ResMed Mirage Activa LT -vs- Mirage SoftGel Result

I have been on APAP now with the Mirage Activa LT (medium) for two months, but wanted a spare cushion just-in-case. (Am I still a Newbie after 2 months?)

Since the Mirage SoftGel became available, I decided to not wait till insurance would cover it, and ordered myself a Mirage SoftGel (Medium) cushion. I have been using it now for 3 days.

I must say I am a bit disappointed. I will admit it is a bit more comfortable than the Activa LT, and quieter in that it doesn't pop back and forth at times when my APAP is ramping up. It also seem to be a bit shorter at the mustache level, so it doesn't push as hard on my upper lip as the Activa LT either. Also, the cushion is heavier than the Activa LT. This doesn't make too much a difference because I use a Hose Lifter to keep the hose from tugging my mask down, due to the weight of the hose and ResMed brand Hose Wrap.

However, it is much more prone to leaks on me. When I roll over, it often will open up at the bridge of my nose and hiss. It will also shift and leak much easier when I sleep (which is 95% of the time) on my side. I seem to be pushing on mask much more often as I change positions in bed to stop the flutters (Nice to wake up to mask farting against the side of my nose!)

I just had my facial hair trimmed, and usually that makes my cushion less leak prone, but alas, this is not the case with the Mirage SoftGel.

I will try tightening my headgear a bit this evening. That may make a difference. I would like to know if anyone else has had similar experiences.

I had exactly the same experience... I got the Activa LT from my DME and found it to work well, but they mentioned that the new SoftGel cushion was coming soon and would be compatible with the mask (they didn't have it yet, but it was cheap enough on cpap.com that I ordered it myself sans insurance). They said they thought the gel may be better with facial hair. But, I too found that the SoftGel leaked more... the first night I only used it for a couple of hours then switched back to the Activa LT cushion. The SoftGel leaked around the eyes when I moved around where the Activa LT never has. Another night, I tried tightening the lower straps... the Activa LT really doesn't need them tightened at all, but this did help with the SoftGel cushion. So... leak issue solved, but then I felt more claustrophobic in the SoftGel cushion and again only used it for a couple of hours before switching back... with the Activa LT, I just felt more natural breathing... the SoftGel I could feel the mask more and it felt constrained. I also didn't like that the headgear had to be on tighter.

I'm also a relative noob... about a month and a half on APAP. I think I'm going to stick with the Activa LT cushion... it seems to seal based more on the air pressure itself billowing the mask and forming a seal from that as opposed to the SoftGel that requires a tighter fit up to your face.

After tightening the headgear, the leaks went away. However, the pressure on my sinuses causes them to constrict, so last night, I had trouble breathing as soon as I would put the mask on. We had a power failure last night, and the house got down to 62ºF until the power went back on at 12:15 AM. By then, I was stressed out from not being able to sleep, and that caused my nose to stuff up. After a shot of Flonase®, then some Neti Pot work, my nose settled down....but as soon as I would put that Softgel on, it would stuff up again. Finally after half an hour, I was able to calm down enough and get to sleep by 1:00 AM.

I will switch off with the different cushions to see what works best. And I'm going out today to secure a UPS so I don't have to worry about power failures again.

You might consider using a cuffless hose, takes the bulk and wieght of the hose end cuff out of the equasion.

Respironics part # 532316

Some call them: Quest Stule: TSB-6Q, also SBT-LW6

RedBackFur wrote:However, the pressure on my sinuses causes them to constrict, so last night, I had trouble breathing as soon as I would put the mask on.

This sounds like what I experienced as feeling like I couldn't breathe right. I was also worried that with the tighter straps, I'd get marks on my nose like I did from using full face masks.

If you get a UPS, keep in mind that they usually beep loudly when the power goes out... you might want to try to find a model that you can disable the audible power alarm. I have been considering a UPS too--though power outages are rare where I live, I generally like to have equipment with sensitive electronics on a UPS for the conditioned power... brownouts and spikes can take their toll on electronics, and I'm sure these machines are susceptible to that.

nosbig17 wrote:You might consider using a cuffless hose, takes the bulk and wieght of the hose end cuff out of the equasion.

Respironics part # 532316

Some call them: Quest Stule: TSB-6Q, also SBT-LW6

@nosbig17, I have the hose lifter, with the high performance hose (lighter weight), and there is no pulling from the hose weight, as it nicely hovers over my head.

jmelby wrote:

RedBackFur wrote:However, the pressure on my sinuses causes them to constrict, so last night, I had trouble breathing as soon as I would put the mask on.

This sounds like what I experienced as feeling like I couldn't breathe right. I was also worried that with the tighter straps, I'd get marks on my nose like I did from using full face masks.

