Non-Vented masks

[PoolQ]

I suggest you think about what you are trying to do and make sure you are targeting the real issue.

There are real centrals and then there are induced centrals, but the point of all this is to keep your O2 levels from dropping too low and getting a good nights sleep, regardless of AHI.

Real centrals are where your brain stem does not correctly react to your CO2/O2 levels and does not initiate a breathe when you need one. Depending on how often this happens your O2 levels can drop too low and then you would use an ASV machine to treat these centrals.

Induced centrals are where something, perhaps CO2 washout, causes you to not take a breath when you should, but your brain stem is correctly reacting to your CO2/O2 levels-it just gets over ridden so you don't breath.

The whole question is what are your O2 levels doing? Are you crossing the line to below 88%? Your sleep study should give you an idea of what your O2 is doing. If you want to know more you can get a recording oximeter for $100 or less. If your O2 levels are fine and you take steps to increase your CO2 levels to stop your centrals, then your O2 levels will go down and this is exactly NOT what you want to do.

If you are just not getting good sleep and are looking for a reason and latched onto your central count, perhaps you are correct and perhaps you could expand what you are looking at and find a different cause.

[AshSF]

The non vented masks can NOT be used with xPAP machine. It is dangerous. If you have a ventilator (respironics trilogy or some machine like that), you may want to talk this thru with your doctor.

A simpler thing to try with xPAP is get a mask with larger dead space. FFMs have larger dead space than nasal pillows. A total face mask has even larger dead space. Most mask's manuals list dead space information in their manual.

[quiescence at last]

I noticed that the link indeed shows a non-vented mask, and I have 2 observations. One, this seems to have a tap on the side, I am guessing it is for supplemental oxygen. Two, there is a warning associated with it's use. "WARNING: This mask should be used with a Positive Pressure Ventilator with an exhalation valve and adequate alarms and safety features."

CPAP machines are not ventilators.

QAL

[PaulaO2]

And the exhalation valve would be the ventilation port but more controlled.

Ventilators do all the breathing for you. Push air into your lungs then release the pressure so the weight of the ribs and diaphram let the air out. then push the air back in. I don't think they "suck" air out.

A regular CPAP, even most bilevels, do not have enough pressure to inflate a lung or do the breathing for you.

[archangle]

With certain kinds of therapy, there is a separately controlled valve at the mask that drops the pressure to zero and vents all the exhaled air out into the room. It goes between the hose and the unvented mask. They also sometimes use a separate exhale vent like the vent on a mask, but made as a separate piece.

There's some information on this in the documentation for the Respironics Trilogy ventillator. http://www.healthcare.philips.com/pwc_hc...084580.pdf There are probably better links, but I found that one quickly.