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New Pilairo
#1
New Pilairo
I've been listening to the buzz on this new mask for a couple months now. I would have bought it from one of our suppliers, but none of them would take insurance, and I didn't want to mess with reimbursement paperwork. My favorite local DME told me a week ago that they had them on order, and today they arrived. I went there to try it out and came home with it.

For the record, I have tried a lot of masks, and none have been completely satisfactory. Most have been nasal pillow masks, but none of the nasal pillow masks are rated for high enough pressure for me. Plus, I sleep on both sides and my back, and the minute I rolled to my side the pillows started leaking badly. The Pilairo is rated for up to 20 cm. H20, so it should be a lot better. And I tried it at the DME's office with a steady pressure of 14 (my max) without detecting any leaks. And when I did so I laid on the floor and rolled from side to side.

Tonight will be my first night. A review will follow. Y'all please cross your fingers that I have finally found the perfect mask. Thanks
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#2
RE: New Pilairo
Hi JJJ, Hope the new mask works out for you, I'll be looking forward to reading your review, good luck.
trish6hundred
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#3
RE: New Pilairo
First night my AHI was a bit on the high side for me, although still under 5. Most importantly, this is by far the most comfortable mask I have ever tried. Also notable is that the leak rate was very good last night (95% was 11), even though my pressure hit 13.5 at one point. And it never came out when I rolled on my sides, which all the other nasal pillow masks that I have tried have done. It is also trivially easy to set up and put on because the pillows are designed as "one size fits all." There is just one strap that is plain elastic with nothing to adjust. You can't mess this up, although I worried a bit about the strap sliding up. It goes around the back of the head and sits just above the ears. If you have really short hair it might not have enough to hold onto. I already figured that if that turns out to be a problem I'll just fashion a little elastic (or maybe a rubber band) to make little cups to go around the ears and attach them to the sides of the strap, sort of like bella loops with a head strap as well.

Fisher and Paykel market this as a nasal pillow mask, but it has elements of a hybrid. There are pillows that go inside the nose, but the soft plastic of the pillows has a wide apron that snugs around the outside of the nose, like a little cup. The soft plastic is incredibly thin and comfortable like no other nasal pillow or cushion that I have tried. And the hard plastic part that the pillow sits in is minimal and even skin-colored so you don't notice it much visually. (I can't stand having anything in front of my eyes.) It is easy to read or watch television with this mask on.

If you read the comments online you will find a lot of complaints about the noise. I didn't find it any noisier than the Swfit FX, the Swift LT or the Opus 360 nasal pillow masks, and it was quieter than the Flexfit 407 and Mirage Vista nasal masks that I have tried. But others may be more sensitive to noise than me.

Although I am dismayed by the higher than usual AHI last night, I suspect it may have been due to other factors. I have high hopes that I may have finally found the perfect mask for me.
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#4
RE: New Pilairo
I just went out and read up on this mask. If I am reading this right, this sounds like a great concept inflating the piece that the pillows attach to and not just the pillows. Sounds like it would create a pretty good seal! I'll be interested to see what you think after a couple of months and how long this thing holds together before you have to replace it. I've never been thrilled with my mask, but it makes me happy because it is light years away from what I had before. The Swift FX is to the Adam Circuit what indoor plumbing is to the well! And yes, I have experienced both comparisons! Smile But that does not mean the the Swift FX is as good as it can get either. I use chapstick every night before I go to bed because of a little mask leak on my upper lip just about every night. I have fiddled with it and fiddled with it and it just never really goes away. Something like this Pilairo that fits each face uniquely may just be the ticket!
As always, YMMV! You do not have to agree or disagree, I am not a professional so my mental meanderings are simply recollections of things from my own life.

PRS1 - Auto - A-Flex x2 - 12.50 - 20 - Humid x2 - Swift FX
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#5
RE: New Pilairo
Hi again JJJ, It's good that you had pretty good results for the first night on this newest mask butOf course, you might give it a while for the AHI's to settle back. Good luck on this newest CPAP venture, (Ha-Ha.)
trish6hundred
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#6
RE: New Pilairo
Well, it has been nearly a month, so probably it is time to report my impressions.

