Anyone Succesfully using a Full Face Mask with Bi PAP?

Greetings:

Much to my chagrin (Since I already own a HC431 FF), I was told by a technician at Fisher and Paykel that Full face masks may not work with many Bi-Level machines as the safety valve (allows you to breathe should your Machine turn off) goofs up the software ,so there are periods of zero pressure allowing the incoming air to leak out the valve.

Anyone out there use a FF mask successfull with their Bi-Level Machine? What type of machine and Mask do you have??

I don't have a bilevel, but I do have an auto with cflex. I use a Resmed Ultra Mirage and don't seem to have problems with it detecting my breathing...

I have a ResMed Ultra Mirage FF (full face) mask. I just now went to look at it. ResMed had the good sense to not put any so-called "safety valve" in their full face mask. The connection is completely open to the main air hose. While it would not be good to breathe continuously with any full face mask if power was off, the exhaust holes certainly allow some[.i] outside air to get in. I'm no doctor, but I'd think eventually a person would be awakened much the same as from an apnea, or from the stuffy discomfort.

I experienced one such "wake up" when the power went out in the middle of the night while I was using my Ultra Mirage FF. After waking up, I realized the machine was not blowing air - then realized the power was off. I removed the mask and stayed awake for an hour or so until power came back on. I don't know how long I had been breathing through just the exhaust holes of the FF mask, but I didn't feel bad at all.

I have an autopap, but as far as I know, the Ultra Mirage FF would work fine with any cpap machines including any bi-level.

Rested,

I think the Ultra Mirage FF has some sort of valve on it so it does give you more than just the vent, but I think it is part of the connector and not inline...

Absolutely it does have a safety valve.

Take a look at the little elbow connector that the hose connects to.

If you look inside with no pressure on, you'll see that it's open and air flows through freely.

As soon as pressure ramps up, this stuff that looks a little like plastic wrap billows out and closes off the open air passage, closing the connection.

Liam, who was very puzzled by the openness of the whole thing, wondering how it managed to maintain any pressure at all, until he figured it out.

Joe,

I suffer from nasal congestion at times and talked to my doctor today. He is having my DME order me the same mask you are refering to. I am on a bi-level ResMed VPAP lll. I hope he knows what he is doing. It makes me worried now that the rep told you otherwise. What bi-level are you using?


Gilda

ok, I see what you're talking about now....the extra holes near the thick circular plastic ring toward the right of the connector elbow shown here:

Elbow Valve Assembly for Mirage Full Face Masks

I see how air pressure blowing in would move the extremely thin (plastic wrap looking) silicone circular edges against those open holes to cover them during normal use. And it would flop off to open the air holes if pressure stopped. I'd never noticed those extra holes all around the connector ring! Thanks, Liam! A safety valve indeed. No wonder I felt ok after the power outage wakeup. heheh

In case anyone is looking at the picture trying to find the "plastic wrap" circle with its center cut out, it doesn't show in the picture. It's inside the largest cloudy colored ring. But you can see it easily when looking into the elbow itself.

Lab rat that I am, I put on the mask, got out a magnifying mirror, got everything arranged at an angle to best view those open air holes from the outside, and flipped the machine on. THWUP! The silicone diaphragm did its thing...I saw it cover the inside of the air holes. Cool!

I don't have a Fisher & Paykel FF mask, so don't know how they designed their safety valve. The ResMed one is nifty, though, and I can't imagine any way it could possibly interfere with normal use of any of the machines - plain cpap, bipap or autopap.

I spoke to A technician at Fisher and Paykel and he told me that the mask can loose pressure during the switch from Inhale and exhale pressure settings. My old BiPAP S gave me terrible results, my new PB GK 425 seems better....perhaps the software /pressure sensors are better in the new machine!

Nevertheless...I just ordered a new Chinstap...just in case. I am Stuck with the FP HC431 weather it works or not.

This is really a bummer....the FP HC431 is the only mask that did not do damage to my face. Chinstaps proved to be a bloody mess, putting chafe wounds on my chin, slipping off, knocking off my mask and or changing the position of my palette and inducing sleep events.

Check the video here on cpap.com

You can see the valve opening and closing... Now if there were a way to take the frame and seal from it, and use the valve assembly from a ultra mirage, you might have something that would work with an auto...