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Respironics ComfortGel Face mask VS ResMed's Quattro
Does anyone have experience with the Respironics ComfortGel Full Face mask and have any thoughts about it in comparison to ResMed's Quattro particularly regarding: bridge of nose comfort, overall comfort and leak rate, etc.?
Thank you,
Renee
Views: 1012
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Renee on
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'Morning Mary ~
In case you should re-try the Quattro I thought to mention, especially since you have offered good instructions for adjusting the headgear for the FullLife -- when I was 1st adjusting to the Quattro I found the headgear slipping around on my head and I noticed that the tag on the headgear read "Medium", while I was wearing an XS mask - so I contacted ResMed to ask about that. A rep advised me that ResMed sends out ALL masks - XS, S, M & L - with a MEDIUM headgear - but that if you want a SMALL headgear your DME can order Part #16118.
I did get the SMALL headgear and that has been the single, best adjustment that has helped my xPAP treatment. The change in headgear immediately lowered my leak rate from .48 to .10. And my AI went from 1.5 to 1, my HI from 4.5 to 3 - so, my AHI from 6 to 4 - all, overnight - just by changing the headgear from Medium to Small !
So, just in case a Small headgear would be better for you, I thought to let you know.
Best,
Renee
Mary Z said:Thanks for the tips about the quattro, Renee. I may give it another try. I keep it as a spare mask.
Mary Z.
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Permalink Reply by Mary Z on
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Renee, ddo you mind telling me what your inhalation pressure is? Mine is 22.
I'm going to check into the small strap, thanks.
Mary Z.
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Hey Mary ~
Sure enough . . . my pressure is currently increasing . . . it started at 9, went to 12, then to 14 and this week to 15. It will likely keep increasing to about 18 or so. I am hoping to keep using the Quattro as long as possible and then if I have to switch, I'll likely try the FitLife.
I appreciate all your help as I've been considering masks.
Thanks,
Renee
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Mary Z said:Renee, ddo you mind telling me what your inhalation pressure is? Mine is 22.
I'm going to check into the small strap, thanks.
Mary Z.
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Permalink Reply by Diane Dennis on
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Hi All!
I have had my machine for two weeks now and I have gone through several masks trying to find one that fit right, no leaks, no irritation, etc.
Finally, after so much trial and error, the mask that is working best for me is the ComfortGel Full size medium. I know most folks here have said the ComfortGel is not the best (for them at least) but I did want to throw in my two cents and let it be known that it does work for some.
For those wondering which is the best, all I can suggest is to keep trying them until you find "the right one". Fortunately my "program" with Apria allows me 30 days to swap out masks until I find one that works. That's the only reason I was able to keep trying.
I don't know if, when you're purchasing the masks yourself, you can return a mask within so many days, weeks, month if it doesn't work right for you but might be worth checking because it might give the opportunity to try various masks to try and find "the right one".
The positives on the ComfortGel Full mask ...
The hose is INCREDIBLY easy to detach (but will not come off during the night), you pinch two little "thingies" on either side of where the hose attaches and it comes right off, no working the hose on and off the mask.
There's the gel cushion around the face which so takes away pressure pain (my setting is 22 so I have to make the mask fit somewhat snugly).
The adjuster that allows you to move the mask in "tighter" to your face and/or move it away from your face, for helping to eliminate eye/upper nose leaks, and around the mouth leaks, is so easy to use.
The "escape hatch" ;o) section that allows the air your exhaled air to escape has been dropped down on the mask so that it's nowhere near your eyes (super bonus for me because I wear contact lenses).
Where the head gear attaches to the bottom (mouth area) of the mask, it is very easy to click in and out, it's different than the other types of masks.
Two features (or lack thereof) that might be considered downsides:
The upper part of the head gear does not remove easily like the other masks, the only way to remove it from the upper part of the mask is to "unthread" the head gear straps from the mask (as opposed to the other masks where the top part of the head gear can "click" in and out like the lower part of the head gear).
The forehead cushion is not as "cushiony" as the other masks.
Not a terrible trade-off though for all the positives.
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Also, with the Quattro I had severe facial irritation, not be gross but the left side of my face developed a pustule(right word? a bump with pus in it) overnight that was the length of that side of the mask, and it took days to clear up (I traded masks the very next day to a different one but not a ComfortGel).
When I went to the ComfortGel there was no irritation in that area but my forehead then had terrible troubles (again severe pustules). Within just a couple nights the round bumps on my forehead were so bad that my husband, being the smart alek that he is, said I looked like I had horns growing out of my head!
I called Apria, sure that it was because there wasn't enough cushion in the forehead part and it was a pressure issue, but the receptionist suggested that I try putting some very thin cotton or material between the forehead part and my skin. It was Friday, almost closing time, so this was to be a stop-gap measure until the following week.
Oh right I thought! Like thin material is going to cushion it and make it get better!
I tried it anyway, completing doubting her suggestion the entire time. I slipped a piece of t-shirt in between the cushion and my forehead but during the night it slid out a bit. Where it continued to provide a barrier through the night, my skin irritation was almost gone (in one night!), but where it had slipped and the cushion came in contact with my skin I now had a much smaller area of irritation (less skin exposed to the barrier because the t-shirt didn't slip out all the way meant less irritated skin).
