackSpinner,

I noticed this setting but never changed mine to match.

Any idea what this setting actually does?

Hello all,
If you changed to Full face mask then depending on the machine you have you might have to change the "mask used" setting.

Mask selection choice on the ResMed S9 machines are used in calculation of excess leak. So it affects the leak rate that get reported. That's all it does. Doesn't affect pressure or anything like that.
The S9 uses a generic vent rate number for each type of mask in its leak reporting.

[FattyMagoo]

Wow Pugsy you know a lot about this - do you work in the cpap business?

Thanks for the help,
FM

Just wanted to claim my last post as guest, I didn't realize I wasn't logged in.

Hi BlackSpinner,

I noticed this setting but never changed mine to match.

Any idea what this setting actually does?,

Hello all,
If you changed to Full face mask then depending on the machine you have you might have to change the "mask used" setting.

Mask selection choice on the ResMed S9 machines are used in calculation of excess leak. So it affects the leak rate that get reported. That's all it does. Doesn't affect pressure or anything like that.
The S9 uses a generic vent rate number for each type of mask in its leak reporting.

[Pugsy]

do you work in the cpap business?

No, I am retired now. Just work at home with my animals and my garden and help out here when I can.

Most of this stuff has already been discussed at some time on the forum here. The mask selection feature for ResMed machines has been discussed often in the past and I just happen to keep that memory fact archived. I am just sort of a holding tank of information that can be found on this forum if a person knows where to look.

ResMed is the only machine that I know of that reports only excess leak so that any mask's expected vent rate needs to be a more uniform factor. It still isn't perfect because even within the various mask models vent rates are not all the same.
Like within all the nasal pillow mask models...they don't all have the same vent rate at a specific pressure so even that generic expected vent rate that gets subtracted is a guesstimate of sorts. It's close though and close enough for most evaluations of leaks.
Might get iffy if someone spent all the night up around large leak territory (for ResMed that would be 24 L/min) because we don't know exactly how much expected vent rate is subtracted and if wrong mask type is selected that could possibly compound a small error. Not a big deal if leaks are minimal but if most of the night someone has substantial leaks then we would want to get as close to accurate as possible.

Full face masks in general have a much higher expected vent rate than nasal pillow masks at a specific pressure.
If someone is using a nasal pillow mask and has the mask selection feature set to full face mask the machine may subtract too much vent rate before reporting leak numbers and you could see that perhaps leak numbers might be perceived as a bit lower than they really were. Not a big deal if leaks are normally low to start with but might be a small problem if leaks were bordering large leak territory for prolonged periods of time.
Might make it look like leaks were technically okay when really maybe they are a little higher than we would want to see.

It's not the end of the world if the wrong mask selection is chosen...doesn't affect pressure delivered in any way but it might cloud the leak numbers themselves which in turn might hide a potential problem if someone is thinking the leak is barely acceptable and instead it maybe is really above large leak line in the sand.

So that is my long version explanation of how the mask selection feature works on the Resmed machines.

Any Respironics PR S1 users...this is NOT the same thing as your Mask Resistance feature setting which has a totally different function and is NOT any factor in the leak numbers that are reported by your PR S1 machine. So it really doesn't matter (in terms of leak numbers) if the Mask Resistance feature is totally accurate because Respironics machines report total leak and do not do any subtraction adjustments for leaks based on Resistance setting.

[archangle]

In theory, pressure doesn't need to change as you change masks.

However, you should monitor your therapy results, both with observation and with the software. Any change may affect your therapy, even something like a different pillow or bed.

Some people think a full face mask pushes the jaw back on some patients, and may require more pressure.

I thought the ResMed mask type might have some minor effects on detection of apneas, flow limitations, exhale relief, bilevel, etc., but the leak rate explanation makes sense, too.

Edit - Some info here on mask type vs. sensing. "Why do AutoSet devices work with only some masks? Why not all masks? " http://www.resmed.com/us/service_and_su ... c=patients#