CPAP Nebie Seeks Advice

Good Morning. I've spent the last two nights on my new CPAP machine using the Quattro Air Full Face mask that I tested during the second night of my sleep study a few months ago. I'm having no problems adjusting to sleeping with the mask or the hose. While I achieve a tight seal with the mask around my mouth and nose there seems to be an excessive amount of air exiting through the vents around the elbow that attaches to the hose. This isn't happening just when I exhale. It is constant. It sounds like air escaping from a punctured tire. Depending on how I lay I can feel it blowing back against my face. I don't remember the mask doing this in the sleep clinic. Is this normal?

kghart,

That is completely normal, it keeps you from rebreathing CO2.. differant masks have more or less air coming from them by design and the newer one's have diffuser's on them so you dont hear or feel much air escaping... My mask now took me about 2 days to get used to, it wasn't blowing air on me as much and was almost silent compared to my other masks...

What pressure are you using?
Are you talking about air just from the vent holes? Higher pressures will cause higher venting.

You may have chosen incorrectly in your equipment profile. The humidifier doesn't match up with the blower and the blower you have chosen was discontinued a while back. How about we fix it to avoid confusion later?
Look on the bottom of the blower unit for a 3 digit model number and tell us what it is and then we can point you to exactly which machine choice to make. The 3 digit number might have DS or REF in front of it.

That venting is deliberate to get rid of the CO2 in your exhalations so that you get fresh air when you inhale.
It may be that the pressure on your machine is higher than you remember so the vent seems stronger.
Do you have the ramp function turned on?
That would be one way of lessening the pressure in the time before you are actually asleep.
For example, setting the ramp pressure to about 1/2 or less of the initial pressure and setting the ramp time to about 20 minutes might be a starting point. This feature is intended to assist the patient in being more comfortable while going to sleep. Most CPAP seem not use the ramp function after they get very comfortable with their machines. When I was on my Auto BiPap machine a year ago, my pressures were 17/19.5 cmH2O and I had the ramp turned off. At the beginning, I had it on with a duration of 40 minutes and kept it that way until I was comfortable. With my ASV machine, I never turned the ramp function on at all. It really is a matter of personal preference.

Don't ever cover the vent with bedding or you'll rebreathe CO2.

Thanks for the quick replies. My pressure is 10 and yes, I am using the ramping function when I initially go to sleep or when I wake up and am trying to fall back to sleep. The air is just coming from the vent holes and not around the mask itself. I guess I just don't remember the venting from my sleep study. During my study I started out on a nasal mask, which was working well. In the middle of the night my nose became congested and I couldn't breath in/out so they switched me to the mask. I was probably just so tired I don't remember it.

I'll double check my equipment this evening and update my profile accordingly. Thanks again for all the advice.

Julie wrote:Don't ever cover the vent with bedding or you'll rebreathe CO2.

it's ok if you get sheets or pillows or sometihng on the vents, the air can blow through them, just don't *block* them with something that prevents the air coming out.

sometimes I pull the covers up over my head to block the light for a quick nap in the daytime, having the fresh air delivered right to my nose via the hose makes it ok, it was always too stuffy for me without the cpap

kghart wrote:Thanks for the quick replies. My pressure is 10 and yes, I am using the ramping function when I initially go to sleep or when I wake up and am trying to fall back to sleep. The air is just coming from the vent holes and not around the mask itself. I guess I just don't remember the venting from my sleep study. During my study I started out on a nasal mask, which was working well. In the middle of the night my nose became congested and I couldn't breath in/out so they switched me to the mask. I was probably just so tired I don't remember it.

I'll double check my equipment this evening and update my profile accordingly. Thanks again for all the advice.

different masks have their vents in different places, and different configurations... you quite possibly had a different mask during your study. (or maybe you were half asleep and didn't notice )

I'm looking at the bottom of my machine and I see the following info: REMstar Auto, DOM, [REF] 560P...on top it says REMstar Auto A-Flex, System One. Based on this information what should I choose as equipment for my profile?

Yes

kghart wrote:I'm looking at the bottom of my machine and I see the following info: REMstar Auto, DOM, [REF] 560P...on top it says REMstar Auto A-Flex, System One. Based on this information what should I choose as equipment for my profile?

you need the one that says "60 series auto" that's nearby on the list.