Full face mask for someone with only a small nose bridge

TRzzz · Post by **TRzzz** » Mon Aug 05, 2019 6:14 pm

My wife has been diagnosed with apnea and hypopnea for many years, and also for many years while on CPAP treatment has had poor AHI scores (what Sleepyhead/Oscar calls "horrible"). Her mouth is often open when sleeping, so she uses a full face mask along with a cloth liner for comfort. We've tried several masks over the years, but the ones we have tried have not had a good fit across her nose, with air leaking up towards her eyes. (Her Airsense 10 Autoset typically gives the happy face on the display, but when your eyes are drying out from leaks, something's not right).

She has a relatively shallow nose bridge. In the world of human anatomy, I think it's sometimes referred to as a low bridge nose or a snub nose. Question: is there a full face mask that's more suited to someone with that kind of nose?

She's shortly heading to a sleep study to see if a BiPAP machine will be more suitable for her. Getting the mask right will also be fantastic.

Tom

zonker · Post by **zonker** » Mon Aug 05, 2019 7:16 pm

tom, i don't have the answer for you. someone will come along shortly who does.

i just want to suggest that you look at our sponsors' site-

https://www.cpap.com/category/cpap-masks

take a look around and see if any those would do any good.

good luck!

Okie bipap · Post by **Okie bipap** » Mon Aug 05, 2019 7:38 pm

I also have a very narrow bridge on my nose. The best mask I have been able to find for me is the ResMed Air fit F20. If her pressure needs aren't too high, she night get by with the Air Touch F20 which has a foam seal on the edge of the cushion instead of a silicone seal. I liked the Air Touch, but I had massive leaks once my pressure got above 15 cm. My wife also uses the Air Fit F20. We both use firm foam cervical collars to help hold our head up and keep our mouth closed when sleeping.

LSAT · Post by **LSAT** » Mon Aug 05, 2019 7:49 pm

A fitting hint for FF masks..Put the mask on after the machine is on and running at moderate pressure.....OR...put the mask on, turn on the machine and while the pressure is building pull off part of the mask to let it expand and then softly press it against your face.

johnyfalco · Post by **johnyfalco** » Mon Aug 05, 2019 8:13 pm

And of course the ResMed full face masks need to be sized to the face. I was given a “medium” size mask, but it wasn’t until a lot of self education, that I realised that a medium was too small for me. I was assured when I got my medium mask that everyone wears a medium size mask.
But maybe something to keep in mind if buying a ResMed mask

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

Chris8243 · Post by **Chris8243** » Mon Aug 05, 2019 8:41 pm

Okie bipap wrote: ↑
Mon Aug 05, 2019 7:38 pm
I also have a very narrow bridge on my nose. The best mask I have been able to find for me is the ResMed Air fit F20. If her pressure needs aren't too high, she night get by with the Air Touch F20 which has a foam seal on the edge of the cushion instead of a silicone seal. I liked the Air Touch, but I had massive leaks once my pressure got above 15 cm. My wife also uses the Air Fit F20. We both use firm foam cervical collars to help hold our head up and keep our mouth closed when sleeping.

Interesting, Okie bipap, that I was going to suggest the opposite! Everyone is so different. I had a lot of leaks with AirFit F20 and the AirTouch F20 (memory foam) is so much better for me - no leaks. I had a recent "sleep doctor" appointment and he said he can tell when I switched masks because of the change in leaks.

Okie bipap · Post by **Okie bipap** » Mon Aug 05, 2019 9:26 pm

I really liked the Air Touch, and tried it back when I was trying lower pressures. I had it set at 12 to 20 just to see where it wanted to go. I would stay around 12 or 14 half of the night, but it would often go over 15, and when it did, the leaks would bother me. My wife said the same thing. We both ended going back to the regular F20. I finally just raised my pressure back up so I could do away with the constant pressure changes which would often wake me up. My pressure now starts at 18, and stays under 20. Fortunately, the higher pressure doesn't bother me as long as it stays fairly constant.

