New cushion for Quattro FX FF Mask

Had a couple bad(for me) nights on CPAP with a 6.0 and 7.1 AHI and noted that my cushion wasn't sealing as well as it had been. I've only been on CPAP for 50 days or so, and i replaced it last night and my AHI was 1.5 over 7 hours of sleep. My average AHI over these 50 nights or so is 4 and i'm alright with that, but when it crept up to 7 i did feel less rested and irritable.

My question for users of teh Quattro FX FF Mask, how often do you change your cushions? My insurance covers one per month and i was trying to stretch it as far as possible as they aren't cheap($65 and have a $500 In-network deductible) but it looks like 6 weeks for me.

Also, thanks to all for tips on fitting this mask. The amount of information on this forum is ESSENTIAL to me for getting the proper treatment. God knows my doctors could care less, they just want to make sure i'm using the machine.

josh

Don't know if you have seen this thread or not.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=74686&st=0&sk=t&sd= ... ing+take+2

You might give boiling a try to see if it helps you with getting longer cushion life.
If you have already decided the old cushion is destined for the trash can....wouldn't hurt to try.

I wash mine in hot water, every couple of days, with Dawn dishwashing soap. The hot water rejuvenates the cushion. It lasts me 3+ months. I wash mine in the kitchen sink with the hottest water I can get from the hot water faucet.

Thanks alot, i will try boiling the cushion when the seal starts to give.

My first one lasted four months. Washed the thing maybe twice in that time, but used Citrus II mask wipes every day, and a cloth mask liner made out of an old t-shirt.

Decided to wash the replacement one once once a week to see if i could make it last longer, but once a month is more like it. Still using mask liner and wipes, and the cushion is working well. I've got six months on this one.

ResMed says NOT to use hot water. In the manual, they give a temp -- I forget the number, but it's in the luke-warm range. I've been very careful not to get the silicone too hot, and use just a little Ivory dish detergent diluted in water.

Edit: Okay, I read the boiling link. I'll try that on my old cushion and see if it comes back. I suspect there's a reason for the low water temp in the manual, though.

Otter wrote:
ResMed says NOT to use hot water. In the manual, they give a temp -- I forget the number, but it's in the luke-warm range. I've been very careful not to get the silicone too hot, and use just a little Ivory dish detergent diluted in water.

Edit: Okay, I read the boiling link. I'll try that on my old cushion and see if it comes back. I suspect there's a reason for the low water temp in the manual, though.

I would suspect that the stated temperature would be so that no one would get burned trying to clean their mask.

Much like you, I was skeptical about boiling. I boiled some nasal pillows after reading about it. Then the light bulb went off when I was forced to use my FFM when I came down with a cold. I figured if the silicone in the pillows was unaffected by heat, then the FFM seal shouldn't be bothered either.

The only key is to use distilled water and baking soda. I didn't try tap water but highly suspect that any type of tap or hard water would be too harsh. You want to boil away the grime, not add to it.

Try it on an old seal, you will be surprised. I know I was.

Allen

allen476 wrote:I would suspect that the stated temperature would be so that no one would get burned trying to clean their mask.

That did occur to me, but I rejected it as being too ridiculous. Another theory is that the ultra-soft compound used for the cushion can change shape at high temperatures. But if yours worked at all after boiling for five minutes, I think that explanation is shot dead.

It's definitely worth a try. It's not as if I can use the old cushion as it is.

My insurance will pay for one every 3 months. I'm now on my second one. I wash mine daily in luke warm tap water with pump hand soap. The replacement one seems to leak more at the bridge of the nose than the original, I don't know why. I was told by the DME to not use Dawn (specifically) and no anti-bacterial hand soaps. Heh... I've only used both of those (me bad).

If you don't already have one, I'd suggest trying a Padacheek mask liner. I started using the Quattro FX mask on 11/10/11. I'm still using my original cushion and it's still going strong. To be fair, part of that time I did use the mask without a liner and part of that time, I've demoed a Mirage Quattro mask. For me, my experience with the Quattro FX was that without a mask liner, I originally was getting extremely low leak rates with zero most of the night and maximums usually below 5 when the cushion was fairly new. Just recently though, I noticed that although I was still getting 0 leaks most of the night, I was starting to get some higher spikes during the night, but still the spikes have been well below ResScan's 24.0 acceptable unintentional leak rate.

When I've used the Padacheek liner, I usually have less time during any given night at 0 leak rate, but my 95% leaks are usually below 5. Since I've started getting more spikes without the Padacheek, I've started using the mask with the Padacheek exclusively and for the last 4 evenings, my average leak scores with the Padacheek are median of 1.8, 95% of 3.0 and maximum of 6.0 which I can certainly live with. Besides that, the mask is more comfortable using the Padacheek because the silicone cushion doesn't stick to your skin as it does without a liner. And even though I might be getting small leaks using the liner, I don't feel it against my skin as the liner acts as a barrier between the mask and my skin.

The Padacheek is only $16 and I'm figuring since the cushion isn't getting any skin oils on it now, it should last a long time. The Padacheeks are constructed of a durable microfiber material and can be washed easily and should last for many months.

I've been thinking of buying one of those liners, thanks for the info.