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New Mask - Leaks or nothing to worry about?
#1
New Mask - Leaks or nothing to worry about?
For the past 2 1/2 months, I have been using FFMs.  In my quest to find 'the' mask, I recently purchased and began using a F&P Brevida mask two nights ago.  The mask is very comfortable and I am using it along with taping my mouth.  (cover roll with a small slit).  When I review my OSCAR data (attached), I see what appears to be a small constant leak  (1-8cm) that lasts almost the entire night.  I also see some larger leaks that I assume are mouth leaks.  Since the Brevida is a pillow style mask, I did not expect to see (what appears to be) a constant small leak.  I have verified that the cushion is firmly seated on the frame and I don't feel any leaks around the nose, etc.  When I remove the cushion in the morning to clean it, I do find some minor condensation on the frame (essentially between the frame and the cushion).  

So, my question is.. Is this small constant leak to be expected with a Pillow mask, or might I have a defective mask?     In general, are the leaks anything to be concerned about?  I find that I am sleeping a bit better than with the FFM and seem to wake up less overnight.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!


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#2
RE: New Mask - Leaks or nothing to worry about?
Under Resmed's criteria, any leak under 24 liters/minute is acceptable. Since your 95% score appears ok, I would keep going and try to tame the large leaks first. Best of luck.
"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius
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#3
RE: New Mask - Leaks or nothing to worry about?
I've been having the same issue with the small leak, and like you have been using the Brevida. I recently switched to the P10, which has been working well, maybe a hair better than the Brevida.
Still, I do have a low level constant leak running at about 6L/min.
As srlevine1 mentions, it is way below the 24L/min threshold set by Resmed, so I'm not too worried about this leak. Would love to have ZERO as the number, but I'll take anything to stay below 24.
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#4
RE: New Mask - Leaks or nothing to worry about?
As long as leaks under the Large Leak threshold don't bother you, they are nothing to be concerned about. If they bother you, that's another story.

Finding the right mask for your unique facial contours can be a big challenge, and it sounds as though you've found a keeper.
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#5
RE: New Mask - Leaks or nothing to worry about?
I have searched The Forum for the definition of an acceptable level (ie percentage) of large leaks.
There is plenty of advice on what constitutes a large leak, but I have found nothing about what percentage is acceptable.
Sometimes mine is as high as 10%, often it is less than 1%. Is there a measurement that is defined as acceptable? Is it just based on how the user feels the next day?
I have tried a variety of masks, with no consistent difference in the percentage of large leaks.

Any advice would be appreciated.
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#6
RE: New Mask - Leaks or nothing to worry about?
SleepyDwarf, probably if you don't make the small slit in the tape you would achieve better results. I use tape that covers completely and don't have any problem with it.
Machine:  ResMed AirCurve 10 Vauto
Mask:  Bleep DreamPort Sleep Solution
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