Respironics DreamWear Full Face Mask Review

Just a quick note....got this new mask yesterday and tried it last night and had to make a couple of modifications today and will try it tonight.

See this thread
viewtopic/t158479/A-new-mask-by-Philips ... l?start=45

And here for more pictures
http://www.secondwindcpap.com/Respironi ... 33400.html
As far as I know not available at cpap.com yet or for that matter at any of the other online cpap retail sellers.
Don't know how secondwind got a few to sell. Maybe they know someone.

I got mine as a Demo from my DME and they had to request it from the Respironics rep and it took several weeks and I had all but given up on getting one. They will eventually filter down to the DMEs and online sellers. If you just have to have one right now...secondwind is the only source that I know of where it can be purchased if your DME won't/can't get you one.

The insert itself is quite comfortable. Minimal hard plastic and I didn't really feel it.
My issue is simply that the frame is still a bit too big around for my head and the mask would slide because the frame would slide.
And this is with using the small frame.
So I have added some covers over the sides of the frame as well as the top in an effort to make things a bit snugger. My leak line line night was bad...really bad and the leaks woke me up but not as much as the leak line said I should have woke up.

If it hadn't been for the leaks I think I would have slept quite decently with it. Hubby said he didn't hear anything though.

It's a bitch to get fitted and probably will take some time and little fiddling to get things just right. Once fitted with the velcro adjustments just like you want them the mask has magnetic clips that you can use to take it off and put it on and not have to do anything to the velcro. Trust me...you don't want to mess with the velcro any more than you have to.

Once it is on and fitted...quite comfortable and those of you who like the hose routed over the head...you will like that part.

More tomorrow after I get a chance to see if the frame covers helps with the frame/mask movement.

I just realized that there is potentially some confusion about the headgear pictured at secondwind link above.
That headgear is for the original cushion or the gel pillows. It will NOT work with the full face mask insert version of this new mask.
As soon as I can get some pictures of the new headgear I will post them so you can see the difference.
If you already own the DreamWear frame in either the cushion or gel pillows version you can still use that frame but you will need both the insert and the new headgear to use that frame and get a complete full face mask.
That original headgear has no way to anchor the bottom of the full face mask insert and without anchoring it when under pressure the insert will just blow right off your face.

Some cons...

Venting is more like with any other regular mask. Not diffused like the P10 or other masks that have diffused venting.
Potentially annoying if it hits bed partner or the bed covers or your arm and bounces back on you.

Potentially not a good fit for people with small heads even with the small frame. I am having that issue myself. While snugging things up last night with the addition of some wraps around the frame, I found that it still leaked enough to be annoying and disturb my sleep.
It's the top part of the insert that wants to leak. The bottom part is fine. I still get too much mask movement at the top of the cushion under the nose.

Some pros....

Extremely comfortable overall. Doesn't have to be overly tight or cranked down like a vise to seal. Bottom strap doesn't cause neck pain for me and I have a bad neck and most other full face masks that lower back strap will cause neck discomfort even if not very tight.

Once on the face it sort of disappears...it's that comfortable. I can easily sleep with it. Face down or crammed into the bed pillow...works like a charm.
I can see this being a definite plus in terms of comfort for stomach sleepers. The hose being overhead takes away that protrusion of the hose attachment getting in the way of laying more face down on the bed pillow.

Bear in mind that I am using a pressure of 7 cm when starting the night. Haven't looked at the software reports yet to see what it went to...so I have no idea how well it might do at pressures in the teens. Higher pressures always create additional challenges with any mask in terms of keeping that seal.

Pugsy wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 03, 2018 6:33 am

Once on the face it sort of disappears

Hope I don't forget to take it off before going to church.

Thanks for continued reviews Pugsy. I'm looking forward to trying it for myself.

Pugsy, If there is any leaking from the air vents would it hit your eyes?

heyslick wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 03, 2018 9:49 am

Pugsy, If there is any leaking from the air vents would it hit your eyes?

Only if it bounces off of something or the vent holes some how or other end up pointing towards the eyes because the insert shifts a bit.
When the mask properly placed/fitted the vent holes should direct the air up and away from the face.
I did feel the vented air but it was because it was bouncing off of something...like the bed pillow or my arm since I sleep on my side a lot with my arm up by my face.

There are 2 venting areas...one on the insert and one up on the top of the frame where the hose attaches but I will be honest...the vent holes on the insert/cushion push more air and it's more pronounced at the insert. The air moving out the vents on the top of the frame...barely feel it but there's a lot of air moving out the vent holes on the insert.
Or at least feels like a lot to me since I am used to the nothing venting of the P10.

Okay....here are some pictures.

The guide that shows sizing and a couple of overall mask on the face images.



The magnetic snap on the headgear that snaps on to the other magnetic snap on the lower edge of the insert.



Overall image of the full face insert headgear.



Overall image of the original cushion/pillow headgear



The inserts...Bear in mind this is at a bit of an angle and while the small (upper left) looks a lot smaller than the MW (lower left) the difference in real life isn't quite so noticeable. The difference is mainly in the openings that go under the nose.

