03-02-2023, 12:56 PM
(This post was last modified: 03-02-2023, 01:03 PM by cmpman1974.)
Reliability of ResMed Mask Fit Function?
I am desperately trying to get to the bottom of my severe mask leak issue. In the past, I have not used the Mask Fit too on the Air Curve 10 machine. I gauaged mask fit much by the sounds I could hear and the air I could feel. It seems obvious. Today, I started playing with the function with a few masks.
For a person getting 90L/min leaks with the F&P Vitera, it sure seems like a solid fit. I think that is why the DME supplier is so perplexed. The mask leak tool showed a good seal and it was honestly difficult to get it to a poor seal indicator. Intentional nudging of the mask to the left or right wasn't enough to impact it. Leaning forward didn't affect it. There was only a single thing that broke the seal - full opening of my mouth. Leads me to believe I must have insane mouth breathing and literally full opening of the mouth when sleeping. It doesn't seem like much else could account for these massive, continued numbers.
It almost seems impossible to believe someone could have it that severely.
Does this seem like a reasonable assumption or could I be missing other possibilities? I wash my mask cushion with soap and water every single day and dry it. I have started keeping clean shaven daily too to try to improve the seal with no success.
There's always a lot of discussions here on 'positional apneas'. My leaks often come in major clusters. These clusters aren't tieing to apneas being recorded, but I also recall people saying once the leak rate exceeds a specific amount, apnea data is meaningless.
RE: Reliability of ResMed Mask Fit Function?
Looking forward to replies. I am surprised by the leaks I see reported by my resmed 10. They definitely influence the pressure exerted by the machine. However, I don't recall waking up with air blowing all over the place. I use nasal pillows and occasionally I find a slight leak but its kinda seldom. Tape my mouth. Wife loves that. Air blowing out my ears?
I am working on flow limits and leaks. Nothing obvious about the leaks to me.
RE: Reliability of ResMed Mask Fit Function?
(03-02-2023, 03:51 PM)TexasDon Wrote: Looking forward to replies. I am surprised by the leaks I see reported by my resmed 10. They definitely influence the pressure exerted by the machine. However, I don't recall waking up with air blowing all over the place. I use nasal pillows and occasionally I find a slight leak but its kinda seldom. Tape my mouth. Wife loves that. Air blowing out my ears?
I am working on flow limits and leaks. Nothing obvious about the leaks to me.
I never thought about the possibility ResMed over-reports leaks. Wouldn't that be something? My wife has heard the mask make some noise so I can't discount it. I wish masks were technologically sophisticated enough to tell us where the leaks were coming from (top, sides, bottom).
RE: Reliability of ResMed Mask Fit Function?
If you can find a way to video your sleep, the mechanism of leak will be obvious, or you can prove it never happened. My best guess is your jaw drops and you leak under the mask seal. No way to know without observing or recording.
RE: Reliability of ResMed Mask Fit Function?
(03-02-2023, 08:12 PM)Sleeprider Wrote: If you can find a way to video your sleep, the mechanism of leak will be obvious, or you can prove it never happened. My best guess is your jaw drops and you leak under the mask seal. No way to know without observing or recording.
I think you're right. It may be the only way. Tonight I am using a chin strap to experiment. I will see if that alters this pattern some. Should be interesting. Do a lot of people videotape their own sleep to find stuff like this out?
RE: Reliability of ResMed Mask Fit Function?
I use two 2.5" eliminator collars stacked on top of each other each night. 5" total. A 5" soft cervical collar or 4.5" or or even 4" - something pretty large might work. It contacts the back of my jaw and the front of my jaw just below my teeth. It securely keeps my mouth from dropping open at night. You have the spinal issues, so a collar may not work. A collar could also help with OA clusters like the one chart you posted the other day showed also.
I have found the Vitera mask to be quite unique. With every mask I have ever tried, the tighter I tightened the straps, the less leaks I got. With the Vitera, just the opposite (at least with the top straps). This is just a random thought, but the straps might actually be too tight with the Vitera (especially the top straps). Maybe worth a try something.
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RE: Reliability of ResMed Mask Fit Function?
(03-02-2023, 08:24 PM)cmpman1974 Wrote: I think you're right. It may be the only way. Tonight I am using a chin strap to experiment. I will see if that alters this pattern some. Should be interesting. Do a lot of people videotape their own sleep to find stuff like this out?
Members have devised many ways to monitor their sleep. I think it would be a great subject for a separate thread as most of the ideas are buried in various therapy threads. From accelerometers, and video monitors to other means of determining position, and behaviors, it has been an effective way to discover some unexpected correlation of problems to movement, and one member even found out she was affected by parasomnia (sitting up in bed, looking around while asleep and even sleep walking). I don't expect you will see anything like that, but there have been some surprises over the years. If you want to start a thread asking member if they have monitored their sleep, it might be an interesting place to get these ideas in a place they are searchable.
RE: Reliability of ResMed Mask Fit Function?
I definitely will make a post about monitoring sleep. I imagine some people do find some unusual events doing that. 
Jay, that makes a lot of sense about the Vitera mask. I was so surprised about the need to loosen the top as well. That's what draws me to that mask WAY more comfortable than a Mirage Quattro in that respect.
No doubt the chin strap helped. WAY better numbers last night using it. I still had a small cluster of OSAs later in the night, but it was going well most of the night. Of course this is all back on the old VAuto machine, not the ST-A machine.
I'm sure this proves jaw drop is a giant issue for me. I'll see again tomorrow if it's repeatable.
RE: Reliability of ResMed Mask Fit Function?
It would be great if someone could develop a small, affordable sleep position tracker with a tri-axial accelerometer like the ones they have on at-home sleep study tests. It wouldn't track your jaw movements, but it could track your body position, which could be overlaid on the OSCAR data.
The only thing I could find in the consumer realm was the SomnoPose app, but it requires you to strap your iPhone to your body at night, which, I'd imagine, might be fairly tricky.
There's also a wearable device called a Shimmer3, but it's $600.
Is there an affordable one I'm missing?
RE: Reliability of ResMed Mask Fit Function?
(03-03-2023, 12:00 PM)MickTravis Wrote: It would be great if someone could develop a small, affordable sleep position tracker with a tri-axial accelerometer like the ones they have on at-home sleep study tests. It wouldn't track your jaw movements, but it could track your body position, which could be overlaid on the OSCAR data.
The only thing I could find in the consumer realm was the SomnoPose app, but it requires you to strap your iPhone to your body at night, which, I'd imagine, might be fairly tricky.
There's also a wearable device called a Shimmer3, but it's $600.
Is there an affordable one I'm missing?
That would be excellent. I'd love to know that too
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