Mask Leak Results

About a month ago, my RT switched me from a nasal mask (AirFit N20) to a full face mask (AirFit F30). I've been paying more attention than usual to the results, and over the past week my mask leaks have ranged from 0.0% on two nights, to 19.77% last night (with AHI of 1.05).

Does anyone have any suggestions for getting more consistent results? TIA.

Amishboy51 wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 11, 2019 10:31 am

my mask leaks have ranged from 0.0% on two nights, to 19.77% last night

Do you mean lpm instead of %?

To really manage your therapy, it's best to use OSCAR and look at the detailed data and graphs. (See my signature.)

Your CPAP machine will compensate for leaks. Therefore, a leak is problematic only if it is bothersome or if it is excessive to the point that your machine can't compensate.

Amishboy51 wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 11, 2019 10:31 am

About a month ago, my RT switched me from a nasal mask (AirFit N20) to a full face mask (AirFit F30). I've been paying more attention than usual to the results, and over the past week my mask leaks have ranged from 0.0% on two nights, to 19.77% last night (with AHI of 1.05).

Does anyone have any suggestions for getting more consistent results? TIA.

Mask leaks are not meaningfully represented solely in percentage.

Percentage of what? over what time period?

The F30 is the mask that works best for me by far.

However, I have two new F30s, each with just a few days usage. One worked great. The other was very finicky. No matter how I adjusted the straps, sooner or later (usually sooner), the raspberries/farting would start. Comparing the two, I discovered a wrinkle in the seal of the bad one. I bought a new cushion on Amazon for $20(ish), and now both masks work great. It is important not to get the straps too tight, and they do need to be even. Also, get it positioned under your nose and hold it in place while you attach the straps. It's hard to get the seal positioned right if you try to move it after the straps are tight. Once the machine is on, I do give the mask a few light nudges side-to-side and up-down just to make sure the seals have settled into a good spot. Note: the two masks were from different sources, and I lost track of which was which, or I might try to return the bad one as defective. Since I don't know who to return it to, I just replaced the cushion.