Review - New ResMed AirFit P10 Nasal Pillow Mask with improved QuickFit Headgear

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Sierra +0 points · over 1 year ago Original Poster Sleep Patron

My very first CPAP mask about 5 years ago was the ResMed AirFit P10 Nasal Pillow type. I really liked that it was so quiet and minimal in shape. However, I found the headgear was terrible. It would not stay on my head. It was hard to adjust. And it leaked a lot. After trying different masks I could not find one as good, and I finally modified my P10 by fitting it with a Swift FX Headgear as described here. That worked much better and it served me well for nearly 5 years. But, my original P10 mask was starting to get tired, and it even plugged up as described here. So, I decided it was finally time to get a new mask. I bought the new complete P10 with the new improved QuickFit headgear. While it was tempting to modify it to be used with my Swift FX headgear, I decided to try it as is first to see how good the new headgear was.

I have used it just as it came out of the box for two nights now, and so far this is a major improvement over the original headgear. It stays on my head, and my leaks so far have been lower than I was getting with my modified headgear. See the OSCAR screenshot from last night below. The hose did pull apart once at the connection to the heated hose. I had that issue before with the old mask, and had put a few wraps of Scotch Magic tape to build up the diameter of the hose fitting. If this keeps happening I will have to do that with the new one.

In any case I can now fully recommend this mask. In the past I have always said it was a great mask but had terrible headgear. Now they have improved the headgear it is a complete all around good mask. You do have to keep the vent screen clean though. I have retired my P10-Swift combo mask now but will keep it as a spare just in case....

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Sierra +0 points · about 1 year ago Original Poster Sleep Patron

Well now that I have used the mask for a month or so, and the honeymoon period is over, I can report that the headgear is not perfect. After, the initial trial with it just the way it came, I found the need to adjust the headgear a bit tighter. The problem is that the adjustment buckle thing does not stay put. You can adjust it tighter, but it does not stay put and just slips looser again. If anyone has had that issue and found a good solution, I wouldn't mind hearing about it. I think I may just tape it in place.

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CoPd20815 +0 points · about 1 year ago

I have been a respiratory therapist for 32 years now and a cpap user for over 25 years. I’m not a fan of nasal pillows, first as you mentioned it doesn’t stay on well, the weight of the hose when you move around in bed pulls on the mask and causes leaks, I recommend to my patients nasal masks like the ResMed N20 nasal mask, the headgear keeps the mask secure. I also read in the forum people using tape to keep their mouth closed, I can’t see using tape, I think a much simpler solution is a chinstrap, there is one called a Halo and it stays on well and it has Velcro on the side to adjust it. As for myself I’m a fan of the full face mask particularly the ResMed F20, this mask is comfortable, I am a mouth breather and it has worked for me for as long as I have been using cpap.

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Sierra +0 points · about 1 year ago Original Poster Sleep Patron

I think masks are very personal choice. These are the masks I have tried with some brief comments about each and in roughly the order I tried them:

ResMed P10 AirFit Nasal Pillow - The original version of this mask was the one prescribed by the sleep clinic. I found it comfortable but really hard to keep on my head. The flimsy mask straps were awful.
ResMed N20 AirFit Nasal Mask - Only tried this one briefly. The headgear is much more substantial but it was not nearly as comfortable as the P10, and I found the fit over my nose almost claustrophobic.
ResMed Mirage Quattro Full Face - This was recommended by my son that has a beard and recommended it. I have no beard. This mask holds the record for being the very worst mask I have ever tried. I found it impossible to keep sealed. It was either too tight to be comfortable or it leaked, most often blowing air into my eyes. I did not make it through even one night with this mask.
ResMed F20 AirFit Full Face - This was significantly better than the Quattro but I still could not make it seal and the leaks kept waking me up. It may have made it 2-3 nights before it was dispatched to my growing mask boneyard.
F&P Brevida Nasal Pillow - This mask has better headgear than the P10 and it worked quite well except it seemed to irritate the dividing plate between my nostrils. I pawned it off on my wife and she liked it. She was using the Mirage FX for Her and it was leaving marks on her face that would not go away in a reasonable time during the day. She still uses the Brevida. She has larger leaks than I could tolerate, but she likes it and does not want to change.
ResMed Swift FX Nasal Pillow - I got this one as it seemed very similar to the P10 which I liked, but has a much better headgear component. It stayed on at night, but the vent system on the FX is very different than the P10. The P10 does an excellent job of diffusing the vent air flow so you can't feel or hear it. The FX however has straight holes that project air out at jet speed. I simply could not tolerate it blowing on my hand or arm, and it kept waking me up. Another reject.
P10/Swift Hybrid - As described in the link I adapted the Swift headgear to the P10. This actually worked very well, and that combination has seen the most use of the 5 years I have been using a CPAP. It was a bit difficult to clean, and it was getting to be time to replace it all, so I decided to try the improved headgear P10 as described in this review.
ResMed AirFit P10 Nasal Pillow Improved - Currently still using it. It leaks a little more than I like but is still pretty good. I average less than 1% of the time over the leak rate threshold. This compares to my wife's Brevida at about 8% of the time over the leak rate threshold. She beats me on AHI though by averaging 0.5 compared to my 0.84 long term average. I think I may have to get a needle and thread out to just retain the adjustment of the new and improved straps. But, other than that, this mask is the winner for me.

Chin Straps - Basically I have tried them all including a homemade one. The best was the Breathewear Halo you mentioned. However I found it was just too much with the mask straps and the chin strap to be comfortable. I have also found that using a satin pillow cover makes the pillow slippery enough to help keep the straps on my head, rather than having them "dragged" off by the standard pillow cover.

Mouth Taping - This is my preferred choice and what I have been using for a few years now since I gave up on the chin strap.

As I said in the beginning I think everyone has to experiment to see what they like and can tolerate for a mask. I also think one has to "make friends" with the mask and learn how to live with it. The new P10 does it for me.

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