Tap the photo to see it at full size.
While reading a number of articles on the potential for CPAP machines to be used as makeshift ventilators for less-severe COVID-19 cases or as the basis for conversions into full-fledged ventilators, it occurred to me that a nose-and-mouth CPAP mask like mine could be used as a makeshift mask for going out on essential trips.
They’ve got a lot going for them: they form a tight seal, they’re easy to clean and can be reused, and you can connect a bacterial filter to the hose attachment (which opens downward thanks to gravity, further reducing the risk of droplet contact). I was in the process of ordering a replacement mask anyway, so in addition to a new mask, I ordered a fresh cushion for my old one so that Anitra could use it.
Here’s how the mask and filter fit together:
Between the mask/bacterial filter combo and the fact that the airway faces downward, I figure that the rig makes for some decent droplet protection.
The tricky thing about getting a CPAP mask is that like the CPAP machine you attach it to, it requires a prescription. However, there’s a workaround that just about every online CPAP vendor makes available to customers: while ordering a complete mask requires a prescription, ordering CPAP mask parts doesn’t, and the parts snap together quite easily. Best of all, the cost of ordering parts is about the same as ordering a complete mask.
My new mask is a RedMed AirFit F20, which sells for $120 in kit form at CPAP.com. A cushion for my old mask, a Quattro, sells for $54. This isn’t a cheap solution, but if you already have a CPAP and have some old masks, you might be able to repurpose them for the plague.
And in case you needed proof, here’s the press release from the office of New…
The saying is doubly true for anyone who works under Florida Governor Ron DeSantis: “No…
This recent article in the New York Times [it’s a gift link, you’ll be able…
View Comments
I’m not sure what it says about me - I’m not a cannabis user - but my first thought on seeing this was, “Huh, that would make a really good bong.”
Hey, that was my thought, too!
I don't think this is an effective exhalation port filter for CPAP. Where is the exhalation for the full face mask? Its a very good inhalation filter. ABGreen (retired Respiratory Therapist)