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Message Breeze CPAP Mask Patients undergo continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy in the home for sleep apnea or in the hospital for respiratory insufficiency, wearing a mask over the face that allows a ventilator to increase airway pressure. At home, the mask is donned at bedtime and worn while sleeping; in the hospital, doctors use CPAP therapy as an alternative to risky and costly intubation. The Puritan Bennett and IDEO design team solved many interrelated challenges while creating the Breeze CPAP mask. Other devices on the market resembled gas masks, and were difficult to put on, either by the patient or by a caregiver fastening it on a patient’s head. Sensitive industrial design and an innovative cantilever form make the Breeze a clear improvement. The cantilever allows the mask to securely fit a wide range of head sizes, much like stereo headphones. (Extra straps are included to provide an even more secure fit, but the majority of users will not require them.) Because the Breeze creates its air seal at the nostrils only, using soft nasal pillows, it is much more comfortably worn, especially during sleep. The unobtrusive form fits in well with at-home use, making users less self-conscious; this will encourage long-term use. Additionally, IDEO provided a design that achieved the client’s target cost-of-goods price, in an attractive form that will appeal to doctors and patients alike. It can be quickly put on and taken off, and will likely encourage CPAP therapy where the difficulties of other devices would not. http://www.ideo.com/work/breeze-cpap-mask/