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dreamWear FFM to F30: Increased AHI
#1
dreamWear FFM to F30: Increased AHI
I've been using a DreamWear FFM for almost a year and it's been pretty good. I have had trouble with side-sleeping, though, where the mask leaks and wakes me up. I suspected this was due to the design of the mask and the channels that run on the sides of my face, so I ordered a ResMed F30.

My suspicions were correct. The F30 is more comfortable and allows me to sleep on my side without leaks. However, My AHI jumped from consistently less than 1 to between 1.5 and 2, occasionally more. I have only been using it for a few days, so perhaps it will get better, but the increased AHI caught me by surprise.

I'm not entirely sure that the true AHI is higher with the F30 than with the DreamWear FFM or whether the DreamWear FFM was giving me a falsely low AHI. I've increased the pressure and it seems to help a bit, but I'm still not back to where I was AHI-wise, and now my lungs hurt from the excess pressure. Ugh.

Does anyone know why a slight change in mask design would do this? I can upload SleepyHead charts later if that would prove useful.

Thank you.
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#2
RE: dreamWear FFM to F30: Increased AHI
Like you, I abandoned the Dreamwear full face for the Resmed F30. The Resmed F30 seems to have more ventilation around the mask frame, so I think it leaks more air. I suspect that’s the likely reason.
Geoffrey Rush as Philip Henslowe, (Shakespeare in Love) "I don't know. It's a mystery."
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#3
RE: dreamWear FFM to F30: Increased AHI
(03-30-2020, 09:59 AM)Dawnstar Wrote: Like you, I abandoned the Dreamwear full face for the Resmed F30. The Resmed F30 seems to have more ventilation around the mask frame, so I think it leaks more air. I suspect that’s the likely reason.

Thanks for your reply. After looking at the data in Oscar, the leak rate has actually decreased significantly with the F30. The Dreamware FFM reached around 36 on the leak rate whereas the F30 seems to peak out at 16 max, and most of the night the leaking is very low. I don't think leaking is the problem.
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#4
RE: dreamWear FFM to F30: Increased AHI
I've been using an F30 AirFit now for several months. For me, a little more strap tension than normal is the answer. The area of the cushion that rests on my chin under my lower lip tend to creep up at times. When it does that, it tends to leak. 

My AHI's though, are consistently well under 5. More like under 3 seems to be the norm.
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#5
RE: dreamWear FFM to F30: Increased AHI
(03-30-2020, 09:13 AM)MickTravis Wrote: I've been using a DreamWear FFM for almost a year and it's been pretty good. I have had trouble with side-sleeping, though, where the mask leaks and wakes me up. I suspected this was due to the design of the mask and the channels that run on the sides of my face, so I ordered a ResMed F30.

My suspicions were correct. The F30 is more comfortable and allows me to sleep on my side without leaks. However, My AHI jumped from consistently less than 1 to between 1.5 and 2, occasionally more. I have only been using it for a few days, so perhaps it will get better, but the increased AHI caught me by surprise.

I'm not entirely sure that the true AHI is higher with the F30 than with the DreamWear FFM or whether the DreamWear FFM was giving me a falsely low AHI. I've increased the pressure and it seems to help a bit, but I'm still not back to where I was AHI-wise, and now my lungs hurt from the excess pressure. Ugh.

Does anyone know why a slight change in mask design would do this? I can upload SleepyHead charts later if that would prove useful.

Thank you.

As I experienced a similar phenomena,  I would guess that the reason is a change in body position while you sleep due to the use of a different mask. Looking at my sleep report study, there is a significant change in AHI as a function of body position (left side: AHI=13, right side: AHI=3).
Arik,
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#6
RE: dreamWear FFM to F30: Increased AHI
Thanks to everyone for their replies.

It turns out that when I reduced the pressure to a pressure below the pressure I had set for the Dreamwear mask, my AHI reduced to its normal level. This is peculiar because what was increasing the AHI (according to the Dreamstation) was obstructive apneas and hypopneas, NOT central events. You would expect a higher pressure to reduce OAs and possibly increase CAs, but that didn't seem to be the case.

The F30 seems to have a better fit and be more efficient than the Dreamwear FFM, so I'm glad a lower pressure gives me good results.
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#7
RE: dreamWear FFM to F30: Increased AHI
(04-03-2020, 10:11 AM)MickTravis Wrote: Thanks to everyone for their replies.

It turns out that when I reduced the pressure to a pressure below the pressure I had set for the Dreamwear mask, my AHI reduced to its normal level. This is peculiar because what was increasing the AHI (according to the Dreamstation) was obstructive apneas and hypopneas, NOT central events. You would expect a higher pressure to reduce OAs and possibly increase CAs, but that didn't seem to be the case.

The F30 seems to have a better fit and be more efficient than the Dreamwear FFM, so I'm glad a lower pressure gives me good results.

In my case, it was exactly the opposite...F30 increased AHI. Can you comment on the difference in noise level each mask is generating?
Thanks,
Arik
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#8
RE: dreamWear FFM to F30: Increased AHI
(04-03-2020, 11:49 AM)Arik Wrote: In my case, it was exactly the opposite...F30 increased AHI. Can you comment on the difference in noise level each mask is generating?
Thanks,
Arik


When I first got the F30, I kept the same setting I had for the Dreamware. My AHI was higher, so I cranked up the pressure even more. The AHI didn't improve. I reduced the pressure to less than the pressure I used for the Dreamware and I'm getting better AHI values.

The noise is less with the F30 and I get fewer leaks when sleeping on my side.
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