NASAL PILLOWS PRESSURE LIMITATION , IF ANY

I am using philips respironics bipap auto with b-flex , with fisher and paykel 405 mask for about 2 months.
Everything is going well ; my pressure range has dropped from 18 to 8-11 cm H2O interval during this 2 months .
My AHI has dropped from 7 to 3,1.
My sleeping time is now around 7 hours per night.
But I have a problem with my mask . It is hurting the bridge of my nose.
I have chosen that mask because the pressure value at the beginning is to high , and I hesitated to use nasal pillow mask with this high pressure wich was around 18 cm H2O.
For the time being it is around 11 at maximum .
I want to ask for your kind help for the topics listed below:
1) Is there any possible problem with nasal pillow masks , if I use them with PR Bipap AUTO Bi-Flex machine ? Are they compatible ?
2) Is there any new setting needed for the machine , if I change the mask ? ,If yes ... How would it be possible for me to do that setting by myself? Because I am in a foreign country and here in this country , it is impossible for me to find a local dealer of Philips Respironics.
3) Is there any pressure limitation for nasal pillow type of masks ?

Thanks for everybody who interests...

I wear a Swift FX with 14cm h2o and EPR of 3. I'm not even aware of the pressure unless there's a leak.

I use a Swift LT at pressures around 18 with good results.

I have seen others post that they have pressures 20 and above and do fine with the Swift line of nasal pillows. Mine goes up to 15 with no problem--it's quite comfortable. I believe the Swifts are rated for pressures up to 20, but may even be able to tolerate more. The best advice is to try the mask of your choice with your proper settings and see what happens.

As for as the mask settings, PR machines do have that feature.
You need to do an internet search for the clinician's manual to find out how to get into the clinical settings. In the clinical settings, there is a menu for mask settings. However the mask settings only correlate to Philips Respironics mask products. Some more internet searching will turn up a chart with showing the equivalent settings for masks made by other manufacturers.

I have tried my machine with and without that mask setting turned on for my mask, and I didn't notice any difference. It may read leaks better with the proper setting, though.

i love your question, this is a subject i was discussing with a few contacts. first let me qualify myself, my answers and my humble opinion regarding nasal pillows. I have been a compliant PAP user since 2000, i was diagnosed with OSA while in the military in 1995 but never could tolerate the masks that were available at the time. also the machine that was delivered to me did not fit anywhere in my very limited space aboard ship.

in 2000 i was working for Puritan Bennett, a medical manufacturer selling sleep and oxygen products. We were the only company with a nasal pillow mask, it was called the ADAM circuit. it was too cumbersome for me and i still could not adjust to wearing anything. Finally in 2000 the Breeze was introduced and it was the first time i was able to sleep through the night. I have tried almost every mask in the market, from nasal, full face, cloth, and pillows.

Now to your question. all masks have a some resistance, this is due to turbulence, back pressure, eddies etc....(lets call it resistance) so to compare one mask to another it is not just the seal, and fit but also the resistance each mask has and how it impacts the effective pressure you will feel.

Today, as you pointed out each PAP manufacturer has adjusted through software for the resistance of their masks on their blowers.

Pillows in general will have less resistance than Masks either nasal or full face. with Nasal Pillows most people experience more effective pressure due to the pillows having less resistance.

I would suggest consulting with your Doctor before you switch on your own from one mask to another. I would say with most AutoPAP algorithms this would not be as noticeable since the machine will react to our events.

on non Auto Adjusting machines changing from one type of mask to another with out being titrated you could end up with more or less effective pressure.

as far as what pressure you can use with pillows, we have tested the Aloha up to 20 cmH2O pressure with no leaks. I am on an S9Auto my mean pressure is 11.4, AHI is .2 Leak 0.

I hope this answers your question.

I use nasal pillows (Opus 360). My pressure ranges from 16-18. I tolerate them with no problems.

A great discussion. I use a Swift FX (medium) on an S9 Autoset. My pressures are 9-16 and I am frequently near 16 when I am sleeping on my back. Leaks are minimal and my AHI is usually below 2. So no worries here.

-tino