aura CPAP Patient Interface ****IT'S HERE****

[quote="wading thru the muck!"]Overnight results:

-No leaks -Very comfortable -Worked fine with my APAP

-I experienced significant rainout[ (even with my heated hose. I attribute this to the fact that the pigtail on the aura is about a foot longer than the Swift... That is something I wish the Swift had.

-The noise was more noticeable (for my wife) than the Swift/Breeze/Activa but was not a problem for us.


Thanks Wader,

Good report of valuable info. Now I will wait until Rested Gal reports. You two, and others, provide a fine service for newbies like me. And thanks to the people at cpap,com for providing the forum on which we can all interact with other users. Only in America! How fortunate we are to be living here!

I know you like the heat setting that you use, but for newbies, would a lower setting (or a warmer bedroom) reduce or eliminate the rainout? What is your heat setting?

About the noise on inhalation: Again for newbies, does the noise increase in direct proportion to the air pressure settings? Does it always work that way? My BiPap has settings of 13/6. When I begin the ramp the noise doesn't bother me, but, after it ramps to 13, the noise on inhalation is significant and it seems to interfere with my falling asleep. But since i frequently had trouble falling asleep before apnea treatment, maybe it's simply a continuation of that - and the new presence of pressure noise is just something else to concentrate on rather than sleeping.

Looking forward to Rested Gal's report.

Andy

Hey Andy
just a couple comments........I too have always had problems getting to sleep. BiPap therapy just made my situation worse. SO....I stopped using the ramp.....just turned that sucker on and "went with it". It was hard for the first couple of weeks but ...that noise just became "part of" our sleep setting. My wife said it was better for her to go ahead with the Max noise at first. At least it's a constant sound.
After 5 years of tinkering with this stuff I have found that humidification levels depend on several factors. My humidifier is set on the lowest setting. I also use an insulated sleeve. If I use Nasal Pillows I can turn the humidifier up to the setting of 3. (without any rainout) So...it's just one of those deals where you have to play with it. (weather can also be a factor)

Rich

Received my Aura today. Gang....this is it! This is "nasal pillows" taken to a whole new level of comfort. I slipped it on for a nap today. The Aura is absolutely the most comfortable interface I've ever used! I never thought I'd give up my all time favorite, the Breeze; but the Aura is so much better! No wonder, since one of the designers of the Breeze is a designer of the Aura.

These are the softest, smushiest nasal pillows I've ever had against my nostrils. Wonderful! Extremely comfortable, soft and cushiony. I used the Large pillows. Men might need the Extra Large pillows. If you use "large enough", the pillows seal beautifully sitting more to the outside and against the nares (nostril openings.)

The Aura's quietness seems essentially the same to me as my Breeze....both having a soft "shussssh" sound when I inhale. The only way I can hear other sounds (when not inhaling) from either interface is if I cup my hands behind my ears. Otherwise, I hear no sound from either one except the "shussssh" when I breathe in. The Aura is definitely much, much quieter than the Swift - to me, anyway. I can always hear constant and annoying air rushing sounds from either of the two Swifts I tried to use.

Unlike the Swift's somewhat rigid nasal pillows cylinder and the Breeze's hard plastic pillows shell, everything about the nasal part of the Aura is unbelievably soft. I just can't get over how comfortable the darn thing is!

Although I never sleep on my stomach, I tried tummy-sleeping-position for a few minutes, with my face buried absolutely face down into a regular foam pillow. The Aura worked perfectly even like THAT! Because of the exhaust port's position well up above the nasal pillows parts, the exhaust port continued to vent clearly even when I was lying face down against a foam pillow!! The Aura's nasal pillows just smushed into it beautifully without putting undue pressure on my nose, nostrils or face.

Practiced my usual toss/turn sidesleeping positions - the Aura was great! I did have to add the trick I use with my Breeze to keep it steady on my head....I added two straps to each side of the Aura, placing the additional straps down low to steady it. That steadies it perfectly for me, yet still lets me lift the whole headgear on and off like a ball cap without undoing anything. You don't even need a special head pillow or firm edge for this interface. I could sleep on either side with my face in the center of my pillow instead of trying to hang everything off an edge.

The Aura's headgear is extra comfortable....soooo soft and pliable. Despite the "realtor's lockbox" look of the thingy on top, everything about the Aura feels absolutely light and soft on the head. No hard plastic behind your head like with the Breeze. No stiff side pieces against your cheeks, like the Swift.

There's no tugging at your nose, nothing pushing against the upper lip, no need to cram prongs up into the nostrils, no pillows jabbing the inside of a nostril because a shell or cylinder is pushing against a head pillow. It's absolutely amazing how well the Aura works in every sleep position - tummy, sides, back - tossing and turning. The headgear could be a little big on some people's heads - women, particularly. But that's easily solved by adding extra stabilizing straps of any kind of soft material, placing them down low on both sides.

