Leaks with Brevida pillow mask

[Ticman1]

Firstly, a short history of masks I have been using.

ResMed N20–liked the mask and few leaks

ResMed P10-too many leaks and had adjustment issues

ResMed N30i—like the mask; liked overhead hose; mask fit. Some leaks

Brevida nasal pillows size M-L. Love the fit.  Love the diffuser.  Having been using for 1 week and have tried both pillow sizes with M-L fitting best.  AHI under 5.  Leaks don’t wake me up during the night but have run between 20 L/min to 32 L/m.  I find that the pillows fit well into my nostrils and appear to seal well.  No air escaping into eyes or face that I can tell.  I have noticed that when I take the mask off in the morning, I literally have to pull (slightly) to get them to release from nostrils.  I also have found that the insides of my nostrils are tender and slightly sore—not agonizing pain—but a tenderness issue.

I have played with the velcro straps—from overly tight to fairly loose but still with a good seal.  Leak rate did not really change.Primarily a back sleeper but do turn to side during the night.  I use a climate line heated hose and find that the weight of the heated hose pulls on the mask hose requiring pulling more total hose under the covers in order to eliminate the weight pulling on the mask.

I so want to like the Brevida and wonder if anyone might have some suggestions

As always thanks.

[Sheepish]

For the nostril tenderness, try a little dab of Lansinoh 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime.



http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...#pid225181

http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...#pid240914



For the hose tugging, try a hose caddy, for example something like this:

http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...ose-Holder

[Ticman1]

Thank you for taking the time to reply.  I looked at all of your links and got some ideas to try.  

I really like the Brevida and if I can conquer the nose tenderness and lessen the leaks, I’ll be a happy camper.

Thanks, again.

[Hydrangea]

How do you know it's at an unacceptable leak rate? I believe every mask has a given leak rate, in order for us to not re-breathe our own air.

For me, although I've tried several times, I cannot get past the ultra-pain from the Brevida. My nostrils feel as if they lose a layer of skin whenever I remove the mask. (I know they don't lose the layer of skin. It just feels that way.)

[mikehenke]

Manufacturer recommendations

F&P advises to place mask gently under nostrils, turn on the device to allow mask to inflate, then place straps on the head, followed by adjusting as necessary to ensure there are no air leaks coming from nostrils. If straps are placed prior to mask inflation, this will lead to excessive leakage and over-tightening.

[GoodSleepHunting]

I hava the brevida mask, there seems to be air escaping at the part where it connects with the tube, the swivel part. it gives a bit of air, is that normal?

[40plus]

I just bought the same mask and have some leaks reported in Oscar that i cant feel when using the mask. I also noticed a small vent of air from the swivel part where you connect the mask thin air tube to the cpap hose.

I have searched far and wide and cant find any info if this is by design or if its defective. Does anyone know? Do other brevida users experience the same thing?

[Macka]

I have used the Brevida regularly for some time now. I have tried a truckload of different masks, but keep coming back to this one.

The larger pillow seems to suit a lot of people. I could not handle pillows in the beginning until I discovered Plunkets organic aloe vera gel. Use that on and around the pillows. Have never experienced even the slightest trouble ever again.

The headgear can be a bit finicky and needs to be split properly at the back to not move and adjusted just perfect. You do not want these to be cinched up tight. You need to back them off under pressure until they are only just sealing. Wear them light.


When putting them in spend 30 seconds once pressure starts, and wriggle them all around to work in properly and get seated and sealed. The aloe gel helps with this too. Once they are in and sealed like this you will be golden. Can roll around all night generally without issue.

I actually replaced the headgear with the Nova micro headgear, which has made them even better.

The mask is super easy to clean, very quiet, well diffused. It has a good level of venting and improves therapy results quite dramatically for anyone I have seen master it. The silicon is softer than most and the whole cushion expands and contracts quite a bit with breathing. So it acts as a bit of a shock absorber especially with larger pressure support numbers. Small stiff pillows can be harsh with pressure changes.

My gripes are that the vent can turn and face you and cause a tape fail and warm your face. The ball joint can be a bit stiff. Apart from that its great. Hope some of this helps in some way. If you can master a mask like this you will be way out in front before you even begin looking at machine settings.

[40plus]

Thx for the reply.

Yeah i seem to be inbetween sizes. The M-L is a bit too big and the XS-S too small. And the mask is difficult to seal. But even so its much more easy to breathe both in and out in than any other nose mask i tried and i tried many.

There is something magic with this mask.

I tried Lansinoh as to help with the seal but it doesent really help. And i think its too thick so the nose pillows wont slide into the nostril as they need to do. I will try a morer slippery thing like the Aloe you suggested or something similar.

If i could just get the M-L size to go a millimetre or two further into the nostrils it would make all the difference. Im also contemplating getting the evora nasal headgear and jerry rig it as some here on the forum did.

[NewlyDiagnosed]

macka and mikehenke, Thank you for the information on fitting the Brevida. I've been trying it for the last week, both pillow sizes, and had some leaking, although no large leaks. Last night I followed your instructions, and had no leaks and a better night of sleep than I've had for a long time. I've ordered aloe vera gel and will try it tonight.

I also changed the machine setting from "nasal pillows" to "full face." I saw this tip last night in another thread. I should have known; I've been using the "full face" setting for the Bleeps on the advice of the manufacturer.

I did wake up briefly after 4 hours and took the mask off. After looking at Oscar and Oura data, I see no reason that I should have woken up. I left on the mouth leaking and positional apnea gear (tape, SomnoSeal, cervical collar). I frequently wake up in the night and take off the CPAP mask. I've been working on insomnia (unrelated to CPAP, I believe) and am hoping that I will stop waking up.