CPAP problems

Hello, my name is Bruna and I'm a 4th year Biomedical Engineering student at University of Toronto and I'm working on a project about CPAPs and ways to improve them. My group needs information that only CPAP users can provide, so, if you would like to talk about the problems and what you want to be fixed on your CPAP, as well as in general CPAP devices, I would greatly appreciate the help.
If you are interested, send me a PM.
Thank you for reading

Hello Bruna welcome to the forum.

I am new to CPap therapy actually I am on Bilevel CPap therapy since April 30th of this year. My biggest complaint about this therapy is the lack of support offered. The doctors seem very general with information, and not very forth coming. This forum has provided me a wealth of information from software to check my therapy to advise how to get through the day to day battle. This was not provided to me from the medical community.
The other big complaint I have is with the full face masks that I wear for my therapy they seem to only last 6 or 8 weeks and then you have to change the cushions in order to avoid leaks, the cost associated with changing cushions is awful.

I hope that this helps and maybe gives you a good start.

I seriously disagree with that take on FF masks. If you use appropriate wipes on them weekly they hold their shape and seal (unless you happen to have a lemon, badly made or wrongly fitted one).

Julie wrote:I seriously disagree with that take on FF masks. If you use appropriate wipes on them weekly they hold their shape and seal (unless you happen to have a lemon, badly made or wrongly fitted one).

I buy the citrus wipes offered by this website sponsor.. DAILY when I wakeup in the morning first thing.. I still have issue.

I agree with Julie...My cushion for the Quattro FF mask lasts a MINIMUM of 6 months. The one I am currently using is just over 7 months old. I use a wipe every night and wash the cushion every 7-10 days. The key is to wash your face before bed to rid your face of skin oils. The cushion cannot properly seal on oily skin.

LSAT wrote: The key is to wash your face before bed to rid your face of skin oils. The cushion cannot properly seal on oily skin.

Totally agree with LSAT on this, washing your face is a must.

Julie... you've been on this forum long enough to know that some folks can get a year or more outta' a mask and some folks can only get a few months. I know folks that use my Fitlife Total mask over a year, but around the third or fourth month, I start getting uncontrollable leaks around my temples. I don't know why, but it happens. I also wipe down my mask daily and wash and soak it in baby shampoo every Saturday. For what ever reason, it happens.

I would like to see the autopap machines respond quicker to an apnea event and return to the low pressure (instead of hovering closer to the upper pressure). I would also like to see the autopap being able to distinguish between a true apnea and not to hickups, yawns, coughs and times we hold our breath.

Sheriff

the clear airway sensing pressure pulses upset my sleep find another way

I just don't understand how people only get "months" of use out of their masks or mask seals/cushions. I got SIX YEARS out of my original seal on my ResMed Ultra Mirage Full Face mask cushion......and it was still giving good leak numbers. I replaced it near the end of April in 2011 and the replacement is still doing just fine (2 1/2 yrs. later). I still have that original seal and may put it back on the mask at some point to see what the numbers look like.

On the other hand, back in 2006 I decided to try a Respironics Comfortfull 2 mask (because it looked like what I had to wear in my sleep study)........and could only manage about 3 nights with it before going back to my UMFF. That one was TORTURE!.


Den

.

Bruna_B wrote:Hello, my name is Bruna and I'm a 4th year Biomedical Engineering student at University of Toronto and I'm working on a project about CPAPs and ways to improve them. My group needs information that only CPAP users can provide, so, if you would like to talk about the problems and what you want to be fixed on your CPAP, as well as in general CPAP devices, I would greatly appreciate the help.
If you are interested, send me a PM.
Thank you for reading

And, I've got no real complaints with my CPAP machines. They're all Respironics (fully data-capable Auto and straight pressure) "Legacy" model machines and were manufactured between 2005 and 2007. Virtually every machine made has their own idiosyncrasies, but overall, I'm content with mine.


Den

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LSAT wrote:I agree with Julie...My cushion for the Quattro FF mask lasts a MINIMUM of 6 months. The one I am currently using is just over 7 months old. I use a wipe every night and wash the cushion every 7-10 days. The key is to wash your face before bed to rid your face of skin oils. The cushion cannot properly seal on oily skin.

I got mu current cushion back in April. I slept 5.4 hours straight and only woke up because the phone rang. The only time I have a leak issue is when I am drooling.

Sorry about the delay and here is the survey

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/D58SFKB

Thank you for answering!
ps: This survey should lead to two more

I just read that survey. Does anyone else find it interesting that the only machine named was a Respironics? I wonder why that is - any guesses? And (sorry if I'm wrong) do we in fact 'know' for sure the OP is a student, or perhaps someone from Respironics?

Julie wrote:I just read that survey. Does anyone else find it interesting that the only machine named was a Respironics? I wonder why that is - any guesses? And (sorry if I'm wrong) do we in fact 'know' for sure the OP is a student, or perhaps someone from Respironics?

Does it matter? If the OP is indeed someone from Respironics, then PR is likely to get an earful of honest feedback from this survey and it would be useful for them to hear it.

I just filled out the survey. And quite honestly, I don't care if the OP is a student from the University of Toronto or someone from Respironics or (for that matter) someone from Resmed fishing for dirt from disgruntled PR users. The survey questions were open-ended and provided plenty of opportunity to provide either positive or negative feedback (or both).

Since I use a PR System One BiPAP Auto, I went ahead and read and filled out the "System One" survey too. I can tell you, the questions on this survey are open ended: The System One survey gives you plenty of opportunity to provide all kinds of negative feedback if you've used a System One Auto and you've found things that bug you about it.

I just prefer to know who I'm talking to, let alone giving info to, and don't like misrepresentation, tho' not suggesting that's the case here.