ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Nasal masks can result in mouth leaks with implications on sleep quality. To reduce these leaks, oronasal masks are proposed. It has been shown that an oronasal mask can induce obstructive events in the upper airways (UA). Because of its fit around the nose, the Amara View™ facial mask may have less consequence on UA obstruction. METHODS: This retrospective study assessed the impact of the Amara View™ mask on UA. The study was conducted on patients with chronic respiratory failure treated by home NIV with standard facial mask. Replacement of the standard facial mask by an Amara View™ mask was performed when the residual apnea hypopnea index recorded from the ventilator software exceeded 5/h. All patients underwent nocturnal respiratory polygraphy when on NIV with a standard facial mask and with an Amara View™ mask. Respiratory polygraphic traces were interpreted following the analysis methods published by the SomnoNIV Group. RESULTS: Seven patients were studied. Although nocturnal oxygen saturation was similar between both masks, the index of UA obstruction without ventilatory blunting was significantly lower during NIV with the Amara View™ mask compared to the standard facial mask (P=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Nocturnal NIV using an Amara View™ facial interface may avoid UA obstruction without ventilatory command blunting.
