full face mask

[caprica]

Hi

I have been using CPAP now for a few months now. I have a phillips system 1 machine with swiftfx nasal pillows. I use a chin strap.

My wife is starting to complain that sometimes I open my mouth at night and the APAP starts ramping up to compensate and gets pretty noisy. The chin strap does not seem to prevent me from opening my mouth sometimes.

I am starting to think about taking the plunge and going full face. Can anyone suggest a good mask? Also should I get the one with a frame on the forehead or not?

thanks in advance, caprica.

[Julie]

Any mask may be ideal for any person, but each person has to find that one. Even if you look like someone else, your bone structure will be different and the mask that works for you may fit very differently on the other person. The only way you can find 'your' mask is to try on different types in different sizes, lying down, and see how they work. Cpap.com lets you return masks if you buy 'return insurance' on them, but local DME's may let you try them at their discretion... start with ones known to be popular like the Quattro FX, but be prepared to try different ones until you're happy and your numbers look good.

[Mary Z]

I like a FFM. I am a mouth breather due to nasal congestion that frequently pops up when I go to bed. I have used the FitLife Total Face Mask from Respironics, the ultra miirage, old quattro, and the quattro fx by ResMed. I like the quattro fx the best. The old quattro rested hard plastic on the bridge of my nose which caused serious skin breakdown. The first night with the quattro I had no leaks- the tech at the DME fitted the mask for me. The past couple of days I had some leaks, but I'll deal with that with the silicone divers use to seal their scuba masks.
Mary

[caprica]

thanks guys

I dont understand the difference between the full face mask with the plastic bit on your forehead vs one which just covers the nose and mouth. what are the differences?

[b360155]

thanks guys

I dont understand the difference between the full face mask with the plastic bit on your forehead vs one which just covers the nose and mouth. what are the differences?

Just a slightly different design. The forehead support is just there to add a little stability, especially for people that move a lot in their sleep. Ones without the forehead bar are designed so that the cushion inflates to form a seal and sort of "floats" on your face. I've used both the Resmed Mirage Quattro (with forehead bar) and the Quattro FX (without) and for me the Quattro FX gives me a better seal and is more comfortable to wear. The Mirage Quattro put too much pressure on the bridge of my nose and left a sore spot. If possible, just demo both types and see which one works best for you.

[Sheriff Buford]

You might go to cpap.com. You can search masks by their popularity. As was stated, all our faces are different. What works for me may not work for you. Good luck. Mask shopping is a journey.

Sheriff

[hyperlexis]

In my experience with FF masks:

1.) Quattro. = very stable on the face, extremely comfortable, very good seal, good headgear and virtually silent venting. But bulky, ugly, and has center support so not glasses-friendly. Tedious to disassemble and clean. Many small parts. Seal design can cause warpage in hard plastic frame and leaks over time.

2.) Quattro FX = extremely comfortable, good seal, silent venting and good headgear. Small profile, light and glasses friendly with no center support. But less stable, shifts around if active sleeper, and leaks more. Same ResMed issue with small parts to disassemble and clean. Can be hard to reinsert seal back into mask frame.

3.) DeVilbiss/Hans Rudolph V2 = Built like a Mack truck. One-piece, thick silicone mask can be washed by hand or in a dishwasher. The integral cushion supposedly lasts over 6 months and is replaceable. US-made. Glasses-friendly with no center support and with chin cup, it's very stable on the face even with movement. But the seal can be stiff and somewhat leaky at first. It loosens up and seals well after a brief break in period. Odd mask and headgear sizing system runs one size smaller than other brands so use their sizing guide. Vent is bit noisier than others.

4.) Amara = Light, extremely easy to disassemble and clean (mask and cushion pops out in one piece) and reasonably quiet vent. Comfortable cushion* and usually few leaks. Similar to Quattro. Easy forehead support adjustment. Very stable on the face and headgear is good. US-made. *But the design of the cushion can cause pinching and pressure sores at nose bridge unless very loosely fitted, which can increase leaks. Not glasses-friendly with center support.

5.) FullLife = Light, extremely easy to disassemble and clean. One piece removable, flexible silicone mask body and cushion and vents. US-made. Hard frame support is easy to clean and disassemble. Low profile and glasses-friendly with no center support. Cushion is relatively comfortable and improves with break in period. But, there are three straps with no quick release clips. Once you learn the proper use of the mask, it's really not a problem getting the mask on or off quickly, but you will be (gasp) forced to actually read the instructions.... Also, the venting is a tad louder than others, and the cushion can leak a bit more, especially at higher pressures and with movement.

Hope this helps you!

[teachcsg]

As a therapist I work with all the FFM and we always start with the Resmed Quattro. It seems to seal better than other mask. Now, everyone is different and it does not work for everyone but its a very good starting point. Pts seem to have less trouble with it than others. If I were going to start using one I would start here and buy the mask exchange warranty.