I was shocked that it worked, and so quickly!
The next night I removed the cushion part from the forehead part of the mask, measured some t-shirt material to fit around it, then cut two very small holes near one of the edges of the t-shirt material and worked the "anchors" of the cushion (the anchors being the back part of the cushion that holds it into the hard plastic part of the forehead piece) through the holes. Then I wrapped the t-shirt around, lined it up and cut two more holes near the other edge of the t-shirt and worked the anchors through those two holes. I wrapped the t-shirt material top to bottom or bottom to top rather than from side to side.
Voila, I had a "barrier" that would not slip out, it would stay put all night, which it has every night now. :o)
My skin irritation is almost gone, just two small areas that will be gone, it had just gotten so bad that it's taking some time for what almost amounts to no more than dry skin now, to clear up.
The material around the edge of the mask does not irritate my skin, it's a different type of material than that used on the forehead.
I do not work for any sleep company product makers or Apria (or any sleep company product providers) and I am not a sleep specialist (matter of fact I am self employed, my business sells downloadable construction forms to contractors), I am just one of the masses struggling with sleep apnea who after two weeks has seen incredible improvements, even while trying to find the proper fitting mask.
I hope this all helps! :o)
Diane Dennis
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Give a try to Quietus Liners they helped me emensely in the nose bridge area as well as helping with air leaks as I have an 18.
M
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Permalink Reply by GerryMooreRRTdotcom on
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Well that is a big question. Over all Respironics plastics suck. They are getting better but failure rate is high. Full Face respironics well they have not been a favorite. I must say I stock Fisher Paykel and Resmed Full Face masks. Much better success and less breakage. Really when you get down to it it is difficult to say which works best because it really is up to the face and the mask meeting together. That is the place where a therapist should come in and do the job they should be doing. I know buying a full face can be tempting online, save that for the replacement masks. Please get a company in your local area to help with that then buy your replacements online if you really want to. Gerry www.gerrymoorerrt.com
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I use a Resmed VPAP Machine with a Humidifier. It is quite an old machine as they go, probably one of the earliest. I was using a CPAP Machine for years, that I purchased when I was diagnosed and advised to use that machine. It took me 6 years or so to convince the Medical people that it was no good for me to use it, as I woke every night after a couple of hours or less, suffocating and tearing the mask from my face. After a lot of raised voices I managed to convince a doctor that I needed something different and I had another sleep stuudy. It was well known before hand that I also had Central Apnea as well as OSA. The result is that I now use Resmed VPAP still with my very old Resmed top of the line Mask. must be 6 or 7 years at least now, as I can not buy a full face mask to fit my face. The new Resmed equivalent is far too narrow on the bridge of my nose as well as the rest of my face and almost every mask of every brand I have tried out of the newer ones is far too small, although a few were too clumsy and would not fit at all, so I am maintaining the old one as best I can, but parts are difficult to obtain. The forhead rest broke recently at the pivot and I was fortunate that my daughter had a little chloroform and we found that chloroform is a solvent for the mask material and works as well as supoer glue does for some things. As an add on, I still do not sleep more than about 2 to 3 hours normally with the VPAP and only get a few hours by dozing on and off through the night. I attend a large public hospital, but find them very disinterested in solving my problem. Does anyone else have a similar problem regarding their satisfactory sleep?
Regards
Bill
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I Have never use the quattro. I have been useing the full mask for about 4 years. it does well for me just have to keep the strap very tight. Doesn't leak if the straps are kept tight. I would like to try the quattro but not sure how to get one.
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I have had success with the Respironics new mask out called the Full Life it works really well I have fit several patients an they have been successful. As for the Quattro and the Comfort Gel I prefer fitting the Quattro. The Full life is made of a soft material and doesnt have the ridgid frame of the Quattro or Comfort Gel so if your a side sleeper it works quite well.
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I prefer the two Respironics total face masks to either the Comfort Gel or the Quattro. My favorite is the FitLife. I am a side sleeper and use it successfully. It does leak across the top (over my forehead), but I started wearing a CPAP Cap or a Buff and that limits the leaking. The FitLife does not squeal like most full face masks, and it does not rub on anything. I use it 95% of the time. Love it!
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It's good that you have success with the comfort gel.... just goes to show that everyone is different. I tried the comfortgel when I first got the machine and couldn't stop it from leaking around the sides of my nose no matter how tight or loose I put it on. With experimentation I found that there simply wasn't enough support around the sides of my nose.Also, it was destroying the bridge of my nose.
I switched to a quattro and have been content with it ever since. Everyone is different!
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I need to look into the FitLife, it isn't one of the ones I've tried. I'm a side sleeper too and that has been a problem with all the masks I've tried, and now including the ComfortGel. I just figured that was something that was a given, struggling with the side sleeping and leaking.
And yeah Chris, that is something I'm worried about is the bridge of my nose but I'm lucky in that for some reason even with how tight I have to wear the mask it hasn't caused a great amount of trouble so far.. They, the makers of the mask, should probably put some ComfortGel there. :o) Maybe I'll send them an email suggesting it. :o)
I will probably end up jumping back and forth between them.
I heard there's a pillow out there that helps with side sleeping and wearing the mask. Does anyone know of that pillow?
Thanks all!!
Sleep well!!
Diane
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