Urgent ResMed filter question

[Zaiforce]

Hi all,

My mother uses a ResMed Lumis 150 VPAP ST bi-level machine and requires quite high pressures (10 EPAP, 20 IPAP).

I have been noticing what I am 99.9% sure are fibres from her machine's filter finding their way into her humidifier tank after each use.

I notice every morning that the water in her tank is filled with little tiny fibres and sometimes long/large fibres, originally I put it down to being dust or tiny pieces of paper towel that were left in the tub (I wipe her tub out every morning so that is dry throughout the day to prevent mould etc.) but after noticing another longer fibre today I took a closer look and after comparing the fibre with those in the filter I am very sure these fibres are pieces of her filter breaking off and making their way through the machine and into the tub! (it is not a hair or anything else, on close inspection it is identical to the fibres from the filter).

I have included a picture at the bottom of this post of the large fibre I found this morning, in the photo if you look closely you can also see a lot of really small ones scattered throughout the tub.

Her machine was purchased brand new in March this year so it's only 4 months old and I replace the filter routinely every month, so it is now on it's 5th filter, so it is not like it is just an old filter that is breaking apart.

The filters I use are purchased from my local chemist who is a CPAP stockist and they are proper ResMed branded and packaged standard filters (her machine uses the same filters as the AirSense 10 machines).

I have always thought the standard filters looked a bit flimsy as I see fibres break off them easily when I replace them, they stick out of the filter like it is a piece of fur or something, so it wouldn't surprise me at all that they would break off with all that air pressure being forced through them.

Obviously this concerns me, because if these filter fibres are breaking off and reaching the humidifier tub then they most certainly could be going into her lungs as well!

Does anybody else have this issue? I know it is not a bad filter as I change them regularly, the machine is new and we only ever use distilled water etc. and the tub is cleaned weekly.

I have thought of maybe switching to the ResMed hypoallergenic filters instead of the standard filters as they look like the fibres are a lot more tightly bound and not wouldn't be as easy to break off on the hypoallergenic filters.

I did read somewhere though (can't remember where) that you shouldn't use the hypoallergenic filters if you have high pressure settings on your machine as the machine can struggle to deliver the required pressure through the denser hypoallergenic filter, does anybody know if that is correct? I am nervous about switching to a hypoallergenic filter for that reason, my mother requires the high pressures.

Thank you for any help / guidance, these fibres worry me. (pic below).

[ozij]

There are scratches all over the bottom of the tub - the result of your daily wiping of the tub with a paper towel. I'd dare even say "daily scrubbing".
Some paper towels are too rough for delicate surfaces, they have lint and using them will not get rid of the lint. You may be leaving invisible things in the tub when you've finished drying it.

I doubt ResMed would sell Hypoallergenic filters that impacted the machine's ability to supply proper high pressure.
"The internet" is chock full peoples wild idea, base on nothing but their imagination.

I would get a new tub. Wipe it only with a microfiber cloth - and - knowing how anxious you are - I suggest you get a stock of them ,enough so you can use a clean one every day. I don't think that's necessary, but I'm sure you'll feel better changing the cloth daily. And while you're at it, make sure the cloths can be washed at 60 degrees Celsius.

That's no what I do for myself - that's what I think you should do to give you peace of mind.

[Zaiforce]

There are scratches all over the bottom of the tub - the result of your daily wiping of the tub with a paper towel. I'd dare even say "daily scrubbing".
Some paper towels are too rough for delicate surfaces, they have lint and using them will not get rid of the lint. You may be leaving invisible things in the tub when you've finished drying it.

I doubt ResMed would sell Hypoallergenic filters that impacted the machine's ability to supply proper high pressure.
"The internet" is chock full peoples wild idea, base on nothing but their imagination.

I would get a new tub. Wipe it only with a microfiber cloth - and - knowing how anxious you are - I suggest you get a stock of them ,enough so you can use a clean one every day. I don't think that's necessary, but I'm sure you'll feel better changing the cloth daily. And while you're at it, make sure the cloths can be washed at 60 degrees Celsius.

That's no what I do for myself - that's what I think you should do to give you peace of mind.

Thank you for the reply.

You are right, there are definitely a lot of scratches on the tub from the paper towel, but there are also a lot of little fibres too (might be difficult to see in the photo), when I put water in the tub each night you can see them floating all through it.

You also might be right that some of them are lint/dust etc... I did try using microfibre cloths for a while but still had the same fibres/debris in the tub afterwards, although I probably should go back to using them anyway to stop scratching up the tub so much.

Again you are right about me being anxious lol, it's only because my mother is very fragile and she means the world to me and I get paranoid about making sure she is ok, I can guarantee you if this was my personal machine used by me I wouldn't care less, but since it is hers I go to every extent to make sure she's safe.

What do you think about the large fibre in the photo? That one is 100% definitely a piece of the filter, I ended up taking it out and comparing it directly to the filter and it is definitely one of those fibres, meaning it must have broken off and been deposited into the humidifier tub.