The exhalation ports are very quiet (except for the shusssh sound on inhalation) and are vented straight up. No more sending a blast of air at one's sleeping partner (as with the Breeze) and no noise of an exhaust hitting things easily, especially for "pillow-huggers" (as with the Swift.) No need to stuff netting into anything!

Am I enthused about the Aura? LOL!!! I've found the holy grail of nasal pillows interfaces for me. I think everyone who likes the Breeze or the Swift, as well as people who found either of those too uncomfortable for one reason or another and couldn't use them, will love the Aura. Woooooo!!!

Here's are pictures from the Aura user manual:
Aeiomed's Aura

And here's a picture I retouched, showing where I added some side straps (actually to both sides) to keep the headgear perfectly stable:

RG,

Glad to hear you liked it. I knew you would. If this companies cpaps are as good as this interface it will soon become the big "4". One thing you did not mention that I think is great is the fact that the whole nasal seal "hoop" just twists right of to be quickly washed and replaced. For me this is fantastic. It will take seconds to wash daily. They recommend washing out the rest once a week.

I must have gotten a quiet version of the Swift, mine is not loud at all. I'm gald you don't think the aura is loud, because that was the only thing I noticed that was not better than others I've tried.

I hope Aeiomed is able to keep up with demand, because the aura is going to be hotter than the Swift, unless the evil DMEs shut it out. Let's hope not

Wader and Gal,

I am soooooo envious! No Wader, they cannot keep up with the demand. I ordered my new Aura on the 8th and since I had not gotten a shipment notification from cpap.com, I called today and was told they are on back order. The will know more Monday. Come on cpap.com, don't let me down! I was soooo looking forward to receiving it. Oh well.....I hope you two get a good nights sleep.

Gilda

Hi Gilda,

I live in KY too. Frankfort here.

We have ordered quite a few of the Aura masks, and from what I can tell, at this time, we are the only online dealer to have them.

I am a fairly skeptical person when it comes to masks. I have about 30 of them, with at least 25 gathering dust in my mask credenza.

The first night I wore the Aura, I was hoping to get through the night with it. As I said in the review, I woke up in the morning, no leaks and that patern continued for the rest of the week.

Three cheers for the Aura...

Ted

Ted,

Thanks for the great review of the aura, I ordered it on your recomendation and my keen perception of what works and what doesn't and we were both right!

Hey Mucky,
How was the whole night?
derek

derek,

I've used it two nights. The first night I had some rainout due to the long pigtail being exposed. The second night I turned down the humidity and had no problems. It is very stable and does not leak. My AHI last night was the lowest its been on the REMstar Auto. One caveot, the straps for the headgear have little nubs on the bottom. They are not uncomfortable but left indentations across my forehead. You'd probably have that same problem (I've seen your picture)

I think it's the best interface on the market.

Rested Gal, I'm very interested to read how your second and third nights went with the new mask. Thanks.

Howdy,

We just got more information regarding this mask. Due to higher than expected demand and manufacturing troubles in Asia, we are not due to get our next batch in (and only 20 when we do get them!) next Tuesday the 22nd.

For those who are eagerly waiting, I'm truly sorry for the delay. AEIOmed's a new company entering an industry that unfortunately has had a whole lot of product delays lately.

As usual, once we get the products we'll ship same day. Anyone want to road (boat) trip to the far east on a mask run?

Johnny

bozmon, each night so far has been wonderful with the Aura. It's definitely my "main mask" now. Nice "smushy" comfort at the snout!

One note to the guys - if I were you, I'd be pushing for Large and Extra Large pillows to come with the one you order, rather than the Medium and Large that came with mine. Large are what I'm using, even though I have an average size woman's face with a small nose and small-ish nares (nostril openings.) As with the Breeze pillows, "bigger than you'd think you need" nasal pillows seal better, imho - staying more outside the nostrils and cushioned more comfortably against the nostrils rather than up in them much.

rested gal wrote:One note to the guys - if I were you, I'd be pushing for Large and Extra Large pillows to come with the one you order, rather than the Medium and Large that came with mine.

I just talked to Becky today when I ordered another aura and she said there is no word yet on the XL and small nasal seals. The only mention of the XLs I've seen is in the manual. Ted mensioned in his review about the smalls. The large works for me, but the XL would probably be better.

For those of you still wanting one, when I called this afternoon, there were still a few of the 20 units expected in on the 22nd not spoken for yet.

Wader, I am assuming that for the ones of us that placed our orders last week, that they will be filled first. Or do u have any info regarding that issue? Maybe someone from cpap.com can answer my question.

Thanks
Gilda

What kind of material is the "lock box" thingee made of. It is really soft and pliable too. With the Breeze I was having major hair breakage down the midline and I think the headbands on the Swift are breaking hair off on the right side of my head. I know my hair isn't nearly as thick as it used to be, at any rate. This is why I'm looking for some kind of mesh cap that I can attach headbands too and trying to avoid the "over the head" type headgears, but the Aura sounds soooo goooooood!