Help Please - Remstar Auto A-flex

[paulloseby]

Advice would be really appreciated. I got my Remstar Auto A-Flex with attached humidifier last Monday. Monday and Tuesday were great but then the air started blasting out and not allowing me to exhale. I had a Quattro Mirage mask at the time. There was no way that I could get it to stop and besides it bloating me, it was literally blowing the mask away from my face.

On Friday I took it back to the hospital and despite me saying that it was the machine, the technician insisted that it was a leak in the mask and changed the mask for a Respironcs Comfort Gel Full and this fits beautifully. Friday night, I had to take it off at 3am as I hadn't got it on right and the nose area was pinching. That sorted and last night, I tried again. Until 3am it was fine but then started blasting air into me again giving me no chance to exhale. The pressure was so much that the air was being forced out of the mask by distorting the 'escape' flap.

I'm sure that the technician didn't believe me when I said it was the machine but it has happened again. Has this happened to anyone else and what was the solution?

Very many thanks in anticipation of your help

Paul

[Wombara]

I have the same machine. I used to wake in the night with the pressure blowing as if someone had parked a hovercraft on my face. I found that pressing the ramp button reduced the pressure and allowed me to get back to sleep. When I asked at the hospital about this, I was told it was the machine doing it's job, because the a-flex is manages the pressure automatically.

I was suffering with leaks on the mask, which formed a good seal when on low pressure, but as I skeps and moved and the pressure increased leaks formed. It then turned into a bit of cycle where I would tighten the mask a bit more, get a leak, tighten more. This lead to me getting a sore nose to the point of actually cutting the bridge of my nose.

The hospital then changed my mask for a nasal pillow and it has solved this issue.

Hope this helps a little...

[Sleep2Snore]

These machines will compensate for any leak by increasing pressure.
If this happens again you need to stop the machine and reseat the mask and try again. If it still lifts the mask off your face give it another couple of goes, it takes very little sometimes to break the seal. I find that masks can be tight when you put them on at night but tend to be looser after a few hours. You may need to adjust the straps ever so slightly.
If it persists contact the clinic again. I think they can set the machines to deliver a maximum pressure.

[Tigers Fan]

It's the machine working as it should but with the maximum pressure probably left at 20 cm setting.

You have an apnoea, the auto of the machine cuts in and cranks up the pressure to it's max setting and stays there till it detects you are breathing properly again - plus several minutes to makwe sure.

Two solutions = adjust the headgear to cope with 20 cm but risk collapsing your skull or reduce the max setting to 2, 3 or 4 cm above your 'normal' pressure.

TF

[paulloseby]

Problems with machine

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone. At the hospital, the technician wouldn't have it that the machine was blowing out the air as much as it was but she did change the machine - and the new one did exactly the same. I then found out how to change the pressure and dropped it from the 20 to 10 and last night, had no problem at all.

I just wanted to say thank you for everyone for your help and feedback.

Kindest regards

Paul

[James @ Intus]

The Respironics Auto machines are by default on the widest range of pressures possible, 4-20. When going to 20, possibly because of a leak or bad episode of breathing stoppages, it can be problematic. DeVilbiss machines come by default between 5 and 15. Most people average around 10 anyway so this avoids a lot of problems.

Your technician can look at the data report and look for pressure plateau time. The amount of time it spends at the max. If this is high, and the max is far higher than your 95th% pressure, they may as well lower the upper pressure.