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[Product Review] Aloha by Innomed
#11
RE: Aloha by Innomed
Velcro idea: be sure to put a strip of fuzzy velcro on the loop velcro prior to washing it. Also, hand washing is more gentle on the headgear and it might last longer.
Evpraxia in the Pacific Northwest USA
Diagnosed: 44 AHI when supine, O2 down to 82%
Treated since 20 Sept 2014:: 0.7 AHI, Settings 7-15, EPR on Full Time at Level 3
Better living through CPAP/APAP machines!
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#12
RE: Aloha by Innomed
As part of my quest to find a mask that fits I have just tried the Aloha.

Nice design, especially the head gear, very cosy on the cheeks. Did not like the way the pillows connect to the headgear though, little pieces of plastic insert into the side of the pillow, for me a little fragile and clumsy at the same time.

Unfortunately I found the spacing of the nasal prongs just too narrow for me, I wound up having a sore between my nostrils. This is the first pillow mask that has caused me any pain. I was very disappointed...It was OK at the beginning of the night, but in the morning , ouch!

I would say if the pillows fit, this is a great little mask, sorry to see it go in the discard bin...

Storywizard
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#13
RE: Aloha by Innomed
3

I had a nasal mask before that I had gotten used to. Few leaks and good therapy but it made my nose bridge sore so I wanted to try a nasal pillow and went for the Aloha based on all the positive reviews. I thought the transition would be easy but I was wrong; I have been able to get to a point now where I really enjoy the aloha but the process was not out of the box; it took me a lot of time and many ninja skills to get there. Here is my process if it can save some time to someone else.

Problem 1 Solved: Sore nostrils

On the first few nights, it was hurting my nostrils. I realized quickly from many posts it was because my pillow size was too small. My advice is to buy the kit with the 3 pillow sizes, try them on quickly and whichever seems to fit better, take the size above that.

Problem 2 Solved: Frequent leaks and discomfort

After that, I realized that these nasal pillows are much more sensitive to hose management than for a nasal mask. My main hose was supported upwards but the weight of the small hose and the tugging would be sufficient to cause either discomfort or frequent leaks. I tried to alleviate this by fastening the small hose to the top of the headgear with the velcro ring but tugging on the main hose would still transfer forces to the small hose and the pillows. I finally solved this by changing the velcro ring location on the small hose; basically you have to set it tight on the portion of the small hose that is flat (no ridges), right next to the connector. that way it cannot slide either way and any tugging on the main hose is transferred to the headgear rather than the pillows.

Problem 3 Solved: Bad airflow

At this point I thought I would be out of the woods but something still didn't feel right with my breathing: I always seemed to have one blocked nostril. I realized the small hose is a bit too long for fixing it on the headgear and because of the swivel, it basically falls either to the right or left of your face. This makes the connecting tube point directly to just one nostril and because it is so close to that nostril, there is basically no turbulence and all the air flows into one nostril while the other doesn't get any. I could "unblock" my bad nostril simply by moving around the small hose! So I had to find a way to keep the small hose from falling on the side and keep it aligned with my nose. At first, I put a rubber band around the base of the pillows one one side and above the small hose exhaust on the other. This kept the hose in place but was creating easy leaks by squeezing the pillows closer together. Finally, I modified the mask to add a velcro strap across my forehead and attached a rubber band in its center that holds the hose in place. This worked

So basically I give 3 stars because:

pros: no sore nose bridge, no leaks, comfortable.
cons: had to modify the product to get the pros




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#14
RE: Aloha by Innomed
I am curious as to whether Aloha users run the hose up through the headband clip or leave it down.  I tried down for a while, but the hose would pull the mask to one side occasionally.  Then I ran it up through the clip and ran the hose around my headboard and the nostril pads seemed to stay in place better.  Either way, I found the clip helped to orient the straps correctly in the dark.
After switching to another brand of nasal pillow, I think my issue with the Aloha is the strap complexity and the difficultly in preventing the hose from pulling the pillows out of place.
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#15
RE: Aloha by Innomed
A few days ago, I opened a spare Aloha that I had bought on sale from vendor #1.  I decided not to put the velcro hose attachment on it. After figuring out how to put the medium nose piece on the prongs and which side was up, I tried it on and it fit great.  I have had some of the best nights sleep with no leaks and no sore spots. I am a sometimes back sleeper and didn't even notice the coupler on the back of my head. This mask has moved to first place with Swift FX in second and AirFit P10 a distant third. 
Issues I had with the first Aloha probably had to do with it being my first nasal pillow and trying to use the hose manager loop. I have since learned to pull a loop of hose up on my chest to keep hose weight from causing leaks.  I suppose a hose hook at the side of the bed could help.
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#16
RE: Aloha by Innomed
Another convert from the P10 here.

My issue with the P10 is simply the pathetic, non-adjustable headgear, and even using the clips to snug it up, it quickly stretches out and Apria won't send more than 1 every 6 months even though Kaiser says I should get 4/year.

So at the suggestion of someone from a non-apnea forum, I ordered one. Two nights later I ordered one for my wife and we've been using them now for about 3 weeks.
We are getting minimal leakage, where we always got moderate to high leakage with the P10 (which worsened as the straps stretched), and my wife is very happy with how secure the headgear is. She always had problems with the P10 slipping down to her neck or forward off of her head if she didn't secure it to her ponytail.

The 3rd night, I did have a couple of sore spots, but the same thing happened with the P10. Application of Neosporin to the edges of my nostrils for a couple of days cleared that up and it has not returned.
AHI remains good, maybe a bit lower than the P10 but at our level of therapy effectiveness, I'm not going to say that the mask change was responsible for any improvement.

We leave the hoses hanging free. I think my wife tried "sticking" it to the headgear one night, but I noticed last night that she didn't.
-- Rich
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INFORMATION ON FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.

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#17
RE: Aloha by Innomed
Followup.
Still using the Aloha, however, the undiffused flow of air out of the vent was a problem.
It would be noisy if a sheet or arm were close to it, and if my wife and I faced each other, the airflow caused dry eye issues.

I trimmed out a couple of pieces from a filter a little bigger than the vent opening and hot-glued them into place.
The mask is now as perfect as possible for me.
My wife has occasional issues with it rocking to one side resulting in a leak from one nostril, but overall she seems to like it better than the P10.
-- Rich
Links to Download OSCAR here
OSCAR Installation and Setup

Using Attachments to Post Images on Apnea Board

INFORMATION ON FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.

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