Doesn't Airing's SmartMask Do The Same Thing As Existing CPAP and BiPAP Machines? Nope.

We want to dispel a myth floating around the socials right now. That is, that our SmartMask technology does the same thing as other existing CPAP and BiPAP machines. Here’s the difference.

It’s all about the exhalation.

The sate-of-the-art xPAP machines (AutoPAP, CPAP, BiPAP) all use blowers to create the therapy airflow. These blowers consist of [at least] a motor and a fan blade. When the motor spins at high speed, the fan blade can move a sufficient amount of air to create the required flow rates and pressures needed for Positive Airway Pressure therapy. This has been the basic technological approach since the therapy was first commercialized.

Over the years, the leading xPAP manufacturers have come to understand the significant discomfort due to exhaling against the full therapy airflow and have tried to address it. Unfortunately, their technological approach has certain limitations that minimize the relief it offers.

One such limitation is an inability to change the airflow rate by a significant amount and in a short amount of time. If the airflow is to decrease, and therefore the therapy pressure, the motor must spin down to a lower speed; this takes time. Even a few seconds can be longer than a breath. And then to speed back up again to create full therapy pressure also takes time. While it is possible to change the therapy airflow during exhalation on some machines, it us usually limited to a maximum of 3cmH2O (that is, not very much).

Another limitation is the latency or delay in responding to a change in breath such as exhalation. Because these machines are sensing the airflow and pressure with sensors that are inside the box, there is an inherent delay associated with the changes that are happening at the end of the hose; at the patient’s nose/mouth. This delay can cause a noticeable tracking error where the machine is not perfectly in sync with the patient’s breathing.

With SmartMask exhale with comfort.

The Airing SmartMask uses a completely different approach and so is not subject to these limitations. The patient’s standard xPAP machine is still used to produce the therapy airflow, just as it was intended to do. It still blows air through a hose to the patient, but that’s where the similarity ends. Instead of continuously blowing therapy airflow at the patient, the SmartMask is smart about how it delivers the air to the patient.

When inhaling, the full therapy airflow is delivered to the patient. But, when the patient exhales, instead of fighting that airflow, it is diminished to the point where a comfortable more natural exhalation can occur. This is accomplished by our proprietary AirSwitch technology which can control the airflow from 0-100% of full therapy airflow, and it can respond in milliseconds. Again, we are not generating the therapy airflow, the xPAP machine is doing that, we are just being smart about how we deliver it.

Because the SmartMask senses the pressure right at the patient’s nostrils, there is virtually no latency or delays, and the airflow can be controlled precisely to the patient’s breathing. No other xPAP machinery can do this. So, you get your full therapy airflow when you need it and you don’t have to fight it when you exhale. This could just be the relief patients need to stay compliant with their therapy. Those who have tried it say that it is like day and night, and they want to SmartMask as soon as possible (see testimonial video above).