[Insopitus]

Being a mouth breather all my life, I struggled with the Swift FX for two or three months complaining about the same problems you describe. The chin strap works most of the time but is such a pain to me. Along came the Quattro FX.....

Sleep doc recommended I try a full face mask. He measured me in his office for a Quattro FX Medium-size. I received this new mask in early January of this year. Well, at first I thought I had "jumped from the frying pan into the fire". I did everything "in the book" and "outside the book" to make that mask work but to no avail. For a whole week one leak after another, night after night, and no sleep. Finally, I began to question the size of the mask. Could it be I really required a small size rather than the medium size that my sleep doc had prescribed? With my wife's assistance, we took the Quattro FX measurements needed, ourselves. These measurements can be found on the internet. It turned out that the distance from the point at the top of my nasal bridge down to the indentation below my lips and above my chin measured 90 millimeters, which is the measurement for a small mask.

Needless to say, I exchanged the medium mask for a small Quattro FX. The mask fitted me to a "T". After only three nights of trial and error to situate it properly and to eliminate leaks, the mask performed admirably and continues to do so to this day. Ahh!!, to sleep again!!.

I find this mask comfortable, very light in weight and keeps the leak-free seal, provided you position the silicone cushion carefully on your face pursuant to manufactured\r's instructions, and, you don't move around excessively during sleep.

I hope you find the above remarks useful.

[caprica]

thanks everyone - I will talk to my DMA and talk about trying the Quattro FX first.

Insopitus: would you be able to post a link to the website with the measurement guide?

[Insopitus]

thanks everyone - I will talk to my DMA and talk about trying the Quattro FX first.

Insopitus: would you be able to post a link to the website with the measurement guide?

Well, I would love to but the powers that be forbid me to to post the commercial link to the site I used; however, you shouldn't have any trouble if you google "Quattro FX measuring guides". I'm sure you will find it.

Insopitus

[Denial Dave]

The Quattro FX was a nice mask, lightweight & comfortable. But would not stay in place for me... I spent most of the night re-adjusting it and trying to solve air leaks at my eyes or face farts

Respironic's Comfortgel Blue is a nice mask, but after 4 hours, it was a leak monster.

The Quattro mask is now my FFM of choice...

Dave

[caprica]

well I borrowed a Quattro FX from my DMA to take home and try. I ended up giving up after 4 hours of faffing about with leaks and strap settings and went back to my swift fx cushions so I could get some sleep.

I must say the mask is very temperamental and sensitive to your strap settings and what ever you do don't move.

I am starting to wonder if this mask is a good idea or not or if I should have asked to try the Quattro instead.

Does the Quattro FX mask get better with practice? or is it a case of the Quattro FX mask either fitting you and works well or it just doesn't fit and you can't ever solve the leaks?

[zoocrewphoto]

well I borrowed a Quattro FX from my DMA to take home and try. I ended up giving up after 4 hours of faffing about with leaks and strap settings and went back to my swift fx cushions so I could get some sleep.

I must say the mask is very temperamental and sensitive to your strap settings and what ever you do don't move.

I am starting to wonder if this mask is a good idea or not or if I should have asked to try the Quattro instead.

Does the Quattro FX mask get better with practice? or is it a case of the Quattro FX mask either fitting you and works well or it just doesn't fit and you can't ever solve the leaks?

I used this mask in my sleep study, and the sleep tech fitted on me prefectly. No leaks.

I asked the DME for the same mask, and I would spend half an hour getting it to fit okay without leaks. Lots of frustration. Ideally, I would fit better with an extra small. I have to place it just right to avoid eye leaks and lower cheek leaks. It took a good month to get that figured out. I also figured out that the headgear was too large for my head, so I ordered a small size headgear. I got that about 6 weeks in, and that really helped me a lot. I now get it fit correctly usually in the first or second try. And it will stay good for 4 or 5 hours at least, sometimes I sleep for 6 or 7 hours straight. I got to 8 hours once.

Most of my leaks now are due to drooling. I don't know how to prevent that. I sleep mostly on my side, with my face against the pillow (a normal pillow). I do move around a lot and readjust my position a lot. My mask usually stays good (except for the drooling). So, once I get it on well, then it will last until I drool a lot or get up for some reason.

I've been using the quattro fx now since April 30, 2012. I tried another mask a few times, but never fully mastered it. I am currently 5 months into my second cushion. I do find that it seals better if I clean the cushion in the sink on a regular basis. Wipes are okay, but not as good. I think it stands up to any sweating, drooling, etc better if it is clean.

I am also extremely sensitive to leaks. I can't stand the sound or the feel of them. So, I tend to wake up if there is a leak. Most nights my leak graph is pretty much a line down by zero. If it spikes, I wake up. Thankfully, once I mastered the mask, that is rare.

I do agree that this mask is challenging to master. And I probably would not have mastered it had the sleep tech not fit it perfectly during the sleep study. I knew it would fit perfectly, because I had experienced it. Otherwise, I would have assumed it was not the right mask for me.

[Issac]

the 431 by F&P is a very good one , as well.