Everything that I said originally is still true. It does not dislodge when I roll on my sides, even if I roll completely from one side to the other. My AHIs have been averaging about 2.25, a shade better than with previous masks, but not enough to get excited about. My leak rates have been excellent, better than any other mask. And on the comfort scale no other mask is even in the same league. If you use a nasal pillow mask now the Pilairo should be your next mask.

But having said that I am having a strange problem. After the second night I noticed a sore spot on the inside of my left nostil right at the end. It hurt only when I touched it, so I more or less ignored it. But it still hurt when I put the Pilairo on that night. It wasn't bad and I was really tired, so I ignored it. Over the next several days it didn't go away. At first I thought it might be a little pimple that started coincidentally with starting the Pilairo. But then I noticed that the sore spot seemed to have a little scab on top of it. Eventually I concluded that it was a tiny cut. After about a week of this I set the Pilairo aside and went back to my Mirage Vista nasal mask for a week to let the nose heal up.

After I could no longer feel the sore spot I went back to using the Pilairo. After a couple nights the sore spot came back, and in exactly the same position. But it wasn't as bad and after a couple of days it mostly disappeared. It continued coming and going, but it never got bad enough to force me back to the Mirage Vista.

However, when I put the Pilairo on last night it was really bad. I didn't want to get out of bed and hook up the Mirage Vista, so I fiddled with the Pilairo for a while. I couldn't get it in a position where the sore spot didn't hurt so I slipped the Pilairo off and turned it upside down. I mean, the pillows normally look like / \, but I put the mask on so they were \ /. I could feel air escaping so I knew I was leaking badly, but I was tired and just decided to heck with it. I continued wearing the pillows upside down all night.

When I got up this morning I put the SD card in my computer and imported the data to SleepyHead. I expected massive leaks and a bad AHI, but my AHI was only 0.91, one of the best I have ever had, and the leaks were:

Min Med 95% Max
0.00 3.00 25.00 30.79

Now, that is just weird!

But my nose doesn't hurt at all. What the heck, I'm going to wear the Pilairo upside down tonight too!
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#7
RE: New Pilairo
Hey JJ...I am a pillows users (Swift LT) which I am very comfortable with but I have been waiting for your reviews on the new Pilairo.
Thank you for such good coverage.
With no disrespect to you intended...Could you have possibly have had the pillows upside down all along. It might seem obvious that it wasn't the case as you had a (no leak) fit, but with the continous sore spot raises that question in my mind. Esp: with the good results from your Sleephead readout. Glad for the improved AHI..Good Sleeping
Yesterday is history; Tomorrow is a mystery; Today is a gift; Thats why its called "The Present".  
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#8
RE: New Pilairo
(08-20-2012, 09:58 AM)JudgeMental Wrote: With no disrespect to you intended. Could you have possibly have had the pillows upside down all along. It might seem obvious that it wasn't the case as you had a (no leak) fit, but with the continous sore spot raises that question in my mind. Esp: with the good results from your Sleephead readout.

That thought also crossed my mind. If so, then I have been using all my previous nasal pillow masks upside down also. When you look at the pillows as you are putting the mask on, should they be slanted / \, or \ /?

I don't recall ever seeing clear visual instructions from any manufacturer showing how the pillows should be oriented. Have I been doing it wrong for the past four months?
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#9
RE: New Pilairo
Well, I guess stranger things have happened. I just looked at my
ResMed Swift LT and the pillows are in this position.. /\ with the name Resmed on top (facing upward) next to nose, as according to Swift LT
brochure.
Yesterday is history; Tomorrow is a mystery; Today is a gift; Thats why its called "The Present".  
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#10
RE: New Pilairo
Hi JJJ, GREAT REVIEW on the "Pilairo". If wearing it up side down works best for you, that's all that counts. CONTINUED SUCCESS!
trish6hundred
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