[ozij]

Again you are right about me being anxious lol, it's only because my mother is very fragile and she means the world to me and I get paranoid about making sure she is ok, I can guarantee you if this was my personal machine used by me I wouldn't care less, but since it is hers I go to every extent to make sure she's safe.

I remember that from the very first time you posted...

What do you think about the large fibre in the photo? That one is 100% definitely a piece of the filter, I ended up taking it out and comparing it directly to the filter and it is definitely one of those fibres, meaning it must have broken off and been deposited into the humidifier tub.

I don't know that kind of filter, and therefore have no opinion and I don't know its fibers.
I always use hypoallergenic filters, from my very first machine.

Some of my thoughts, not based on specific knowledge, but I do remember you posted:

We live on the east coast of Australia and it has been extremely hot and humid here,

I also remember you're rather far away from a "major hospital with an ICU"
Maybe your local chemist has a low turnover of the regular filters - and they're "oldish'? I know it's winter where you are now, but maybe they were stored in heat?
If I lived in Australia, I would try to order my hypoallergenic filters online from the ResMed shop. I wouldn't worry about their impacting the machine's ability to supply the correct pressure.

It makes much more sense to me to suspect the quality of whatever your local chemist is selling, than to assume ResMed would be selling hypoallergenic filters that harm their machine's ability to supply correct pressure - even high pressure. I doubt any medical professional expects a person who really needs hypoallergenic filters to forgo them when they need high CPAP pressure - on any certified machine.

[Conrad]

There are scratches all over the bottom of the tub - the result of your daily wiping of the tub with a paper towel. I'd dare even say "daily scrubbing".
Some paper towels are too rough for delicate surfaces, they have lint and using them will not get rid of the lint. You may be leaving invisible things in the tub when you've finished drying it.

I doubt ResMed would sell Hypoallergenic filters that impacted the machine's ability to supply proper high pressure.
"The internet" is chock full peoples wild idea, base on nothing but their imagination.

I would get a new tub. Wipe it only with a microfiber cloth - and - knowing how anxious you are - I suggest you get a stock of them ,enough so you can use a clean one every day. I don't think that's necessary, but I'm sure you'll feel better changing the cloth daily. And while you're at it, make sure the cloths can be washed at 60 degrees Celsius.

That's no what I do for myself - that's what I think you should do to give you peace of mind.

Thank you for the reply.

You are right, there are definitely a lot of scratches on the tub from the paper towel, but there are also a lot of little fibres too (might be difficult to see in the photo), when I put water in the tub each night you can see them floating all through it.

You also might be right that some of them are lint/dust etc... I did try using microfibre cloths for a while but still had the same fibres/debris in the tub afterwards, although I probably should go back to using them anyway to stop scratching up the tub so much.

Again you are right about me being anxious lol, it's only because my mother is very fragile and she means the world to me and I get paranoid about making sure she is ok, I can guarantee you if this was my personal machine used by me I wouldn't care less, but since it is hers I go to every extent to make sure she's safe.

What do you think about the large fibre in the photo? That one is 100% definitely a piece of the filter, I ended up taking it out and comparing it directly to the filter and it is definitely one of those fibres, meaning it must have broken off and been deposited into the humidifier tub.

First off, if the filters were coming apart and the fibers entering the water reservoir, you should see some sign of this on the filter itself. The filter would be ragged and have fibers hanging off of it. Does it?

Secondly, "when I put water in the tub each night you can see them floating all through it."

Read what you wrote again. The fibers are already in the water before you even turn the cpap on, right? So, they can't be coming from the filter, right?

[Dog Slobber]

The fibers could be coming from the cloth or paper towel you are wiping the tank with.

Stop wiping the tank for a few days and see if they go away,

[SyCoREAPER]

Looks like we're in the same camp of unknown with some sort of fiber like material in the tank.

[robbob2112]

If your filters are coming apart they are not the genuine article. Either the regular or the hypoallergenic filters are made from a spun poly fiber, they can't come apart. A lot of the fakes/aftermarket are made from a paper/cloth fiber composite that can and does come apart a bit.

Do your replacement filters come in an unmarked plastic bag or are they sealed in a plastic bag 2 per bag with resmed markings on them? The real ones will always be packaged like the second choice.

Try this - next time you clean the hose, dump the water through a clean coffee filter. If there are fibers in the hose then they are getting into Mom's lungs. If there are no fibers in the hose they are being trapped in the water and no harm done.

[Zaiforce]

Thank you everybody for the replies, I do appreciate it a lot

I am not great at putting multiple quotes into replies without making a mess of it haha, so I will type out some replies to suggestions & questions etc. below:

@ ozij - I agree, I wouldn't think the hypoallergenic filter would be an issue with higher pressure settings either as surely they would at least put warnings about that quite evidently on the product page etc. if that was the case. It was just something I read that concerned me, I did send ResMed a query about it on their website though so just waiting for confirmation, I will definitely be switching my mothers machine to using those if they say it's fine to do so, they look a lot better quality and less "flimsy".

