10-19-2023, 08:50 AM
(This post was last modified: 10-19-2023, 08:52 AM by BlueSky1958.)
Nasal Mask VS Full Mask test
Been using nasal mask for months, but notice my large leak time and % numbers are a bit high (over 15% some nights). Tried switching back to a full mask (F20) and large leak improved pretty markedly (Time over leak redline went from 15-20% with nasal mask to 1-3% with full mask).
BUT, AHI rose ~1 point from 1 or 2 ...to 2 or 3. Not enough to care about IMO.
Wondering if the slight increase in AHI is a result of having a BETTER seal and low leakage?
Would it be better to accept a slightly higher AHI in favor of a much lower leakage? Seems so to me but want to get thoughts here.
10-19-2023, 10:03 AM
(This post was last modified: 10-19-2023, 10:05 AM by SarcasticDave94.)
RE: Nasal Mask VS Full Mask test
One thing to consider, the higher your large leak rate the greater the reports on AHI can be incorrectly measured by the CPAP. And on ResMed I'm meaning the labeled large leak.
So what I'm saying is the higher your leak rate, reported stats may not be true and accurate. So what if this is the scenario, your high leaks falsely shows low AHI.
I think leaks are a variable that can and will alter statistics. With this in mind, AHI will probably falsely report in the full face as well, if it too had higher large leak rates. I'm thinking the large leak rate is a variable playing with your AHI report that can persuade you to choose full face over nasal.
Bottom line is I think you'd need similar large leak rates to determine the AHI numbers are accurate.
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEBSITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
10-19-2023, 10:21 AM
(This post was last modified: 10-19-2023, 10:26 AM by BlueSky1958.)
RE: Nasal Mask VS Full Mask test
My goal isn't to establish similar large leak rates for comparison purposes. I think we agree that a large leak likely contributes to less accurate AHI scores. Thus, if one can lower the LL rate dramatically (all else staying static), it stands to reason your AHI will be more accurate because you've largely isolated and lessened a key "confounding variable."
So if a FFM gets rid of most of my leak, and my AHI ticks up a point on average (due to a better fit and thus a better read), that seems a better choice for a mask, which is the original point of the post.
RE: Nasal Mask VS Full Mask test
I think it comes down to what's best for you in comfort, treatment, results. Choose by those.
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEBSITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
