Humidification

Q. Why do the AirSense™ 10 and AirCurve™ 10 devices come with the HumidAir™ heated humidifier built-in?

A. The air delivered during therapy may overwhelm the body’s ability to add heat and moisture, which can lead to a sore, dry throat, nasal congestion, or a runny nose. Heated humidification has been shown to help minimise the side effects associated with positive airway pressure therapy, and help make it a more comfortable experience.¹ Given the positive impact heated humidification can have, ResMed combined the humidifier and the device to make it easier for therapy users to receive these benefits.

Q. Can I use the HumidAir™ heated humidifier without a water tub?

A. The device will work without water in the tub but you’ll need to insert it into the device and turn humidification off in the My Options menu. If you don’t want to use the humidifier, you’ll need to insert a side cover into the device.

Q. How do I know if my humidifier is working?

A. Icons are displayed on the device screen to indicate when the humidifier is heating up or cooling down. The Sleep Report option on your AirSense™ 10 or AirCurve™ 10 device will indicate that your humidifier is working properly with a smiley face icon. See your user guide for a detailed list of icons and their descriptions.

Q. What does the humidifier smiley face in Sleep Report mean?

A. This means that the humidifier is working as intended for the current settings, and that there is no hardware fault.

Q. What happens if the water tub runs out of water?

A. Your device will function normally and safely without water in the tub, but it will no longer provide humidification.

Q. What is warm-up mode?

A. The HumidAir™ heated humidifier will rise to a target temperature of 40°C over 20 minutes. The device then holds this temperature for a further 10 minutes, ready for therapy to start. If therapy does not commence in that time, the device will automatically enter cool-down mode, where it will blow a small amount of air for around 20 minutes to stop condensation forming in the device.

Reference

Massie CA, Hart RW, Peralez K, Richards GN. Effects of humidification on nasal symptoms and compliance in sleep apnea patients using continuous positive airway pressure. Chest 1999; 116(2):403-8