Leak Rate & Mask Setting

[chazmofo]

I am currently using a Dreamstation 2 with a Dreamwear Nasal (under the nose) mask. I am a little unclear on which setting I should choose on my machine to properly account for the dynamics of the mask. From what I've gathered, a full-face mask wearer would normally want to choose setting 1 for this machine (least resistance) & someone using nasal pillows would choose setting 4 or 5 (most resistance). So, am I correct in thinking that a mid-range choice of 3 would be the best choice for my mask?

As a corollary to this topic, I am trying to wrap my mind around OSCAR's leak rate reporting. As you can see from my attached chart, my leak rate data shows an average range of 15-25 throughout the night. In a perfect world, shouldn't the machine use your mask setting to calculate and subtract the intended leak (venting) to give you a desired leak rate of zero? I don't fully understand what I'm seeing. Please help. I don't seem to experience any drastic one-off leaks through the night, and don't seem to be having any mouth leaking that I know of, so I would appreciate any wisdom understanding this reading.

   

[Ptae4]

Hello Chazmofo,

I have a Dreamwear nasal mask and when I use this mask, I used a mask resistance X1. That was the mask resistance that was marked on my Dreamwear nasal mask package.  I also use the Resmed Airfit P10 mask and I found using the same setting X1 worked well.  Hope that helps answer your question.

Regarding the Dreamstation leak rate, maybe someone more knowledgeable can speak to that. I thought that Respironics machines reports the total of Mask Vent rate and leaks (unintentional leaks) as "Total Leak rate." Resmed reports the leak rate (unintentional leaks) only and ignores the mask vent rate.