F&P Brevida [An excellent alternative to the ResMed P10]

[Fats Drywaller]

The Fisher & Paykel Brevida is an excellent alternative to the P10 for many people.

https://www.fphcare.com/us/homecare/slee...s/brevida/

It has a removable diffuser over the vent holes.  That's a part that needs to be replaced periodically, and the full mask kit includes two of them.  The mask can be used with or without the diffuser in place.  Without, the air hissing might be distracting to the patient, or annoying to a bed partner.

The Brevida has almost the same single-backstrap elastic headgear as the P10, except that (and this is a major difference) it's fully adjustable, with velcro extending way back on both sides, so you don't need to replace it until it has actually worn out, and you don't need kluge-clips.  When it stretches, you just take up a little bit of slack with the velcro.  The actions of putting on and removing the mask are exactly the same as with the P10.  The velcro does not need to be unstuck before removing the mask, thanks to the elastic.  The headgear also has (what a concept!) plastic hooks attaching it to the frame on each side, so you can unhook one or both of those if you want (I've never found it necessary).

The Brevida has a ball-and-socket swivel elbow connecting the frame to the short tube.  It also has a quick-disconnect at the other end of the short tube: you leave the provided adapter in the machine's air hose, and simply unsnap the short tube from the adapter.  (Or just leave it connected and hang the mask up; whatever you prefer.)

The Brevida has no hard lumps pressing against your nostrils.  For me, that has been the major selling point of the mask until now.  No lanolin cream needed!  You can donate your lanolin supply to a nursing mother.  The Brevida has very soft, pliable silicone pillows that (yes, they're designed this way) go inside your nostrils.  P10 users will initially be put off by that, but it's not a big deal at all ...

... except for anyone with any nasal abnormality that would make that uncomfortable, like deviated septum or crooked nasal passage.

Besides that one, the only other negative point I can think of is that, as has been reported in discussions here on AB, the Brevida is not appropriate if you have a mustache.  In that case it probably won't seal well, so forget it.

It may or may not be necessary to wash one's face (and, for guys without staches, to shave) before using the Brevida each night, to get a good seal.

FYI, FWIW, HTH, etc.

[snorybob]

For me, the Brevida is the equivalent of the P10. I alternate between both of them. When I want relief from the little nose soreness (P10) I use the Brevida. I think that the silicone prongs are smoother for the nostrils.

The P10 has a more direct air intake in the nose, which is good for the sinuses. IMO, the air exhaust noise on the Brevida & on the P10 is about the same. The Brevida is almost as light as the P10 & has a swivel for the hose.

Shown in a previous post, I modified my Resmed. Now I use the Brevida headgear (adjustable) on both masks. 

Like FD says, the Brevida is a real good alternative for the P10.   



   Bob.

[Fats Drywaller]

More items about Brevida versus P10:

Earlier, I mentioned the hissing from the vent holes when the diffuser is not in place, but I had forgotten how this goes, and last night I experimented a little bit and was reminded that it's not the noise, but the air jet, that's annoying.  The thing is, the diffuser is in the swivel elbow with the ball-and-socket joint, so the air holes are often pointed toward the patient's chin.  With the diffuser in place, that's fine.  But without the diffuser, the jet is distracting.  It is possible to use a piece of surgical tape (not obstructing any part of the vent holes, of course!) to immobilize the swivel joint so the exhaust is pointed outward from the chin, but that puts more strain on the joint as the short tube moves around.

Anyway, the thing to do for safety's sake is to check the Brevida's diffuser periodically to see whether it's in any danger of clogging, therefore needing to be replaced.  Not a big deal, as far as I know.  The vent holes themselves, under the diffuser, are plenty big enough to prevent clogging, regardless of dust and humidity.

I confess to being puzzled by many people's strong resistance to simply abandoning the P10 at this point, since it likely has a serious design defect.  In the department of "Don't get me wrong", yes, I understand that the P10 is super-convenient and super-attractive compared to the vast majority of the other masks Out There, and that there are "sunk costs" that everyone is reluctant to abandon: I don't want to have to buy a different mask and get used to it, etc.  However, the first of those is true of the Brevida as well, and even more so, and the second is just one of those "<shrug> Oh, well" things.

About masks, my main contention for months now has been that most of y'all who think the P10 is so great have never tried the Brevida and simply don't know how great that one really is, easily outranking the P10 ... except, as I said, for those people with either a mustache or some abnormality of nose physiology, for whom it doesn't work.  (For those cases, there are masks that have pillows similar to the P10's if not identical, like the Swift FX. If you don't like the Swift FX headgear, you could try the Bella edition. It's available in color Guy Gray rather than Girly Pink.)

Try to see it from my PoV: I used the Brevida (and a few other masks both nasal and nas-pil) before the P10, and immediately loved it, and still love it; later, I bought and tried a P10 and found that for me it was a complete waste of money (hated it and always will: too painful); now I'm reading, over and over and over in various discussions, basically this:

1. The P10 can be painful to wear.
   
2. But I must continue using it anyway because I don't have enough sense to come in out of the rain!  Therefore I'll try lanolin cream, and I'll continue to recommend the P10 and a lifetime supply of lanolin cream to all newbies as The Mask of Choice.
   
