Wednesday, January 20, 2010

EasyLife PAP Mask from Respironics, a Review

Filed under: Medicine

Philips Respironics is releasing today the EasyLife, its new positive airway pressure (PAP) mask for use with the company's sleep systems. As with all CPAP masks, comfort is a critical component to achieving high compliance for patients, and the EasyLife is an attempt at improving that. Respironics sent us a demo copy of the mask to try out, and this editor is happy to report that this post is being written with the mask on.

Initial impressions are that the mask is very light and quite small. The straps actually look considerably bigger than the device itself. The clear plastic and the blue tinge give you as much style as you can hope for while wearing a CPAP mask. Putting on the mask is simple enough and the wide and soft straps have very nice micro Velcro fasteners the hooks of which you can barely feel. Overall the device is quite comfortable because of the softness of the cushions. There's a multilayer cushion around the nose that seals and supports the mask on the bottom of the face and a cushion for the forehead, and there are no adjustment options on the mask itself. The trick is that the cushions on the inside move autonomously to adjust to your face, and they seem to do it pretty well. We actually spent a minute making faces to see how the mask responds, and it does a good job staying put and keeping a good seal.

This editor is not an obstructive sleep apnea patient, and has no personal experience wearing these masks overnight plugged into a functional machine, so take these words for what they're worth. But the softness of the plastic and the interesting design of the seals give the EasyLife a comfortable fit.

From the product page:

Thanks to the unique dual-cushion design and Auto Seal technology, fitting a wide variety of patients is a snap. The soft inner cushion readily adapts to facial contours to create an instant and self-adjusting seal, nearly eliminating the need for nose bridge and forehead pad adjustments. The outer cushion provides support, allowing the mask to rest lightly on the patient’s face, eliminating the need to over-tighten the headgear to achieve a suitable seal. The headgear features headgear stops for easier fitting and adjustment, which may result in a true first-time fit and fewer callbacks due to sealing issues.

In addition to providing a premium seal, this revolutionary mask design is comfortable, quiet, and light weight. And with a grand total of just four parts (mask frame, headgear, outer support cushion, and inner seal cushion), it couldn’t be simpler for patients to care for.

Product page: EasyLife...

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