Pugsy, thank you for the pictures. I can't wait to try this. I am hoping it will help with mouth leaks, as it is now i have to double tape my mouth and use a headband around my lips. The tape don't seem to stay on it's own.

Hope your husband surgery went well.

I am way overdue for another insurance-covered mask, but I've been fine with my old stash for a while. I'd love to try this one... I am most interested in how the conducted frame tubing noise is. I found dreamwear very loud and I am spoiled by my quiet simplus.

Beyond that, I guess I can't get the fit pack because I need the small frame (course I need to convince the DME of that).

recipefordisaster wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 04, 2018 7:41 am

I'd love to try this one... I am most interested in how the conducted frame tubing noise is. I found dreamwear very loud and I am spoiled by my quiet simplus.

Beyond that, I guess I can't get the fit pack because I need the small frame (course I need to convince the DME of that).

I didn't find it particularly noisy but then again I didn't find that the DreamWear cushion or gel pillows were particularly noisy either.
That's going to be one of those YMMV things.

Hearing my breath amplified in the Deamwear tubing all night drove me nuts-I am a side sleeper and I'm sure that doesn't help.

Did you find the sizing templates fairly helpful? I don't think my DME is that good with that sort of thing and I don't want to buy the wrong size.

recipefordisaster wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 04, 2018 9:40 am

Did you find the sizing templates fairly helpful?

In all honesty...not particularly. But then I have always been the type of person to read the directions later...if you know what I mean. 99.9% of the masks I have used over the years didn't use templates anyway. I am a nasal pillow person and there's no templates for nasal pillows. When I requested it I requested the Small...that's what I did okay with in the Amara View which is what this mask is very similar to. They gave me the Demo Fit Pack which had all sizes of everything since it was designed for a DME to use in the office for fitting.

I think that the normal person who doesn't have a frame...get the fit pack with the Medium frame and give it a try and then decide if they like it well enough to invest in either the small or large frame. Especially if insurance is paying.

Now if someone already has the frame then at least give the template a try to get an idea of what size to try. It's better than nothing.
When I tried it initially at the DME it already had the Small insert on it...so that was what I was going to use anyway. Didn't bother with the template.

I think people should just get the fit pack package so that they are good to go and try whatever sizes they want to.

At some point in the future this mask will be commonly used and people can swap out the sizes of inserts/cushions with other people that also get the fit pack and find the other sizes aren't needed.

BTW...I sleep primarily on my side and I never noticed any particular excess noise with any of the DreamWear masks I tried.
I have always sometimes heard my own breathing no matter what mask....so I learned a long time ago to tune it out.

I'm quite small myself. Amara View fit me in small, but I think the headgear was too large. If I remember right, XS cushion hurt my cheeks but otherwise fit better than S.

I don't have any of my old Dreamwear parts anymore. I don't think insurance will pay for a S frame after I've already gotten the fit pack with the M frame, at least not for 6 months. I guess I could try it on at the DME and hope they don't say there IS no S frame.

I never adjusted to that breathing sound... I tried and tried, and earplugs only made it worse for me with Dreamwear.

recipefordisaster wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 04, 2018 10:44 am

I'm quite small myself. Amara View fit me in small, but I think the headgear was too large. If I remember right, XS cushion hurt my cheeks but otherwise fit better than S.

I don't have any of my old Dreamwear parts anymore. I don't think insurance will pay for a S frame after I've already gotten the fit pack with the M frame, at least not for 6 months. I guess I could try it on at the DME and hope they don't say there IS no S frame.

I never adjusted to that breathing sound... I tried and tried, and earplugs only made it worse for me with Dreamwear.

When the ear plugs make a noise worse then it is usually because the noise is conducted noise. Conducted through the bed mattress, the hose, the bed pillow and even the bones in our head. When I first started therapy coming on 9 years it was with a Respironics machine which was notorious for being "noisy" but when it's "conducted" noise it's not necessarily the machine but instead our own hearing of sounds that makes it so noticeable or loud and annoying. I had no choice but to learn to tune it out and eventually I did.
So now it is second nature.

If you heard the breathing sounds to the point of not being able to tune them out with the original DreamWear I have my doubts as to whether this new full face mask version will be any different for you.
It's really nothing more but a different interface...cushion only vs the covering of the mouth in addition to the cushion.
I don't know if it will seem as noisy in terms of the breathing noise or not for you.

If you are as tiny as I am...even the small frame might be too big...It's too big for me and I still haven't figured out how to fix it and make it work.
Frames can be purchased online at various sources so a person could likely find a small frame (or large) should they get the fit pack with the medium. There's one on EBay right now for 11.50 starting bid and ends tomorrow and no bids yet.
So there are ways to get just the frame that won't break the bank.

Did you ever try using a hose cozy to help reduce the Darth Vadar breathing noise? Sometimes that helps with the conducted noise.
When you tried the original DreamWear did you wear the little side cover things?