Increased AHI with mask switch

I usually use the P10 with an AHI around 1 or 2. I just tried a nap with a new mask, the full face Airtouch F20 and my AHI was a little over 5, mostly hypopneas. I looked on sleepyhead and I had a pressure of 15, which my machine was set at 10-15, so it probably would have gone higher. I also noticed I felt "starved for air" like I wasn't getting enough air compared to the P10. With the P10 my pressure stays around 10-13, never getting up to 15. Is it normal to need more pressure with a different mask type when switching from pillows to Full face?

Cardsfan wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 29, 2018 4:14 pm

Is it normal to need more pressure with a different mask type when switching from pillows to Full face?

For a lot of people...yes it is normal. Not everyone of course but enough people that I classify it as "common".

I think that with a full face mask that those lower straps alter the jaw maybe just a little and pull it back and thus alter the airway itself. Makes it just a little more narrow to start with.
Let's face it...you need some tension on those lower straps to keep the mask sealed.
Chin straps will often do the same thing...pull that jaw back a bit.

I know people going from a full face mask to nasal pillows who can get by with 2 to 3 less pressure with the pillows.
Stands to reason that when going from pillows to FFM that some people will likely need more pressure to get the same results.

Now of course a nap all by itself really isn't a good marker to do much evaluation with because historically naps can give us off the wall results anyway even without a change in mask. I wouldn't go making a lot of adjustments based on nap data.

Thanks-

I changed the pressure from 10/15 to 12/20. That fixed the feeling I was not getting enough air. We'll see how it goes tonight. I will say the new diffused exhaust vent in amazing- I can barely feel any exhaust at all. It came with the origin vent and the new vent. When I compared them the new vent is quite an improvement.