Nasal vs FFM
When I switched from a FFM to a Dream wear nasal mask my AHI went down from usually around 1-3 to below .5 - zero consistently. I wondered if the mask was recording
episodes correctly. I tried the FFM last night just for a change and my AHI was 3.7 . This is the first time in a year my AHI was over .5 . Now I am wondering if The nasal mask is just
perfect for me, or is it not recording right. I felt a little more rested this morning even with higher AHI. I am going to keep using FFM all week to see if anything changes. The dream wear is great (less intrusive) but if it's giving me false #'s , then it's gotta go.
Anyone else have their numbers magically improve when switching to the dream wear?
RE: Nasal vs FFM
Are you experiencing a lot of leaks with the dreamware mask than with the full face?
A high leak rate can compromise the machines ability to detect events and in turn affect AHI.
Check SleepyHead and compare your leak rates between the masks.
RE: Nasal vs FFM
The AHI is recorded by the machine, not the mask. However you do need to set the machine appropriately for the type of mask - this is done in the clinical settings menu (P15 of the clinician's guide) or the user menu (P7 of the user's manual).
A number of members have reported small changes in performance between nasal pillows and FFM, usually with the pillows giving a better performance. You may also need to adjust the pressure slightly to optimise the therapy - FFM may require a slightly higher pressure than the pillows.
RE: Nasal vs FFM
Very low leakage with the dream wear, That was one reason I liked it so much.
I did switch the settings on the machine to FFm from Nasal.
I would like to figure out if I really have less episodes with a nasal mask, or if the machine isn't picking them up.