ResMed Ultra Mirage -Full Face Mask

[needingu]

I'm sure I have seen a poll on this..What do you do to stop the fluttering around the edges of this mask.. A Full Face Mask..Ultra Mirage.?

[Wulfman]

I would suggest "tweaking" the strap tension. Could be too loose or too tight. I try to get the rubber skirt/flap tucked in so it will seal better. I wear the top straps pretty loose and most of the tension is on the lower straps. I also have the forehead piece in the complete vertical position.....just barely touches my forehead.
I'm not sure what I did, but I've had some really low leak rates for some time now.

Keep tweaking,

Den

[ghmerrill]

I take pretty much the same approach as Wulfman, which results in the mask conforming more closely to the contours of my face.

The best position for the forehead piece really depends on the shape of your head. However, I think there is a tendency to set that piece to slope back a bit in order to achieve a higher degree of comfort. The result tends to be a less satisfactory seal. I notice that when I try this and look at my leakage data via the software, the leak rate is elevated -- even if I don't notice it during the night.

I also, like Wulfman, have virtually no tension on the top strap, but use it only to hold that part against the forehead. Given what he says, I may try even less pressure there since in my experience the most common leaks for me seem to be along the sides at just about where the bottom of my nose is -- and this is exacerbated if the forhead piece "lifts" the top of the mask even slightly off the bridge of the nose.

That said, I think you need to also be sure you have the right size mask. I started out with a medium, but felt uncomfortable with that and went to a large -- which I've been using for about a year. But I'm planning on going back to a medium -- at least trying that for a while next time I get a mask.

I think my face is of a kind of intermediate size -- between a medium and a large -- and the large develops some leaks along it's outside bottom corners some time in the early morning. I'm thinking that a medium will reduce the leaks for me, and that I may be happy with it now that I've grown more accustomed to the mask in general.

[WNJ]

I had to set the straps pretty tight to get a seal with my UMFF at my pressures.

As I now have it set, I get a good seal at 10-12 cm pressure, and it is prone to leaks at the high end of my auto pressure range, 13-14 cm. I spend so little time at the higher pressures and I don’t want to tighten the straps any more to try to eliminate the remaining leaks.

I forget which Respironics FF mask I tried, but it would not seal for me at all.

YMMV

Wayne

[pes423]

I have the UMFF and was able to barely tighten it at all when I first got it. Just out of the box, with it very loose, it seemed to stick to my face like that monster on John Hirt's face in Alien!!! After days and weeks of usage, no matter how I cleaned it, it just doesn't "stick" anymore and I have to start tightening the straps to keep from leaking. Something about that brand new silicone that makes it sticky. No matter how I clean it, I can't get that stickiness back!!! Anyone have any suggestions??

[sidesleeper]

Wash your face before you go to bet and don't wear any lotion whatsoever on your face. I think it's the oils on our face that break down the seals.

[JeffK]

what are the average leak numbers some of you are getting with the UMFF? I just started CPAP a little over a week ago and according to my RemStar Pro M series I am averaging about 42l/hr of leak, I don't notice any obvious leaks at night though, it seems to seal pretty well for me in just about any sleep position

[JeffK]

Oh and that's at a pressure of 7cm, which I think might be a bit low yet since my AHI average is about 7-8, I will be purchasing software in the future to get more details

[Goofproof]

AHI scores and the pressure required to keep your airway open are not related. Jim

[JeffK]

Unless of course the set pressure is not enough to clear all apneas thus causing more event to be recorded while on the CPAP. Is it not possible that the titration could be off? afterall considering the conditions in the lab it is only an approximate snap shot of your normal sleep. If you didn't have enough time to spend in REM sleep where apneas tend to be worse, I would think that there is a definate possibility to throw off the apparant pressure requirements. Is it always going to be perfect right out of the box, or is it more likely some tweaking and adjusting are in order?

[Snoredog]

sounds like you have HIGH pressure. I have heard some take a 2nd cushion and slip it over the first cushion and that stops it. Never tried it myself. If you have an old cushion that is what I would try.

[ghmerrill]

Unless there is something odd going on with my mask, I average about 0.5 l/s, though at times this will go up to about 0.7 l/s at about 13.5-14.5 cmH20. So I guess that means a range of 30 l/min - 42 l/min with the higher leaks occurring only on at pressures above 12 cmH20.

[sleepnbear]

Thanks for the advice sidesleeper, I have always washed my face prior to using
the mask and had good seals, then all of a sudden it would not seal as well so
maybe the silicone is old (mask is 2.5-3 months old ),I wash it each day w/
neutrogenia soap ( any other suggestions?) maybe its because it's summertime
and etc... open to any other suggestions. thanks

[C-Man]

I used to have pretty substantial leaks with my UMFF. I just purchased a new mask and I could not use it. I think that their is a optimal time when the cushion is not new but has been used for a period of two weeks. I think that when the cushion is new it works best after being broken in that it looses some of its rigidity and then seems to conform better to the contours of your face. I had a nightmare of a time with the new mask for about 2 weeks. Llately (knock on wood) I am waking up with the mask on in the morning.

[Newsgrouper]

I wash my face with hot water and soap just before going to sleep. I get about 4 good hours before leaks develop. I get up (usually at about 2AM) and wash my face again and wipe the seal with very hot water. I go back to sleep and get about 4 more hours of sleep.

In my case it is skin oils that cause the leaks. Hot water makes this mask my every nighter.