Muse-Inc · Post by **Muse-Inc** » Tue Aug 06, 2019 2:15 pm

Try my mask. Does not cover nose, instead it has pillows and covers the mouth. Click on it in my signature to see it on our host's website. Comes with 3 sizes of pillows and oral cushion.

chunkyfrog · Post by **chunkyfrog** » Tue Aug 06, 2019 4:19 pm

My nose is similarly under-served by mask designers.--thus I only use nasal pillows.
Dry eyes are often caused by prescription eye drops as well. (Experience)
I used poli-grip strips between my lips when my mouth refused to stay closed.

Janknitz · Post by **Janknitz** » Wed Aug 07, 2019 2:18 pm

The bridge of my nose is really skinny. I find that the Mirage Quattro works fairly well, but the way I adjust it is dial the nose piece almost all the way out, put the mask on, turn on the machine, pull the top straps on ever so lightly--just enough to stop leaking around my nose--and crank down on the lower straps to secure it all (this is not the greatest thing for my teeth or airway patency, so I only use the Quattro when I'm too congested for the Dreamwear nasal thingy). This lets the cushion inflate as fully as possible around my nose and essentially hug it. I use a Padacheek mask liner, too. I won't say it's leak free, but it does minimize the leaks.

And it has to be done at the max pressure your machine is set for, so be sure to use the "mask fit " feature (or whatever it's called on Philips machines).

babydinosnoreless · Post by **babydinosnoreless** » Wed Aug 07, 2019 2:27 pm

LSAT wrote: ↑
Mon Aug 05, 2019 7:49 pm
A fitting hint for FF masks..Put the mask on after the machine is on and running at moderate pressure.....OR...put the mask on, turn on the machine and while the pressure is building pull off part of the mask to let it expand and then softly press it against your face.

That last bit works for nasal masks as well. I let my N-20 fill with air then set it softly against my nose.

Japparis · Post by **Japparis** » Fri Aug 16, 2019 12:09 pm

TRzzz wrote: ↑
Mon Aug 05, 2019 6:14 pm
My wife has been diagnosed with apnea and hypopnea for many years, and also for many years while on CPAP treatment has had poor AHI scores (what Sleepyhead/Oscar calls "horrible"). Her mouth is often open when sleeping, so she uses a full face mask along with a cloth liner for comfort. We've tried several masks over the years, but the ones we have tried have not had a good fit across her nose, with air leaking up towards her eyes. (Her Airsense 10 Autoset typically gives the happy face on the display, but when your eyes are drying out from leaks, something's not right).

She has a relatively shallow nose bridge. In the world of human anatomy, I think it's sometimes referred to as a low bridge nose or a snub nose. Question: is there a full face mask that's more suited to someone with that kind of nose?

She's shortly heading to a sleep study to see if a BiPAP machine will be more suitable for her. Getting the mask right will also be fantastic.

Tom

I have a small bridge on my nose. I use the Dreamwear FFM. It's actually like a nasal pillow and mouth mask in one. Nothing across the bridge.

Janknitz · Post by **Janknitz** » Fri Aug 16, 2019 12:25 pm

I have a small bridge on my nose. I use the Dreamwear FFM. It's actually like a nasal pillow and mouth mask in one. Nothing across the bridge.

This looks like such a great mask for anyone for whom nasal congestion isn't the reason for mouth breathing. Worth a try!

Dog Slobber · Post by **Dog Slobber** » Fri Aug 16, 2019 3:03 pm

The Respironics DreamWear Full Face connects to the nairs and not the bridge.

https://www.cpap.com/en/ca/productpage/ ... k-headgear

Full face mask for someone with only a small nose bridge

Full face mask for someone with only a small nose bridge

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Re: Full face mask for someone with only a small nose bridge

Re: Full face mask for someone with only a small nose bridge

Re: Full face mask for someone with only a small nose bridge

Re: Full face mask for someone with only a small nose bridge

Re: Full face mask for someone with only a small nose bridge

Re: Full face mask for someone with only a small nose bridge

Re: Full face mask for someone with only a small nose bridge

Re: Full face mask for someone with only a small nose bridge

Re: Full face mask for someone with only a small nose bridge

Re: Full face mask for someone with only a small nose bridge

Re: Full face mask for someone with only a small nose bridge

Re: Full face mask for someone with only a small nose bridge