If you get a UPS, keep in mind that they usually beep loudly when the power goes out... you might want to try to find a model that you can disable the audible power alarm. I have been considering a UPS too--though power outages are rare where I live, I generally like to have equipment with sensitive electronics on a UPS for the conditioned power... brownouts and spikes can take their toll on electronics, and I'm sure these machines are susceptible to that.

I have been lucky enough to be given a brand new APC SmartUPS® 750. It is a full sine-wave UPS. I will simply open it up and clip the wires for the beeper. (I'm an I/T guy). I did the research and a modified sine-wave UPS would work with the APAP but would burn up the humidifier.

These are expensive backup systems (around $300.00), but is required if I don't want to have to wake up, turn off the humidifier, and then plug my CPAP into a modified sine-wave UPS. I consider myself lucky.

I've not tried the Activa LT, thus haven't tried the SoftGel cushion. I've used the older Activa though, and always considered it one of the most leak proof masks I ever used. That (not leaking), for me, more than made up for the bulkiness and movement of the mask with inhaling/exhaling.

I prefer my nasal pillows mask, but if I were going to use a nasal mask, I'd get the original Activa out. I used to joke that it would seal well even if a person wore it on their knee!

Rested Gal,
I tried the Swift twice. Didn't work at all with me...hurt my nose and dried me out even with the humidifier. Wish I could...I'd be able to watch TV or read with that.

RedBackFur wrote:I have been lucky enough to be given a brand new APC SmartUPS® 750. It is a full sine-wave UPS. I will simply open it up and clip the wires for the beeper. (I'm an I/T guy). I did the research and a modified sine-wave UPS would work with the APAP but would burn up the humidifier.

These are expensive backup systems (around $300.00), but is required if I don't want to have to wake up, turn off the humidifier, and then plug my CPAP into a modified sine-wave UPS. I consider myself lucky.

What do you mean by "burn up" the humidifer? I am considering getting a UPS too and want to understand the difference between the types you talk about (full vs. modified sine-wave)... this isn't something I've paid attention to when buying them for computers or home entertainment equipment. I'd want to make sure to get one that would work with both the APAP and the humidifier.

rested gal wrote:I've not tried the Activa LT, thus haven't tried the SoftGel cushion. I've used the older Activa though, and always considered it one of the most leak proof masks I ever used. That (not leaking), for me, more than made up for the bulkiness and movement of the mask with inhaling/exhaling.

I prefer my nasal pillows mask, but if I were going to use a nasal mask, I'd get the original Activa out. I used to joke that it would seal well even if a person wore it on their knee!

I've used and own as a back up, the original Activa. I really like it and it seals well. A couple of things I wish were better would be a slightly bigger cushion opening and a softer diffusion pattern. I tried the Activa LT for one night. I woke up after a couple of hours and my upper lip was numb. The straps were loose but this thing just sucked onto my face. I got up and applied a bit of tape but couldn't get it to seal after that. Unfortunately, that was around the time I was getting married and going on my honeymoon so I sent it back to cpap.com. I didn't give it a fair shake cause I just didn't have the time.

I'm currently using the SoftGel and it's the front runner. I like it alot. It seal wells and gives me good therapy. The diffusion of the outgoing air is perfect. I can face my wife without blasting her with air. I can sleep in many positions without waking up from wind noise. It's super quiet and comfortable. There are times when my pillow can affect the seal but it's manageable. My backups are the Swift LT (if the bridge of my nose becomes irritated) or the regular Activa. I'm gonna go ahead and purchase the Activa LT cushion at some point.

jmelby wrote:

RedBackFur wrote:I have been lucky enough to be given a brand new APC SmartUPS® 750. It is a full sine-wave UPS. I will simply open it up and clip the wires for the beeper. (I'm an I/T guy). I did the research and a modified sine-wave UPS would work with the APAP but would burn up the humidifier.

These are expensive backup systems (around $300.00), but is required if I don't want to have to wake up, turn off the humidifier, and then plug my CPAP into a modified sine-wave UPS. I consider myself lucky.

What do you mean by "burn up" the humidifier? I am considering getting a UPS too and want to understand the difference between the types you talk about (full vs. modified sine-wave)... this isn't something I've paid attention to when buying them for computers or home entertainment equipment. I'd want to make sure to get one that would work with both the APAP and the humidifier.

I did the research here on this board about what type of UPS systems would work with the equipment. I forgot where I did all the reading, but if you search on here for battery backup, or UPS you will find the different articles. The Humidifier heater on our S8s uses some sort of electronics that will fry with a modified sine-wave UPS, since the choppy wave will prevent the thermostat from switching or something, and cause it to overheat and burn up.

Oh, and an update: Using the APC PowerChute software, I was able to disable the alarm so it won't wake me up if the power goes out with periodic beeping!