Nasal pillows versus full face mask

I had my titration the other night and got to try out the Swift FX and the Mirage Quattro. I liked the Swift FX much better for the small size. The massive size of the Quattro and the air vent wind bothered me. The problem was that I had a very difficult time exhaling into the Swift FX. My pressure ended up about 8. Is it harder to exhale into a nasal pillow rather than a full face? Or do I need to train myself to use a nasal pillow mask? Thanks for your thoughts!

What machine do you use? Most of the newer ones have an exhalation relief feature making it easier to breathe out. It's usually called C-flex, A-flex or EPR and you can set the level you want.

Thanks Julie. I don't have my machine yet, I tried the two masks at my titration. I asked the tech about C flex and he said I needed the pressure to keep open restrictions on exhale. But wouldn't it still work if my pressure was increased by the amount of relief so I still ended up with a pressure never lower than 8?

Actually you would most likely get used to the exhale with the nasal pillows with just a few hours of use in front of the TV so that you don't have to worry about it.

Also....what you felt is common and sometimes all it takes is using the next size up in nasal pillows.

It isn't so much an exhale issue as it is simply air movement issue...the larger size allows for more and easier air movement.

And yes....any exhale relief where the pressure actually might drop (and potentially allow a bit of airway collapse) can be compensated for (if needed) with a using just a bit more pressure to start with.

CFlex is Respironics exhale relief and the actual drop in pressure isn't all that much and most of the time a pressure compensation adjustment isn't needed for Respironics machines.
Now ResMed uses the EPR exhale relief and the drop in pressure can be more dramatic and sometimes (not all the time) a pressure adjustment to compensate for the drop is needed.

The whole idea with exhale relief is to get comfortable so you can sleep...the machine doesn't do much to help if a person doesn't sleep.

Thanks Pugsy. Great information as usual. I like the idea of nasal pillows with a larger less restrictive hole. And I certainly see where it takes a little time to get used to all this new stuff on your face and head!