3. Uh-oh: in addition to being painful to wear, the P10 might be seriously hazardous to my health.
   
4. But I must continue using it anyway!  So I'll try examining the exhaust pores with a microscope.
   
5. Uh-oh again: examination indicates that the P10 looks to be seriously defective, so much so that the FDA should be warned about it, and probably there should be a product recall and re-design.
   
6. But I must continue using it anyway!  And I'll continue to recommend the P10 and a lifetime supply of lanolin cream to all newbies as The Mask of Choice.
   

What is wrong with this picture?

Folks, try the Brevida.  I predict that you won't go back to the painful and hazardous P10.

BTW, a p.s. for those who aren't already familiar with these. The Brevida is an evolution of the F&P Pilairo Q ("q" for "quiet", meaning that it has a diffuser), and as you would expect, the Brevida is better in some ways, so I suggest ignoring the Pilairo unless you think you can use the second headgear alternative that's included.

[vroomvroom]

More items about Brevida versus P10:


Try to see it from my PoV: I used the Brevida (and a few other masks both nasal and nas-pil) before the P10, and immediately loved it, and still love it; later, I bought and tried a P10 and found that for me it was a complete waste of money (hated it and always will: too painful); now I'm reading, over and over and over in various discussions, basically this:

1. The P10 can be painful to wear.
   
2. But I must continue using it anyway because I don't have enough sense to come in out of the rain!  Therefore I'll try lanolin cream, and I'll continue to recommend the P10 and a lifetime supply of lanolin cream to all newbies as The Mask of Choice.
   
3. Uh-oh: in addition to being painful to wear, the P10 might be seriously hazardous to my health.
   
4. But I must continue using it anyway!  So I'll try examining the exhaust pores with a microscope.
   
5. Uh-oh again: examination indicates that the P10 looks to be seriously defective, so much so that the FDA should be warned about it, and probably there should be a product recall and re-design.
   
6. But I must continue using it anyway!  And I'll continue to recommend the P10 and a lifetime supply of lanolin cream to all newbies as The Mask of Choice.
   

What is wrong with this picture?

Folks, try the Brevida.  I predict that you won't go back to the painful and hazardous P10.

Thanks to your write up here and on my other thread, I'll be requesting my DME to provide me this mask to try during my trial. I have tried the P10, and I thought it was better than the other masks I tried (nasal and full face mask). I couldn't even get the full face strapped in properly, so I never even really got to try it out. 

Regardless, I look forward to trying the Brevida. I don't think I found the P10 to be that uncomfortable (but again, I'd not tried any other mask before), and I even had to look up what lanolin cream was used for. Had no idea you could also use it around the nostrils. 

I don't have a mustache, but I do rock stubble. Would that be an issue for seals w/the Brevida?

[Sheepish]

I have the Brevida and like it, but at the moment there are two things preventing me from using it:

1. I've got Civil War-caliber whiskers going on these days.  
   
2. From my collection of 6 or 8 masks, the one my wife likes the best is the Brevida, so she's commandeered mine. Guess I'll have to order another one.
   

So for now I'm alternating between the two most prodigious 'stache-friendly masks I've found, the P10 and the DreamWear nasal cushion.

[vroomvroom]

I have the Brevida and like it, but at the moment there are two things preventing me from using it:

1. I've got Civil War-caliber whiskers going on these days.  
   
2. From my collection of 6 or 8 masks, the one my wife likes the best is the Brevida, so she's commandeered mine. Guess I'll have to order another one.
   

So for now I'm alternating between the two most prodigious 'stache-friendly masks I've found, the P10 and the DreamWear nasal cushion.

How long of these whiskers/stache do you have going? I usually have stubble, but not a full on mustache. Would the Brevida not work for me?

[Sheepish]

Stubble
Should be no trouble.

(-a poem by Sheepish)

[vroomvroom]

Stubble
Should be no trouble.

(-a poem by Sheepish)

I would like to subscribe to your poetry. 

But, regardless, glad I can keep the stubble!

[JJJ]

From reading what y'all say about the Brevida, I'm about to order one. But I use a BiPAP where I sometimes hit pressures over 23cm.H2O. I am using the Airfit P10, and have a continual problem with leaks. How is the Brevida for leaks?

[DBBCPAP]

I’ve been using the Brevida for over three months now and love it.  I had the Dreamware first but I found I had to have it too tight in order for it not to leak.  I believe my problem with the Dreamware was due to my beard/mustache, where as I find the Brevida is perfect for mustaches - I don’t understand the comments above at all that indicate it is a problem with them.  The sealing surfaces are inside the nose so that area is not effected by excess hair.  The sleepyhead software indicates a small amount of leakage at times but I usually don’t hear it.  With the Dreamware, I was constantly aware of any leakage and therefore fixated on it.  I believe the Brevida’s diffuser makes it very quiet.  I had to cajole my DME into getting it for me since it was not a stock item.