@ Conrad - As for the filter looking "ragged", I think they look ragged even when brand new, we are on to our 5th filter now (we change them every month) and each one has looked the same, very "furry" and ragged looking, with fibres that are clearly quite loose. They are official ResMed standard filters, I have included a photo at the bottom of this post of the packet and a photo of me holding a brand new filter straight out of the packet, you can see how loose/ragged the fibres look, if you squeeze the loose fibres between your fingers and give them a slight tug even with light force they pull out of the filter, honestly in my opinion it is a poor design.

As for fibres being in the tub of a night before use, yes there are some small dust looking fibres but I haven't been concerned about those, the larger fibres that look exactly like the fibres in the filter have been appearing of a morning after the machine has been used.

@ Dog Slobber - Yep the smaller fibres could be coming from the paper towel etc. but I switched to a micro fibre cloth for a period and was still getting them, and I do give the tub a little rinse out with water just before I fill it up of a night, just to get any small debris from the paper etc. out, but you can't get it all out obviously so some could remain in there, I am certainly not accusing all the fibres as being from the filter, just the larger ones that are definitely not in there before use of the machine.

@ robbob2112 - The filters we purchase from our local chemist are genuine ResMed ones, they always look very flimsy and have fibres sticking out of them all over, I have included a picture below of the packet they come in and one of the brand new filters, all of the filters we have purchased have looked the same so it's not like it was just one bad filter.

Good idea about collecting the water from the hose when cleaning, I will capture the water in a tub when I rinse it and have a look to see if I can see any, thank you.


Below is a picture taken this morning of new fibres from overnight and a picture of the packet our filters come in (genuine ResMed) and a picture of one of the brand new filters, showing how loose the fibres appear...

Does everyone else's standard ResMed filters look like this when new, or is something wrong with the supply at our chemist??

[robbob2112]

I'll take a picture of the ones I am getting.tomorrow and post it.

[Conrad]

These are what I'm currently using for filters.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085Q ... UTF8&psc=1

Certainly not official Resmed filters but they work just fine. Take a look at the pics there at Amazon, that's exactly what the filters look like. Nice and tidy, no fibers hanging off anywhere.

There's something wrong with the filter that you posted a pic of. I've used official Resmed filters before and they certainly didn't look like that.

[Pugsy]

There's something wrong with the filter that you posted a pic of. I've used official Resmed filters before and they certainly didn't look like that.

You know that was the same thought I had. That ResMed standard filter sure looks awfully crappy and in all my years of using ResMed filter (both standard and hypoallergenic) I have never seen such a ratty looking filter.....even with the cheap generic knock offs have looked better than that one shown.

What you are using from Amazon is what I am using and I have compared them (visually) to the name brand ResMed hypoallergenic filters .....and I can't really see or feel any appreciable difference.

[prodigyplace]

There's something wrong with the filter that you posted a pic of. I've used official Resmed filters before and they certainly didn't look like that.

You know that was the same thought I had. That ResMed standard filter sure looks awfully crappy and in all my years of using ResMed filter (both standard and hypoallergenic) I have never seen such a ratty looking filter.....even with the cheap generic knock offs have looked better than that one shown.

What you are using from Amazon is what I am using and I have compared them (visually) to the name brand ResMed hypoallergenic filters .....and I can't really see or feel any appreciable difference.

Perhaps they got a bad batch of filters. I currently only use my AirSense 10 as a backup for my AirSense 11. They use different filters.

I have some Medihealer hypoallergenic filters for the airSense 10 that I got from Pugsy years ago in a supply package. I should be able to mail you a couple of them enclosed in a plastic bag in an envelope from here in the US.

You can PM me your address information.

[Zaiforce]

Thank you all again for the replies!

@robbob2112 - Thank you, if you do get a chance to post a photo of your new filter to see how it compares that would be awesome, I appreciate it

@Conrad & Pugsy - Yeah I thought the filters I had looked really scruffy/poor for being brand new official ResMed filters and that maybe I got a bad batch, but I change them monthly and so far every filter has looked more or less the same as the one I posted in the photo... Perhaps the one in the photo might be slightly worse than the others but the difference wouldn't be much.

I will check out those ones from Amazon, I appreciate the suggestion! If I don't use the Amazon ones then I'll try the ResMed hypoallergenic ones.

@prodigyplace - That is so nice of you to offer! I really appreciate that, I wouldn't expect you to send me the filters all the way to Australia though, it's ok I'll buy some others later this week, what an awesome gesture that offer was though, thank you! This community is awesome

[prodigyplace]

Thank you all again for the replies!
@prodigyplace - That is so nice of you to offer! I really appreciate that, I wouldn't expect you to send me the filters all the way to Australia though, it's ok I'll buy some others later this week, what an awesome gesture that offer was though, thank you! This community is awesome

i would not expect postage for a letter through the mail would be very expensive. I know the filters I have work well and came from @Pugsy years ago.

I hope you figure this out.